Perfuse Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to reducing the incidence of blindness. Our mission is to develop novel therapeutics to protect and improve the vision of patients with ocular diseases.
Perfuse is pioneering a novel approach to prevent blindness.
It is the first and only company focused on improving retinal ischemia by blocking pathologic endothelin signaling.
Team
Sevgi Gurkan, MD
Sevgi is the founder of Perfuse Therapeutics and serves as the Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors. She is also a Venture Partner with OrbiMed since 2018. Prior to founding Perfuse, Sevgi was a Director of Research at Merck Research Laboratories, South San Francisco Discovery site, where she led the launch of a new therapeutic area research and built a portfolio comprised of novel mechanisms at varying stages of development internally and through M&A. Sevgi started at Merck as Medical Director, Early Clinical and Translational Development, Cardiometabolic Disease Therapeutic Area, where she planned, executed and oversaw development of a variety of programs in different stages of clinical development.
Prior to Merck, Sevgi was an Associate Professor at Rutgers and Director of the Pediatric Kidney Transplant Program at RWJ University Hospital, where she conducted NIH-funded basic science research as one of the founding scientists of the Child Health Institute of New Jersey, in parallel to her full-time clinical responsibilities as a pediatric nephrologist.
Sevgi received her medical degree from Hacettepe University, degree in Pediatrics from The University of Southern California and degrees in Nephrology and Master of Science in Clinical Research from Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
Sevgi Gurkan, MD
Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Member of the Board of Directors
Sevgi is the founder of Perfuse Therapeutics and serves as...
Phillip Lai, MD
Phil joined Perfuse Therapeutics as the Chief Medical Officer in 2021. He has over 15 years of experience working in all stages of ophthalmology clinical drug development. Prior to joining Perfuse, Phil worked in the Genentech Research and Early Development group, as the Senior Group Medical Director of Ophthalmology and Neurology leading the ophthalmology and neurology early clinical development groups. Prior to Genentech, he was Director of Clinical Development and Translational Medicine at Avalanche Biotechnologies where he worked on ocular gene therapy programs. Before that he was a Senior Medical Director in the Roche/Genentech late stage development ophthalmology group focusing on retinal diseases. Phil started his drug development career at Vistakon, a Johnson and Johnson subsidiary where he worked on long-acting delivery for IOP lowering medications.
Phil completed his ophthalmology residency at George Washington University, glaucoma fellowship at UCSF and received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Brown University.
Phillip Lai, MD
Chief Medical Officer
Phil joined Perfuse Therapeutics as the Chief Medical Officer in...
Michelle Chen, PhD
Michelle joined Perfuse in 2021 as the head of clinical development and translational sciences at Perfuse. She is a skilled clinical and translational leader with significant experience in ocular drug development from preclinical to late stage clinical development for over 15 years.
Michelle joined Perfuse from Allergan/Abbie, where she played many key roles including global program lead and clinical science lead in various ocular assets spanning from the front to the back of the eye. She also played a key role in expanding Ozurdex® ex-US approvals and advancing Durysta® to the initial US approval. Prior to Allergan/Abbvie, Michelle worked at Spinnaker Biosciences, where she was the PI of a SBIR grant, to transfer a technology developed from an university collaborator to the clinic.
Michelle received her PhD degree in Bioengineering from the University of California, San Diego.
Michelle Chen, PhD
Vice President, Clinical Development
Michelle joined Perfuse in 2021 as the head of clinical...
Karen Brennan, MS
Karen Brennan joined Perfuse Therapeutics in March of 2021 to lead all aspects of analytical development for preclinical and clinical activities. She has spent the last 8 years engaged in drug discovery and development of ocular therapeutic programs, including programs involving immediate release and sustained release dosage forms for topical and intravitreal applications. In her more than 20 years in the pharmaceutical industry, Karen has led CMC and analytical activities for products in all stages of pharmaceutical development from drug discovery to clinical development and finally to commercialization.
Karen received her BA in Chemistry from Luther College and MS in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology.
Karen Brennan, MS
Senior Director, Preclinical and CMC Analytical Development
Karen Brennan joined Perfuse Therapeutics in March of 2021 to...
