Dr. Zachary Richards, a third-year ophthalmology resident with a background in engineering, has been named a 2025–2026 Iowa Innovation Leadership Fellow. Combining his surgical training with his passion for invention, Richards is developing low-cost tools like a 3-D surgical recording system and aims to learn how to bring medical technologies from prototype to patient care. Through the fellowship, he hopes to strengthen his leadership and business skills to become a “surgeon-inventor” who advances both clinical practice and innovation in eye care.