Dr. Royal, a native of Massachusetts, attended the University of Massachusetts where she was elected to the Alpha Delta Tau Honor Society and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree. She worked as a medical technologist first in a hospital setting, then in the medical industry. She attended the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and as a junior medical student was elected to the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha National Honor Medical Society, graduated magna cum laude and received numerous awards for academic excellence in surgery, neurology, pathology and physical diagnosis. The University of Massachusetts honored her in 1988 as one of 125 Alumni to watch, and the American Women’s Medical Association granted her a Scholarship Achievement Award. Dr. Royal completed an internship in Internal Medicine at California-Pacific Medical center followed by a residency in Ophthalmology at the University of California San Francisco.
During medical school Dr. Royal was involved in research first in cardiovascular pathology, then received a research training grant from the department of neurology to study neuronal development and presented at the Eastern Regional Medical Student Research Competition. While in residency she participated in glaucoma research and was invited to present at the international Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting.
As a community practitioner, advocacy is important to Dr. Royal. In 2001 she was awarded The Grand Strand Woman of the Year by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for her successful fundraising. Most important to her is that she recognized and helped initiate an investigation into the danger of the use of non-prescription decorative and cosmetic lenses. The process began locally, involved state health and government agencies, and by working along with the American Academy of Ophthalmology it reached the federal level. Dr. Royal was a guest on Capital Hill the day that Congress approved Bill S.172 which was signed into law by President George Bush to restore the designation of all contact lenses as medical devices which must be supervised by a health care professional.
Dr. Royal has been certified three times by the American Board of Ophthalmology. She is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, South Carolina Medical Association, and Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. Dr. Royal will be practicing at our Myrtle Beach location.