Angela Glendenning, BS
Angie has led formulation development and drug product manufacturing at Perfuse since November of 2020. She has over 20 years of extensive CMC experience including drug delivery through scale-up and commercialization as well as vendor oversight for production of drug product. Angie has spent the last 6 years focused on ocular drug delivery including immediate release and sustained release dosage forms for topical and intravitreal administration. Previous experience includes 17 years at GSK in oral pharmaceutical development focusing on both analytical and formulation for all phases of development.
Angela Glendenning, BS
Senior Director, Formulation Development & Manufacturing
Angie has led formulation development and drug product manufacturing at...
Maria Zaretskaia, MD
Maria is Principal Scientist at Perfuse Therapeutics. She joined Perfuse in March of 2021. Prior to Perfuse, Maria worked as Scientist at Aerie Pharmaceuticals for 4 years with contributions to drug discovery programs for dry eye, glaucoma, and retinal diseases.
Prior to Aerie, she held the position of Research Scientist at Indiana University School of Medicine Pharmacology and Toxicology and Emergency Medicine Departments for 18 years, where she gained extensive experience in neuroscience, pharmacology, toxicology, physiology, and in vivo animal research with over 40 scientific publications.
Maria received her medical degree from Moscow State University School of Medicine, Moscow.
Maria Zaretskaia, MD
Principal Scientist, Pharmacology
Maria is Principal Scientist at Perfuse Therapeutics. She joined Perfuse...
Heather Schmitt, PhD
Heather Schmitt is Senior Scientist focusing on pharmacological drug development for retinal vascular diseases. She joined the Pharmacology Department in Durham, NC as Scientist at Perfuse Therapeutics in 2021. Her passion is for early development of groundbreaking therapeutics for ocular diseases.
Prior to Perfuse, she was trained at Duke University as a postdoctoral associate/senior research associate specializing in genetics and the aqueous outflow pathway in glaucoma. She has a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and biology, a master’s degree specializing in retinitis pigmentosa from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a PhD degree specializing in retinal ganglion cell death in glaucoma from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her scientific background and contributions culminate in several funded awards and peer-reviewed publications and over 13 years of experience and specialization in preclinical investigation for retinal degenerative disease, particularly glaucoma, that affects millions of people worldwide.
Heather Schmitt, PhD
Senior Scientist, Pharmacology
Heather Schmitt is Senior Scientist focusing on pharmacological drug development...
Christopher Romeo, BS
Chris leads the design control activities for medical devices at Perfuse as well as performing formulation development, analytical testing, and method development. He has more than 10 years of experience in research and development through manufacturing supporting pharmaceuticals, drug delivery platforms and medical devices. Chris has spent the last 4 years supporting analytical and formulation development of various ocular dosage forms.
Chris holds a BS in Biology from James Madison University.
Christopher Romeo, BS
Senior Scientist, Device and Formulation Development
Chris leads the design control activities for medical devices at...
Andrew Melie, MS
Andrew joined Perfuse Therapeutics in February of 2022 as an Analytical Scientist on the CMC team. He is responsible for developing analytical methods for drug substance and drug product during preclinical and clinical stages of development. Additionally, he is currently involved in the implementation of the QMS.
Prior to Perfuse, Andrew worked at Editas Medicine, where he oversaw the transition from research-scale analysis to cGMP product release testing. During his time there, Andrew ensured that the analytical facilities, instrumentation, and protocols were compliant with regulatory guidelines throughout the transition. Prior to Editas, Andrew held the position of Senior Chemist in the QC department at Huvepharma, Inc.
Andrew holds an MS in Biological Sciences from the University of Nebraska and a BS in Zoology from Michigan State University.
Andrew Melie, MS
Senior Quality Assurance Specialist
Andrew joined Perfuse Therapeutics in February of 2022 as an...
