About

Tayyeba K. Ali, MD, a Board Certified Adjunct Associate Professor at Stanford University, Department of Ophthalmology, specializes in complex corneal disease and uveitis. She sees patients at Palo Alto Medical Foundation / Sutter Health in Sunnyvale, CA. Additionally, Dr. Ali has worked as a medical specialist on contract for Google since 2018; she is currently on contract with Verily Life Sciences, working to leverage technology and integrate AI to improve diagnostic accuracy and access to quality eye care.

Prior to completing two fellowships in cornea, external disease, refractive surgery and uveitis at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, ranked #1 eye hospital in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Dr. Ali finished her ophthalmology residency at the Jones Eye Institute / UAMS. She earned her medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine and completed her undergraduate training in English literature and creative writing from Agnes Scott College.

She is the recipient of the prestigious Bascom Palmer Fellow of the Year Award, the Jones Eye Dean’s Faculty Award, and Women in Ophthalmology Humanitarian Award, as well as being recognized as a leader in ophthalmology and health tech. She has delivered dozens of lectures on the national and international level and published numerous meeting abstracts and peer-reviewed journal articles. Her professional CV can be found here.

As a second generation American, Tayyeba finds herself dwelling on migrant and refugee stories, their need for ethnic and religious identity, and the repercussions of these journeys. She is keenly interested in international medicine, resident education, health technology and taking a closer look at the moral crossroads we face in healthcare. As the Associate Director for Stanford Physician Writers, a writing community modeled after the Iowa Writers Workshop, she sees storytelling as a vital tool to promote health and healing in a broken healthcare system. Her writing has appeared in Analyst News, Ophthalmology, Diabetes and Journal of General Internal Medicine.