Biography
Dr. Otto attended New York Medical College, in Valhalla, NY, and completed his Transitional Internship and Ophthalmology Residency at Madigan Army Medical Center, in Tacoma, WA, before being forward deployed with the U.S. Army to Camp Zama, Japan, as a General Ophthalmologist, with duty at Yokosuka Naval Hospital for three years.
Following Honorable Discharge from the Army, Dr. Otto returned to Hawaii and completed a Medical Retina fellowship at the Retina Institute of Hawaii, where he continues to practice as a Medical Retinal Specialist, taking care of Macular Degeneration and Diabetic Retinopathy patients on the Big Island.
Dr. Otto is also an advocate for the Medical Use of Marijuana and has been working with the Hawaii State Legislature since 2012 in an effort advance changes in Hawaii’s Medical Use of Marijuana Program that will improve patient care. He was also a member of the Hawaii Dispensary Task Force, and currently provides Written Certifications in compliance with state law for qualifying patients who wish to enroll in Hawaii’s Medical Use of Marijuana Program.
Before medical school, Dr. Otto worked with the Scheuer Research Group in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Hawaii Manoa in Honolulu, HI, using HPLC and NMR to isolate bioactive compounds from marine organisms, and at Wyeth-Ayerst Labs, in Nyack, NY, performing chemical synthesis of mitroxantrone and methotrexate reference standards.