Diana V. Do, MD, is Professor of Ophthalmology and Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs at the Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University.
She is an internationally recognized physician who specializes in the surgical and medical treatment of retinal disorders. Dr. Do is a board-certified ophthalmologist and is an expert in the management of age related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, vein occlusion, retinal detachment, macular hole, infections, cataract, and epiretinal membrane. She incorporates state-of-the-art treatment options for her patients while treating each individual with compassion and dignity. Her goal is to provide the highest level of care for each patient. She has been selected as a “Top Doctor” in the Bay Area, and she has been voted as one of the “100 Top Women in Ophthalmology” in the Ophthalmologist Power List.
Prithvi Mruthyunjaya MD, MHS is Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Stanford Univeristy, member of the Vitreoretinal Surgery Service and is the new Director of Ocular Oncology at the Byers Eye Institute. He is a board certified ophthalmologist who has completed two prestigious fellowships: the first in Vitreoretinal Surgery at Duke University and the second in Ocular Oncology at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, England.
He cares for patients with conditions related to cancer of the eye in both adults and children–either benign, pre-cancerous, or eye cancer. These conditions include ocular melanoma, hemangioma, cancers from other parts of the body which spread to the eye, Coats’ disease, retinoblastoma, iris tumors (melanoma, cysts, metastatic lesions) and tumors of the conjunctiva including melanoma, and squamous cells carcinoma. He also manages the eye related side effects of chemotherapy treatments. He is an expert in using the most advanced diagnostic tests to make a personalized treatment plan for every patient. With his expertise in retinal surgery, he treats patients with a variety of advanced techniques including small instrument tumor biopsy, vitrectomy, and radiation therapy.
As a retinal surgeon, he manages complicated retinal diseases including retinal detachment, macular holes, epiretinal membranes, and diabetic eye disease.
His approach to any patient is to provide customized care for every patient and works closely with other experts at the Stanford Cancer Institute. Dr. Mruthyunjaya is actively involved in research in ocular cancer imaging, genetics, and new modalities of tumor biopsy.
Born in Saigon, Vietnam, and immigrated with his parents and three brothers to the United States in 1980, Dr. Quan Dong Nguyen currently is Professor of Ophthalmology at the Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine.
After completing his education in 2001, Dr. Nguyen joined the faculty at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, as Assistant Professor and then Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of Medical Education. In 2013, he was appointed as the McGaw Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology and the Inaugural Director of the Stanley M. Truhlsen Eye Institute, and Assistant Dean for Translational Research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
A Vitreoretinal Surgeon and Clinical Assistant Professor in Ophthalmology at the Byers Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, at the Stanford University School of Medicine. His goal is to put the needs of his patients first, and this commitment to patient-centered care dictates his approach to both his clinical and surgical care.
Dr. Smith received a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology and earned his MD – graduating with distinction – from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. He completed his internship at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeon’s Bassett Medical Center. Dr. Smith was an ophthalmology resident at University of Michigan’s Kellogg Eye Center, consistently rated among the top 10 ophthalmology programs in the country. At University of Michigan he received numerous awards, including the Aizman Award, which is given to the resident who achieved the most significant scholarly achievement during residency with highest distinction in clinical excellence. Following a 2-year adult and pediatric vitreoretinal surgery fellowship at Stanford University’s Byers Eye Institute, he joined the vitreoretinal faculty on a part-time basis.
Aniruddha Agarwal is currently working as an Associate Staff Physician (Medical and Surgical Retina, and Uveitis) at the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Previously, he was a faculty (Assistant Professor) at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India. He has completed his Clinical Research Fellowship at the Stanley M. Truhlsen Eye Institute, Omaha, Nebraska, USA (2014-2016) and Surgical Vitreoretina Fellowship at PGIMER, India (2016-2019). He has received the Kataria Memorial Gold Medal from Prime Minister of India in 2014. He has authored more than 256publications and 40 book chapters. His areas of interest include ocular imaging, retinal diseases and uveitis.