Board of Directors
Benjamin McGraw, PharmD
Dr. McGraw is the chairman and CEO of Auration Biotech, a private biotechnology company developing a growth factor for tissue regeneration in the ear, executive chairman of Trefoil Therapeutics, Inc. a private biotechnology company developing an engineered growth factor for ophthalmic applications, a director at Evommune, Inc. a private biotechnology company which is discovering and developing products for immunologic diseases and chairman of TheraVida, Inc. a private pharmaceutical company developing a dermatology product. Previously, Dr. McGraw was chairman of Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a public pharmaceutical company; a director of Ista Pharmaceuticals, a public ophthalmology company; chairman and CEO of Valentis, Inc., a public gene therapy company; corporate vice president, corporate development at Allergan, Inc., a public pharmaceutical company; and vice president, development at Marion Laboratories, Inc. and Marion Merrell Dow, Inc. (now Sanofi US), both public pharmaceutical companies. Dr. McGraw received his B.S. and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, where he also completed a clinical practice residency.
Benjamin McGraw, PharmD
Executive Chairman
Dr. McGraw is the chairman and CEO of Auration Biotech, a private biotechnology company developing a growth factor for tissue regeneration in the ear, executive chairman of Trefoil Therapeutics, Inc....
Sevgi Gurkan, MD
Sevgi is the founder of Perfuse Therapeutics and serves as the Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors. She is also a Venture Partner with OrbiMed since 2018. Prior to founding Perfuse, Sevgi was a Director of Research at Merck Research Laboratories, South San Francisco Discovery site, where she led the launch of a new therapeutic area research and built a portfolio comprised of novel mechanisms at varying stages of development internally and through M&A. Sevgi started at Merck as Medical Director, Early Clinical and Translational Development, Cardiometabolic Disease Therapeutic Area, where she planned, executed and oversaw development of a variety of programs in different stages of clinical development.
Prior to Merck, Sevgi was an Associate Professor at Rutgers and Director of the Pediatric Kidney Transplant Program at RWJ University Hospital, where she conducted NIH-funded basic science research as one of the founding scientists of the Child Health Institute of New Jersey, in parallel to her full-time clinical responsibilities as a pediatric nephrologist.
Sevgi received her medical degree from Hacettepe University, degree in Pediatrics from The University of Southern California and degrees in Nephrology and Master of Science in Clinical Research from Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
Sevgi Gurkan, MD
Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Member of the Board of Directors
Sevgi is the founder of Perfuse Therapeutics and serves as the Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors. She is also a Venture Partner with OrbiMed...
Peter Thompson, MD
Peter Thompson, M.D., is a Partner of OrbiMed, with over 25 years of industry experience. He held executive positions at Becton-Dickinson and Chiron, co-founded and was CEO of Trubion Pharmaceuticals, co-founded Corvus Pharmaceuticals, Cleave Biosciences, Silverback Therapeutics and serves as a Director on several company boards. Dr. Thompson is an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awardee, an Affiliate Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Washington, an inventor on numerous patents and a board-certified internist and oncologist. He was on staff at the National Cancer Institute following his internal medicine training at Yale University.
Peter Thompson, MD
Peter Thompson, M.D., is a Partner of OrbiMed, with over 25 years of industry experience. He held executive positions at Becton-Dickinson and Chiron, co-founded and was CEO of Trubion Pharmaceuticals,...
Dan Becker, MD, PhD
Dan Becker is a Managing Director at Access Biotechnology. Prior to Access, Dan was a Principal at New Leaf Venture Partners, where he played a key role in multiple private and public biopharma investments, and a Principal in the Health Care practice at the Boston Consulting Group, where he led projects across the health care sector with an emphasis on biopharma R&D. Dan trained clinically in internal medicine and nephrology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, and was a Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School. He obtained both his M.D. and Ph.D. (Cellular and Molecular Biology) degrees from the University of Michigan, and received his B.S. in Physiology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Dan Becker, MD, PhD
Dan Becker is a Managing Director at Access Biotechnology. Prior to Access, Dan was a Principal at New Leaf Venture Partners, where he played a key role in multiple private...
