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William R. Katowitz, MD

William R. Katowitz, MD

William R. Katowitz, MD

William R. Katowitz, MD, is an attending surgeon in the Division of Ophthalmology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He works with children with thyroid conditions, hemangiomas and vascular malformations.

Areas of expertise: Oculoplastic and orbital surgery, Lacrimal (tearing) disorders, Ptosis, Facial trauma, Eyelid and ocular surface tumors, Vascular malformations, Pediatric ophthalmology, Hyperthyroidism (Graves' disease), Tear duct problems

Locations: Main Building, Specialty Care, King of Prussia


215-590-2791

About William R. Katowitz, MD

William Rocamora Katowitz, MD, is an attending surgeon in the Division of Ophthalmology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). He works closely with children with tearing abnormalities, droopy eyelids (ptosis), facial trauma, eyelid and orbital tumors, as well as patients with thyroid conditions and vascular malformations.

“I enjoy treating children and their families and specifically am inspired by the challenges they face when born with orbital and facial abnormalities,” he said.

Dr. Katowitz is excited about the promising direction of orbital imaging. His research focuses on pediatric ptosis, orbital tumors and tearing.

In addition to his role at CHOP, Dr. Katowitz is an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the Fellowship Director of a 2 year-fellowship in the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS).

Dr. Katowitz hopes that children and families come away from their experience at CHOP knowing how special the place is.

“I hope each family can appreciate not only just how much we care for their child, but for their overall  experience in receiving that care here at CHOP,” he says.

Titles

Attending Surgeon

Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Certifications

Ophthalmology – American Board of Ophthalmology

Awards and Honors

2022, Main Line Today Top Docs, Ophthalmology
2022, Philadelphia Magazine's Top Doctors in Ophthalmology

Education & training

Medical Degree

MD - University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Internship

Transitional Internship - Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA

Residency

Ophthalmology - Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Fellowship

Pediatric Ophthalmology - The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Oculoplastic and Orbital Surgery - The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Orbital and Lacrimal Surgery, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Trust, London, England

Publications

Publications

2018

Revere KE, Binenbaum G, Li J, Mills MD, Katowitz WR, Katowitz JA. Simultaneous versus sequential ptosis and strabismus surgery in children. Ophthalmic Plast Reconstr Surg. 2018;34(3):280-283.

Chua MR, Tomlinson LA, Binenbaum G, Katowitz WR. Pediatric thyroid eye disease: clinical characteristics and orbital decompression outcomes. Ophthalmic Plast Reconstr Surg. 2018;4S(Suppl 1):S52-S55.

2017

Khatib L, Nazemzadeh M, Revere K, Katowitz WR, Katowitz JA. Use of the Masterka for complex nasolacrimal duct obstruction in children. J AAPOS. 2017;21(5):380-383.

Swanson JW, Aleman TS, Xu W, Ying GS, Pan W, Liu GT, Lang SS, Heuer GG, Storm PB, Bartlett SP, Katowitz WR, Taylor JA. Evaluation of optical coherence tomography to detect elevated intracranial pressure in children. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2017;135(4):320-328.

2016

Revere KE, Katowitz WR, Katowitz JA, Rorke-Adams L, Fisher MJ, Liu GT. Childhood optic nerve glioma: vision loss due to biopsy. Ophthal Plast Reconstr Surg. 2016 Apr 4.

2010

Iyengar SS, Chambers CB, Katowitz WR. Update on pediatric lacrimal disorders. Int Ophthalmol Clin. 2010 Fall;50(4):67-72. No abstract available.

Eftekhari K, Chikwava KR, Katowitz WR. Idiopathic Orbital Inflammation Leading to Unilateral Blindness Over a 2-Day Presentation in a Child. Ophthal Plast Reconstr Surg. 2010 Sep 20.

2009

Castelo-Soccio L, Katowitz WR, Katowitz JA, Shah KN, Treat JR, Yan AC. Picture of the month. Eyelid pilomatricoma. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2009 Oct;163(10):955-6. Review. No abstract available.

Metry DW, Garzon MC, Drolet BA, Frommelt P, Haggstrom A, Hall J, Hess CP, Heyer GL, Siegel D, Baselga E, Katowitz W, Levy ML, Mancini A, Maronn ML, Phung T, Pope E, Sun G, Frieden IJ. PHACE syndrome: current knowledge, future directions. Pediatr Dermatol. 2009 Jul-Aug;26(4):381-98.

Patient experience rating

(based on 262 submissions)

  • Clear Explanation
    4.5 of 5
  • Showed Concern
    4.5 of 5
  • Included in decisions
    4.5 of 5
  • Would recommend
    4.5 of 5
  • Discussion of Proposed Treatment
    4.5 of 5
Learn about the patient experience rating system

Comments

  • Dr. Katowitz was personable and took time to provide detailed but simplified explanations of testing and conditions, used pictures/diagrams. As a pediatrician, he also provided reassurance regarding my nuanced worries and did funduw examination

    5 of 5
    Mar 18, 2024
  • Dr. Katowitz always makes me feel heard and reassured. I feel like he is honest and caring, and I value the time he spends with us.

    5 of 5
    Mar 09, 2024
  • The doctor was professional and thorough. He explained in detail what he thought the problem was and treatment. He answered all my questions. He was kind with my daughter and spoke to her as well as me (mom) which I appreciated

    5 of 5
    Nov 17, 2023
  • Dr. Katowitz is the best of the best! We appreciate how thorough he is and engaging with our son. He makes the appointment enjoyable.

    5 of 5
    Jun 13, 2023
  • Dr. Katowitz is an amazing doctor. His kindness and patience were what we needed throughout our son's surgery.

    5 of 5
    Jun 07, 2023
  • We couldn't be happier with our experience! So glad we found dr Katowitz for our daughter

    5 of 5
    Apr 29, 2023
  • We were thoroughly impressed with how Dr. Katowitz took in our self-reporting of our Son's condition.

    5 of 5
    Mar 31, 2023
  • Dr. Katowitz was clear on his medical recommendation, but made sure to validate the feelings of the parent expressing that it was understandable if they had concerns/reservations. He explained that the benefits far outweigh the risks and why, but left room for the parent to naturally feel that "surgery is a big deal" regardless. He explained the procedure verbally and showed us photos/videos. He asked if we would like him to explain anything again or in any different way. I felt confident in his skills and didn't require further explanations since he was so clear, but I am sure for parents who were more nervous at the time of appointment that it would have been helpful and reassuring.

    5 of 5
    Feb 28, 2023
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About the Patient Experience Rating System

The Patient Experience Rating is an average of all responses to the care provider related questions shown above from our nationally-recognized Press Ganey Patient Satisfaction Survey. Patients that are treated in outpatient or hospital environments may receive different surveys, and the volume of responses will vary by question. Responses are measured on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best score. We are committed to true transparency. However, to ensure the comments are fair and correctly attributed, we review each one before posting to the website. We exclude entire comments that disclose patient’s protected health information, are off-topic, or include other confidential or inappropriate content. Comments will appear on provider bios only if providers have a minimum number of comments. Comments are shared internally for education purposes to ensure that we are doing our very best for the patients and families for whom we are privileged to care. The comments are submitted by patients and families and reflect their views and opinions. The comments are not endorsed by and do not reflect the views of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

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