David RP Almeida MD MBA PhD
Surgery & Diseases of the Retina, Vitreous & Macula | Erie Retinal Surgery
Director of Clinical Research | Erie Retina Research
David RP Almeida, MD MBA PhD, is a Board-Certified Ophthalmologist and
Vitreoretinal Surgeon. He completed an Honors Bachelor of Science (University of
Toronto, Canada), PhD in Pharmaceutical Drug Research (University of Szeged,
Hungary), MBA in healthcare management (The George Washington University, USA),
medical school (Queen’s University, Canada), ophthalmology residency (Queen’s
University, Canada) and a vitreoretinal disease and surgery fellowship (University of
Iowa, USA). Dr. Almeida is part of Erie Retinal Surgery and Director of Clinical
Research at Erie Retina Research. Dr. Almeida has over 200 peer-reviewed
publications and over 150 national and international conference and keynote
presentations.
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Dr. David Boyer is a world-renowned clinician, surgeon, and educator. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign, IL, after which he completed a medical degree at the Chicago Medical School. In 1976, he finished his residency at the Los Angeles County -USC County Medical Center.
A year long retinal surgery fellowship at the Wills Eye Hospital, in Philadelphia, completed his training. He is currently a leading investigator for various national clinical trials on retinal diseases and serves as an advisor for multiple research, educational and charitable institutions.
Yung Chyung, MD is Chief Medical Officer at Tourmaline Bio. Yung has over two decades of experience in health care, spanning clinical medicine, scientific research, and drug development involving therapeutic areas such as immunology, neurology, oncology, and rare diseases. Prior to Tourmaline, he served in leadership roles in R&D at Scholar Rock, Dyax, and Genzyme. Yung received his A.B. and M.D. from Harvard and completed his internal medicine residency training and allergy & immunology fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Dr. Mark Dacey has coordinated the uveitis service at Colorado Retina for the past decade, seeing patients with complex autoimmune and infectious ocular conditions. He is a full-time, fellowship-trained uveitis specialist, with areas of interest in scleritis, ocular cicatricial pemphigoid, retinal vasculitis, and orbital inflammation. The uveitis team at Colorado Retina is proud to be a tertiary referral center for patients in Colorado and eight surrounding states, from New Mexico in the south to North Dakota and Montana in the north.
Dr. Pouya N. Dayani is a board-certified ophthalmologist specializing in the medical and surgical treatment of diseases of the retina and vitreous, with a particular interest in the diagnosis and management of uveitis. Dr. Dayani received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Physiological Science, Summa Cum Laude, at UCLA prior to his medical degree at Northwestern University Medical School. He completed his ophthalmology residency at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Washington University Medical Center in St. Louis, Missouri. He went on to complete a prestigious two-year vitreoretinal surgical fellowship at Duke University Eye Center. He furthered his fellowship experience with emphasis in uveitis at the world-renowned Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, England. Dr. Dayani has been actively involved in a number of research studies and multicenter clinical trials. He has authored multiple peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, and has frequently presented at international scientific meetings. In recognition of his contribution, he has received a number of awards, including the Heed Ophthalmic Foundation Fellowship and the Retina Fellows’ Forum Research Award.
In addition to uveitis, Dr. Dayani’s main areas of interest include macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, macular surgery, and retinal detachment. He is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Retina Specialists.
James P. Dunn, MD – Director of the Uveitis Unit at Wills Eye Hospital is a board-certified ophthalmologist on the Retina Service . His particular areas of interest include the diagnosis and medical management of infectious and non-infectious ocular inflammatory disease, cataract surgery in patients with uveitis, the ocular complications of AIDS and other forms of immunosuppression, and resident teaching. He is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Uveitis Society, and the American Medical Association.
Dr. Dunn received his undergraduate degree from Amherst College before graduating from The University of Medicine and Dentistry-New Jersey Medical School in Newark, NJ in 1984. He then completed an internship in internal medicine at The North Carolina Baptist Hospital/Wake Forest University, followed by a residency in ophthalmology at New York University from 1985-88. He subsequently undertook fellowships in Cornea and External Disease at the Jules Stein Eye Institute/UCLA School of Medicine and Cornea and Uveitis at the Francis I. Proctor Foundation/UC San Francisco where he was an Instructor in Ophthalmology from 1990-91.