Christy Shaffer, PhD
Seasoned entrepreneur and biotech executive, Christy Shaffer, Ph.D. has 30 years of experience in the life science industry. Following her career as a clinical scientist, international project leader and Associate Director of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Burroughs Wellcome Co., she joined Inspire Pharmaceuticals in 1995 as the first, full-time employee. She was responsible for raising over $300m for the company, including taking the company public in 2000. As President and CEO, Christy grew the company from 20 scientists to nearly 250 employees with revenues of over $100 million. Under her leadership, Inspire was named as “Best Place to Work for Scientists” by the Scientist magazine, and “Best Place to Work in North Carolina.” Christy retired from Inspire in 2010 and the company was acquired by Merck in 2011. She joined Hatteras in 2011 as the Managing Director of Hatteras Discovery and became a general partner in 2016. Christy currently serves as a board member of five Hatteras portfolio companies: Artizan Biosciences (Chair), Clearside Biomedical, Aer Therapeutics, Trefoil Therapeutics, and Perfuse Therapeutics.
Christy is a receptor pharmacologist by training, earning her Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis TN in 1985. She received her post-doctoral training at The Chicago Medical School and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Christy Shaffer, PhD
Seasoned entrepreneur and biotech executive, Christy Shaffer, Ph.D. has 30 years of experience in the life science industry. Following her career as a clinical scientist, international project leader and Associate...
Judith Li, BS, MBA
Judith Li is a Partner with Lilly Asia Ventures (LAV). Prior to joining LAV, she worked at McKinsey and Company’s New York office, focusing exclusively on pharmaceutical and medical devices, health insurance and healthcare provider engagements, Partners Healthcare, Harvard’s umbrella hospital network, where she focused on hospital administration, and co-founded a start-up focused on interventional nephrology. Judith holds a Bachelor’s in biology from Harvard and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Judith Li, BS, MBA
Judith Li is a Partner with Lilly Asia Ventures (LAV). Prior to joining LAV, she worked at McKinsey and Company’s New York office, focusing exclusively on pharmaceutical and medical devices,...
Glaucoma Advisors:
Don Budenz, MD, MPH
Donald L. Budenz, MD, MPH, received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, USA. He completed an ophthalmology residency at the University of Pennsylvania, Scheie Eye Institute, USA. Dr Budenz then completed a Heed Foundation Fellowship in glaucoma at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami School of Medicine, USA, where he subsequently was a faculty member for 17 years. In 2004, he received a Masters in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He is currently the Kittner Distinguished Professor and Chairman of Ophthalmology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA and Past President of the American Glaucoma Society.
Dr. Budenz is an editorial reviewer for numerous medical journals, is on the Editorial Board of the American Journal of Ophthalmology and the Journal of Glaucoma, as well as serving as the Editor in Chief of the Glaucoma issue of Current Opinion in Ophthalmology. He has been principal investigator in numerous glaucoma clinical trials. Concurrent with his research, Dr Budenz has published widely in the field of glaucoma; he has authored two textbooks, Atlas of Visual Fields and Atlas of Optical Coherence Tomography for Glaucoma, contributed numerous chapters to other books, and written or coauthored over 250 peer-reviewed journal articles. He has received Humanitarian of the Year Awards from the American Glaucoma Society and the American Academy of Ophthalmology for his work in Ghana, West Africa.
Don Budenz, MD, MPH
Kittner Distinguished Professor and Chair of Ophthalmology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Donald L. Budenz, MD, MPH, received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, USA. He completed an ophthalmology residency at the University of Pennsylvania, Scheie Eye Institute, USA. Dr Budenz...
Mae Gordon, PhD
Dr. Gordon expertise is in the design, analysis and conduct of randomized trials and observational studies. Her studies on patient adherence to glaucoma medication using an unobtrusive electronic eye drop monitor continue to be considered “landmark” studies.
Her collaboration with the Steering Committee of the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS), which has spanned more than 20 years, has changed clinical management of ocular hypertension world-wide. The OHTS was the first study to provide Level 1 evidence of the safety and efficacy of topical ocular hypotensive medication in reducing the incidence of glaucoma in individuals with ocular hypertension. These results justified CMS reimbursement of ocular hypotensive therapy. OHTS developed a new five factor prediction model for developing glaucoma which included a powerful new predictive factor-central corneal thickness. Dr. Gordon led a successful effort to replicate the prediction model in a large European study. Corneal thickness measurements are now included in the preferred practice plans world-wide. Importantly, the prediction model identified a large majority of ocular hypertensive patients at low risk of glaucoma and who could be considered for management by close observation. The prediction model has been shown to be accurate out to 20 years. The American Glaucoma Society ranked OHTS as having the highest impact of 8 multi-center trials conducted in the past 25 years.
