Steven R. Bennett, MD
Dr. Bennett was born and raised in Georgia. He attended Furman University with a Dreyfus Scholarship and a National Merit Scholarship and graduated with a B.S. in Chemistry. He won the Scholarship Cup of Furman University for being first in his graduating class. He attended Vanderbilt Medical School with the prestigious Justin Potter Scholarship. He received the Founder's Medal at Vanderbilt for graduating first in his class. Also at Vanderbilt, he was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, received the Upjohn Award for Excellence, and was awarded a Citation for Service to Vanderbilt by the Dean of the Medical School. He did an Ophthalmology residency at the University of lowa, and then a Chief Residency and Medical Retina and Research Fellowship at the University of lowa. He received the "I Looked Award" for being the outstanding retinal fellow at lowa. He did a medical and surgical retinal fellowship at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He joined Retinal Consultants of Minnesota in 1990.
After joining RCM, Dr. Bennett was primarily focused on providing the highest quality care to patients with retinal eye disease. He was involved in education and research to improve the care of patients around the world. He published over 40 papers and book chapters. He was a reviewer for several respected medical journals such as the American Journal of Ophthalmology, JAMA Ophthalmology, British Journal of Ophthalmology, and Ophthalmology Retina. He presented over 70 talks around the world on various topics of retinal disease. He was a member of the Retina Society, the American Society of Retina Specialists, the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Minnesota Academy of Ophthalmology. He received the Honor Award from the American Society of Retinal Specialists three times. He was named one of the "Best Doctors in America" for many years. He was named a "Top Doctor" by the Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine multiple times. He has won the Allina Hope award multiple times.
He has been involved in numerous research trials to develop new drugs and techniques in retina. He has taught other doctors about retinal disease as part of the residency program at the University of Minnesota, serving at Hennepin County Medical Center, Regions Hospital, and the Minneapolis VA Hospital. He has served as Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the former Phillips Eye Institute. He also served as Chairman of the Patient Care Committee, the Education Committee, the Quality Committee, the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, the Institutional Review Board, and as a member of the Executive Committee at Phillips Eye Institute. He has traveled overseas to treat underprivileged patients with retinal disease.
Dr. Bennett fully retired from RCM in January of 2025. He and his wife, Suzanne, have two grown children. He enjoys golf, hiking, and reading as well as doing volunteer work in retirement.