In 1991, he joined the Division of Ocular Immunology at Wilmer Eye Institute of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,, where he was Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology from 1991-96 and Associate Professor from 1996-2003. He served for many years as the Johns Hopkins site principal investigator for several multi-center trials sponsored by the National Eye Institute, including the Studies of Ocular complications of AIDS and the Multi-center Uveitis Steroid Trial.
While at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Dunn was very active in resident education and was the Residency Program Director from 1998-2012. In that role, he served on numerous committees for the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), and the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO), for whom he also serves as an examiner for the oral board examination. He received the Bradley R. Straatsma Award for excellence in residency education in 2006. He received numerous teaching awards at Hopkins and was named a “Top Doc” in Baltimore and Maryland.
Dr. Dunn has authored over 130 journal articles and 25 book chapters and was co-editor of a textbook of ophthalmic surgery sponsored by the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). He is a frequent reviewer for ophthalmology journals. He has lectured extensively in the mid-Atlantic region as well as nationally and internationally, and regularly teaches courses at the annual meeting of the AAO.
I am a Duke vitreoretinal surgeon and Moorfields uveitis trained ophthalmologist, specializing in patients with complex medical and surgical problems of the back of the eye, known as the retina, as well as patients with inflammation in the eye or uveitis. I use the latest diagnostic and therapeutic methods along with a collaborative team effort with colleagues across Duke Eye Center and the Duke Rheumatology and Immunology division to develop the optimum treatment plans for patients with uveitis. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with the family, traveling, watching sports, and landscape photography.
Professor Heissigerova received her MD from Charles University, First Medical Faculty,
in Czech Republic in 1998. Her PhD thesis Mechanisms of Rejection of Corneal
Transplantation in Mice has been undertaken under the leadership of Professor Martin
Filipec (Czech Republic) and Professor John V. Forrester (Scotland, U.K.) in 1998-2002.
Between 2002-2004 she worked in Scotland at University of Aberdeen as Clinical
Research Fellow to Professor Forrester in the field of Uveitis and Retinal diseases. In
2010 she was named Associate Professor at Charles University and 2017 Full Professor
in the field of Ophthalmology. At 2016 she was appointed to her current post, Head of
the Department of Ophthalmology, Charles University and General University Hospital in
Prague, Czech Republic. Her main area of research is Uveitis and Retinal diseases, Ocular
Immunology, Intraocular lymphoma and Microbiome. She is member of the
International Uveitis Study Group, of the Scientific Board of the Czech Ophthalmological
Society and of the Specialization Board for Ophthalmology.
Piergiorgio Neri, BMedSc, MD(Hons), Ph.D. graduated at the University of Ancona medical school in 2000. He obtained a specialist diploma in ophthalmology at the University of Ancona in 2004 and his Ph.D. in neuroscience in 2007. In addition, Dr. Neri was an Honorary Research Fellow in Uveitis at the Eye Department, University of Aberdeen, and Visiting Professor at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.
He has been the head of the Ocular Immunology Service at the Ospedali Riuniti di Ancona since 2007.
He was named Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at Polytechnic University of Marche-Ancona in 2010, and he left in 2018 to join the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, where he is currently working.
At Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, he is a medical retina and uveitis consultant. In addition, he is the Director of the Uveitis Service and Medical Director of Patient Experience for Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.
Dr. Neri has been appointed Clinical Full Professor of Ophthalmology, and board member of the Clinical Committee on Appointments and Promotions (CCAP), at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Dr. Neri is the author and co-author of more than 140 national and international publications. He is a member of: “The International Ocular Inflammation Society-IOIS” (2004), “EURETINA, the European Society of Retina Specialists” (2007), and “International Uveitis Study Group-IUSG” (2012). He is also the Secretary General of the “SOIE-Society for Ophthalmo-Immunoinfectiology in Europe” since 2008 and former Vice President of EVER (2022). In 2014, Piergiorgio Neri achieved the title of Fellow of the European Board of Ophthalmology (FEBOphth). Dr. Neri is Editor in Chief of International Ophthalmology and Reviewing Editor of Ocular Immunology & Inflammation. He is also a reviewer of: International Ophthalmology, Ocular Immunology and Inflammation, Ophthalmic Surgery, Lasers, and Imaging, British Journal of Ophthalmology, Indian Journal of Ophthalmology, Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Middle East and Asian Journal of Ophthalmology, Retina.
Area of specialization: ocular inflammation, auto-immunity, immunosuppression, ocular infections, retinal diseases.
Uwe Pleyer is currently Professor of Ophthalmology at the Charité, Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany. Previously, he worked as Assistant Professor at the University Eye Hospital Ophthalmology, Tübingen, Germany. He completed his medical and doctorate education at the Rheinisch-Westfählische Technische Hochschule in Aachen, Germany, at the Cornell University, New York, NY, USA and at the University Eye Hospital in Tübingen. Dr Pleyer has worked as a resident at the Eberhard-Karls-University, Tübingen, Germany and as postdoctoral fellow at the Jules Stein Eye Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, USA, where he specialised in immune-mediated eye diseases. He concluded further clinical and research fellowships at ophthalmology centres in India and USA.
Dr Pleyer has served as Principal Investigator for both national and international trials in ophthalmology. He is member of several scientific societies. He was president of EVER (2007), is a task force member for ESCRS, and a founding member of the International Ocular Inflammation Society (IOIS).
He is involved in both research and clinical treatment of infectious and immune mediated ocular diseases. Dr Pleyer has published over 400 peer-reviewed articles, is (co-)editor of 17 books and editor-in-chief of Ophthalmic Research (2002-2014). In addition, he is on the editorial boards of a number of journals. Dr Pleyer has received several honours and awards including the esteemed International Chibret Award, B. Straatsma Award and Lecture (UCLA), Max Rubner Preis and Meibom-Mooren Award (2022).
Dr. Chi Mong C Or is an Ophthalmology Specialist in Stanford, California. He graduated with honors in 2015. Having more than 8 years of diverse experiences, especially in OPHTHALMOLOGY, Dr. Chi Mong C Or affiliates with Stanford Health Care, cooperates with many other doctors and specialists in many medical groups including University Healthcare Alliance, Stanford Health Care
Dr. de Smet was born in Canada. He completed his medical training at McGill University and University of British Columba. He then worked for 8 years at the National Eye Institute in Bethesda, MD in the immunology service alongside Robert Nussenblatt, completing his term as Chief of the Clinical Immunology Service. He subsequently completed a 1-year Fellowship in Vitreo-retinal Surgery at the Wilmer Eye Institute in Baltimore, MD, before moving to The Netherlands, where, for the next 10 years, he served as Head of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Amsterdam. Here he initiated a clinical research unit and forged collaborations with outside departments, including the biomedical engineering department of the Technical University in Eindhoven (TU/e), The Netherlands. Dr. de Smet has since moved to a private group practice focused on retina and inflammatory disorders in Lausanne, Switzerland. His research interests include retinal imaging (with Dr. Richard Rosen he pioneered transverse scanning), pharmacology as applied to retinal diseases leading to, for example, the clinical development of Jetrea (ocriplasmin), the use of methotrexate in eyes for the treatment of ocular lymphoma, and the use of steroids for various ocular indications. For the past 10 years, he has worked on the development of a robotic surgical platform for eye surgery along with the bio-engineering group at TU/e leading to Preceyes B.V., a start-up company dedicated to the development of high-precision assistive eye surgery. He is the current Chief Medical Officer of the company. The robotic arm was used for the first time in humans in August 2016 in Oxford, England. The next stage of development will be the incorporation of intelligent instruments to enhance safety, ease of use, and to facilitate the development of new applications. Dr. de Smet has authored or co-authored more than 175 papers, 25 books or book chapters, and given numerous lectures and named lectures. He is Treasurer of the International Uveitis Study Group, a member of the Club Jules Gonin and The Macula Society, and heads a division of the EViCR.net – a European clinical
Dr. Stone serves as the Chief Scientific Officer at Kriya Therapeutics, where she has led Research and Development operations since June 2020. She is currently leading Kriya’s Ophthalmology therapeutic area propelling the development of novel gene therapies for both rare and broad ocular indications. Prior to Kriya, Dr. Stone held a pivotal role as VP of Research and Development at Axovant (now Sio Gene Therapies), contributing significantly to the progress of three clinical stage gene therapy projects.
With over two decades of experience, Dr. Stone has been instrumental in guiding multiple programs from concept to clinical development across different prophylactic and therapeutic areas. In addition to gene therapies, Dr. Stone led R&D teams at Liquidia Technologies and Aeras focused on vaccine and biologics development. At Liquidia, she also led development of ophthalmology and pain management products via a sustained release modality. Dr. Stone spent several years at Canon US Life Sciences developing devices and molecular diagnostics enabling personalized medicines.
Her academic credentials include a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Maryland Baltimore, complemented by postdoctoral work in physiology and neuroscience, with a focus on gene therapies for muscular dystrophy. Dr. Stone’s diverse experience and genuine passion for improving patient health have fortified her standing as a stalwart in the gene therapy field.
Dr. Sumit Sharma is an ophthalmologist in Cleveland, Ohio and is affiliated with Cleveland Clinic. He received his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and has been in practice between 11-20 years.
Dr. Paul Yang is a physician scientist with doctorates in medicine and neurophysiology from Dartmouth Medical School. He completed a residency in ophthalmology (Moran Eye Center, Salt Lake City, UT), and fellowship training in ocular immunology and uveitis (Massachusetts Eye Research and Surgery Institution, Cambridge, MA) and ophthalmic genetics and inherited retinal degenerations (Casey Eye Institute at OHSU, Portland, OR). Over his career, he has received training awards from NIH (MD/PhD pre-doctoral award & K08) and Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB fellowship award & career development award), and received the 2015 ARVO/Alcon Early Career Clinician-Scientist Research Award. Dr. Yang is currently an associate professor of ophthalmic genetics and immunology at the Casey Eye Institute where he specializes in inherited retinal degenerations, autoimmune retinopathy, and gene therapy associated uveitis. He is principal investigator on numerous gene therapy and neuroprotection clinical trials for inherited retinal degenerations. He is currently a co-investigator on an NIH R01 to improve the detection and elucidate the mechanisms of melanoma-associated retinopathy, and principal investigator on an FFB TRAP1 Award to validate a new class of small molecule neuroprotection for inherited retinal degenerations.
Erik Vahtola, MD, PhD, MSc, Chief Medical Officer at Active Biotech Ab, Lund, Sweden. Erik is a Medical Doctor (MD) and holds a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Helsinki, Finland and an MSc in cell biology from Åbo Akademi University, Finland. Experience from pharma R&D within clinical development and medical affairs. Prior to joining Active Biotech, Erik worked at Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Orion Corporation and Roche Pharma, Finland. Responsibility of the clinical development of ophthalmic and oncology projects at the company.
Growing up in Houston, Texas, I’ve had the opportunity to train at clinical programs on the Gulf Coast, East Coast, the Mid-Atlantic and the Pacific Northwest. Prior to coming to the Midwest, my family and I spent just over 10 years in the Southeast United States in practice at Emory University in Uveitis and Vitreoretinal Surgery. During this time, I’ve had the privilege of providing medical and surgical care, while training over 60 Fellows, Residents, and Medical Students who have gone on to successful academic and private practice careers. My experiences in teaching, research and clinical care of patients have been greatly enriched by our team’s global health programs in countries in Africa including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Kenya, and Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as in Honduras, Central America previously. Clinically, I care for a range of adult and pediatric patients with uveitis, ocular inflammatory diseases, and retinal disease conditions (macular degeneration, retinal detachment, diabetic retinopathy).
In my spare time, I enjoy running, playing basketball and traveling. I also love learning about and trying out different international cuisines with my family – Susan and three sons Caleb, Nathan, and Micah.
Dr. Robert Bhisitkul is an ophthalmologist and retina specialist who provides medical and laser treatment for macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and other retinal diseases. He also performs surgery on macular hole and macular pucker (conditions that cause blurred or distorted vision), retinal detachment and complications of diabetic eye disease.
Bhisitkul recruits patients to participate in UCSF clinical trials on novel therapies for macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, and also for studies on long-term outcomes for treatments such as surgically implantable devices that deliver medication. He also conducts research on retinal disease mechanisms and surgical innovations. With the USCF Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, he is collaborating on a project to develop a bioengineered polymer device for ocular drug delivery.
Bhisitkul earned his medical degree at Stanford University School of Medicine and his doctoral degree in neurosciences at Yale University. He completed a residency in ophthalmology and a vitreoretinal fellowship at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Eye and Ear.
Bhisitkul has received the Achievement Award of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He has published more than 60 papers in clinical and scientific journals. He serves on the editorial board of American Journal of Ophthalmology Case Reports and has served as associate editor of the British Journal of Ophthalmology.
Bhisitkul is an associate examiner for the American Board of Ophthalmology and has served on the exam committee of Kuwait’s ophthalmology board.
Dr. David Boyer is a world-renowned clinician, surgeon, and educator. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign, IL, after which he completed a medical degree at the Chicago Medical School. In 1976, he finished his residency at the Los Angeles County -USC County Medical Center.
A year long retinal surgery fellowship at the Wills Eye Hospital, in Philadelphia, completed his training. He is currently a leading investigator for various national clinical trials on retinal diseases and serves as an advisor for multiple research, educational and charitable institutions.
Dr. David M. Brown is a world-renown Medical and Surgical Retina Specialist and clinical trial specialist. He is the only Texas Medical and Surgical Retina Specialist elected to all three retina honor societies (Retina Society, Macula Society, and Club Jules Gonin). He is a 5th generation native Texan (from Deer Park, Texas) and he has pioneered research and treatment in the areas of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, and retinal vein occlusion.
Dr. Drenser has had a distinguished academic career, having received a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics & Microbiology in addition to her medical degree from the University of Florida, Gainesville. She completed her post-doctoral work at UC San Francisco in 1999, and has received numerous academic honors and awards. She has been with Associated Retinal Consultants since completion of her fellowship in 2005.
Dr. Drenser’s special interest is in translating laboratory science into practical treatments for retinal diseases. She established and serves as Director of the Pediatric Retinal Disease Molecular Genetics Laboratory on the Royal Oak campus. She has authored co-authored a number of peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, and has spoken at numerous national and international ophthalmologic meetings.
Dr. Drenser is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Medical Association and the Association in Research of Vision and Ophthalmology.
Peter K. Kaiser, M.D. is the Chaney Family Endowed Chair for Ophthalmology Research and a Professor of Ophthalmology at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. As an NIH grant funded investigator, Dr. Kaiser leads a team involved in the evaluation of vascular biology in AMD and diabetic retinopathy, and is actively involved in numerous clinical trials. He is Editor-in-Chief of Retinal Physician, Associate Editor of International Ophthalmology Clinics, and serves on the editorial boards of several other publications. Dr. Kaiser received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, completed his internal medicine internship at Massachusetts General Hospital, an ophthalmology residency at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, and a vitreoretinal fellowship at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.
Dr. Kay has a special interest in inherited retinal disease and is actively involved as an investigator in multiple clinical trials at VRA involving Stargardt disease, Achromatopsia, and Usher syndrome.
She was previously an Assistant Professor of at the University of Florida, and is currently Affiliate faculty at the University of South Florida.
Dr. Kay was recently inducted into Retina Society in 2017 and received an honor award from American Society of Retina Specialists in 2012.
Eleonora (Nora) Lad, MD, PhD is a clinician scientist and retinal ophthalmologist with the primary goal of developing novel strategies for early diagnosis and treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Dr. Lad specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of macular diseases, such as AMD, diabetic retinopathy, and retinal vascular diseases. She is involved in clinical trials and innovative therapies for the treatment of macular diseases. Dr. Lad is committed to providing the highest level of evidence-based patient care.
Dr. Lad’s career goal is to translate her doctoral training in neuroscience into developing innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for AMD. Her research interests are the following:
1) investigating the role of neuroinflammation and abnormal protein aggregates in the pathogenesis of AMD and developing relevant treatments
2) visual function testing in dry AMD with the goal of establishing functional endpoints for future clinical studies in early AMD
3) elucidating the use of novel retinal imaging biomarkers for early diagnosis of aging diseases (AMD and Alzheimer’s disease), including through the use of artificial intelligence (machine and deep learning). On these studies, she is collaborating with an interdisciplinary team of investigators from Ophthalmology, Geriatrics, Computer Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.
Dr. Lad is the recipient of the VA Merit Award I01, Patient-Oriented Research Career Development (K23) Award from the National Eye Institute, the 2016 Research to Prevent Blindness Ernest & Elizabeth Althouse Special Scholar Award, the 2016 ARVO/Alcon Early Career Clinician-Scientist Research Award, Heed Foundation award, and Duke Institute for Brain Sciences incubator award, among others. She is a member of the Macula Society, Retina Society, American Academy of Ophthalmology, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, International Society for Eye Research, Society of Heed Fellows, Society for Neuroscience and American Society for Neural Therapy and Repair.
Dr. Jennifer Lim is the Director of the Retina Service at UI Health. Dr. Lim is involved in both the clinical treatment and research aspects of retinal and vitreous diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy, retinal detachment, and age-related macular degeneration, and she has been the principal investigator in dozens of clinical trials for various retinal diseases. Dr. Lim has performed more than 6,000 vitreoretinal surgeries, and she is one of the few surgeons in the United States to perform implantation surgery for the Argus II retinal prosthesis, which can restore vision in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a rare eye disease that causes damage to the retina, resulting in loss of vision. She is the Marion Schenk Chair for Research of the Aging Eye at the University of Illinois College of Medicine.
Arshad M. Khanani, MD, MA, FASRS is a Managing Partner, Director of Clinical Research, and Director of Fellowship at Sierra Eye Associates and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine.
Dr. Khanani founded the clinical research department at Sierra Eye Associates, which is now one of the leading clinical research centers in the country. He has served as a principal investigator for over 100 clinical trials and has been a top enroller in the country for multiple Phase 1-3 trials. In addition, Dr Khanani has been the first one to perform surgical procedures in multiple surgical clinical trials dealing with sustained delivery and gene therapy. He has over 75 scientific publications.
Dr. Khanani also serves as a member of numerous national and international clinical trial steering committees as well as scientific advisory boards with the goal of bringing new treatment options for patients with retinal diseases. Dr. Khanani is frequently invited as a guest speaker at national and international meetings.
Dr. Khanani is an elected member of the Macula Society, Retina Society and has received numerous awards of distinction. In 2019, he received the Nevada Business MagazineHealthcare Heroes Physician of the Year award for his continued dedication to the field of ophthalmology. He has received the Senior Honor Award from the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) and was also awarded the prestigious ASRS Presidents’ Young Investigator Award in 2021.
Dr. Dante J. Pieramici graduated with honors from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed Ophthalmology Residency at the Wilmer Eye Institute. He receive vitreoretinal fellowship training at the Emory Eye Center in Atlanta Georgia. Dr. Pieramici has held full-time academic positions at the Yale University Eye Center and the Wilmer Eye Institute, where he served as the Assistant Chief of Service and Director of Ocular Trauma. Currently he is the Codirector of the California Retina Research Foundation, a partner of the California Retina Consultants, and Assistant Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the Doheny Eye Center in Southern California. Dr. Pieramici has published over 100 articles, 16 book chapters, and has edited 3 books on retinal diseases. He lectures nationally and internationally on retinal diseases and ocular trauma.
Dr. Pieramici’s research interests have been varied, and include clinical and basic science projects aimed at better understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of ocular diseases, so as to improve treatments for patients with age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal vascular diseases, and severe ocular injuries. He has been a clinical investigator, principal investigator, or reading center investigator in numerous NIH and pharmaceutical company sponsored clinical trials. Dr Pieramici has helped in the development of new surgical techniques including limited macular translocation and 25-gauge (small incision) vitrectomy surgery. Currently he is involved in the development of new drug delivery techniques for various retinal vascular diseases.
Dr. Pieramici has received the Achievement Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Honor Award from the American Society of Retinal Specialists. He is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Retina Society, the Macula Society, the American Society of Retinal Specialists, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, the American Society of Ocular Trauma where he serves as Vice President, and the Pan-American Ophthalmologic Society amongst others. Dr Pieramici is a member of S.E.E International and regularly trains international ophthalmologists from undeserved areas.
Philip J. Rosenfeld, M.D., Ph.D., is a world-renown expert on age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and optical coherence tomography (OCT). He has played a pivotal role in the development of anti-VEGF therapies for neovascular and exudative eye diseases. He revolutionized the treatment of these diseases by pioneering the use of intravitreal Avastin (bevacizumab) therapy, which has prevented blindness worldwide while saving billions of dollars in healthcare expenses. He also introduced the concept of OCT-guided treatment with anti-VEGF therapy. Over the past decade, Rosenfeld has played a pivotal role in the development of the first complement inhibitor for dry AMD known as pegcetacoplan, a C3 complement inhibitor now in Phase 3 clinical trials. He has spent the past 20 years actively involved in the development of clinical OCT instruments and associated imaging algorithms. More recently, he has been instrumental in developing swept-source OCT imaging for clinical use along with numerous novel algorithms for the diagnosis and management of diseases, particularly AMD. Using OCT, Rosenfeld has developed novel clinical trial endpoints that are currently being used to test new therapies for AMD. Dr. Rosenfeld has been named to The Ophthalmologist Power Lists: 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020.
Tadayoni is professor of ophthalmology at Université de Paris in France and head of department at Lariboisière, Saint Louis and Adolphe de Rothschild Foundation hospitals.
He is a European Society of Retina Specialists board member, past president of the French-speaking Retina Specialists and the leader of RHU EviRed, a national artificial intelligence project on diabetic retinopathy supported by the French government.
Lejla Vajzovic is a vitreoretinal surgeon with expertise in adult and pediatric retinal diseases and surgery. She is a Director of Duke Vitreoretinal Fellowship Program and is a tenured Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Duke University. She is passionate about translational research and collaborates closely with Duke Biomedical engineers to develop imaging devices to improve ophthalmic care. She serves as a principal investigator for numerous national clinical trials in early to late stages of development. Her research interests span from pediatric retinal diseases such as retinopathy of prematurity to adult diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and venous occlusive diseases, as well as vitreoretinal surgical topics such as retinal tears, retinal detachments, macular holes and macular puckers.
In addition, Dr. Vajzovic is interested in cutting edge technologies and recovery of vision in hereditary and common retinal diseases with gene-therapy, stem cell technology and retinal implants. She is a co-director of the Duke Pediatric Retina and Optic Nerve Center, and she directs the Duke Center for Artificial and Regenerative Vision, where performs gene-therapy delivery and she implants the Argus II “bionic eye” to restore vision to individuals with total blindness. An influential educator, she organizes and directs several highly successful national and international courses, including the first-of-its-kind Advances in Pediatric Retina Course at Duke and the international Duke Fellows Advances in Vitreous Surgery Course. She is director of prestigious Duke Vitreoretinal Surgical Fellowship and director of Duke Eye Center’s Continuing Medical Education program.
Dr. Vajzovic completed her vitreoretinal fellowship training at Duke and residency training at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, FL. While in training, she received Heed Fellowship Award, Society of Heed Fellows Award and Retina Society Research Award. She is active on the Women in Ophthalmology Board of Directors where she serves as a Chair of Clinical Trial Training Program. She is also elected member of the Retina Society, Macula Society and Club Jules Gonin Society. Dr. Vajzovic has been awarded the American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award, American Society of Retina Specialists Senior Honor Award, Women in Ophthalmology Emerging Leader Award and Emerging Leader Award by Duke University School of Medicine and Duke Medical Alumni Association.
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