Dr. Gordon has served on numerous Data and Safety Monitoring committees including the “Tear Protein Biomarkers of Refractive Surgery Pain”, LOVIT I and II (Veterans Administration), Beaver Dam Eye Study, the Baltimore Eye Study and The Prism Adaptation Randomized Trial. She has been a member of the National Advisory Eye Council (2006-2010) and the NIH Council of Councils (2009-2012). Other honors include the New York Academy of Medicine Glaucoma Prize 2003, American Academy of Optometry Koch Memorial Medal 2015, Leslie Dana Gold Award 2021 and the Helen Keller Foundation Award for research to prevent blindness 2022.
Mae Gordon, PhD
Professor, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences; Professor, Division of Biostatistics Washington University School of Medicine
Dr. Gordon expertise is in the design, analysis and conduct of randomized trials and observational studies. Her studies on patient adherence to glaucoma medication using an unobtrusive electronic eye drop...
Thomas V. Johnson, MD, PhD
Thomas V Johnson, MD, PhD, is the Shelly & Allan Holt Rising Professor of Ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute. He is a glaucoma physician specializing in the treatment of complex glaucoma in children and adults. In addition, he is the principal investigator of a translational neuroscience laboratory working to better understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms that lead to retinal ganglion cell death in glaucoma while developing neuroprotective and neuro-regenerative treatments for the disease. Dr. Johnson’s laboratory is at the forefront of regenerative medicine as applied to glaucoma and is developing methods to restore vision for patients with optic neuropathy through transplantation of human stem cell derived neurons into the eye and repair of the damaged visual pathway. Dr. Johnson is the Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the international RGC Repopulation, Stem Cell Transplantation, and Optic Nerve Regeneration (RReSTORe) Consortium (http://rrestore.info) and his laboratory is funded by the NIH, DoD, BrightFocus Foundation, The Glaucoma Foundation, and the American Glaucoma Society. More information can be found at http://johnsonlab.co.
Thomas V. Johnson, MD, PhD
Shelly & Allan Holt Rising Professor of Ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute
Thomas V Johnson, MD, PhD, is the Shelly & Allan Holt Rising Professor of Ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute. He is a glaucoma physician specializing in the...
Pradeep Ramulu, MD, MHS, PhD
Pradeep Ramulu, MD, MHS, PhD, is the Sheila K. West Professor of Ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute. He is also the Director of Wilmer Glaucoma Division and Glaucoma Fellowship.
Dr. Ramulu has defined when, how, and why visual impairment results in disability. His current work is focused on the possible protective role of exercise against eye disease and developing methods to assess/prevent falls in older adults, particularly those with visual impairment.
Dr. Ramulu has over 200 peer-reviewed publications, 10 book chapters, and 2 books. He has helped various agencies including FBI to set vision standards for work. He has held leadership positions in various national and international ophthalmic societies, including Program Chair for the American Glaucoma Society, Director of the Education Committee for the World Glaucoma Association, and Chair of the AAO Public Health Committee. He has mentored numerous students, trainees, and faculty, including Dr. Jithin Yohannan (the Epstein award mentee). Dr. Ramulu has received continuous NIH funding since 2007 and has received the Secretariat, Achievement, and Senior Awards from the AAO and the Pisart Award for Vision Science. He was also named to Newsweek’s list of “America’s Best Eye Doctors” in 2021 and 2022.
Pradeep Ramulu, MD, MHS, PhD
Sheila K. West Professor of Ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute and Director of Wilmer Glaucoma Division and Glaucoma Fellowship
Pradeep Ramulu, MD, MHS, PhD, is the Sheila K. West Professor of Ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute. He is also the Director of Wilmer Glaucoma Division and...
Alan Robin, MD
Dr. Alan L. Robin is the executive vice president of the American Glaucoma Society. He is a leader in the clinical management and scientific study of glaucoma. Dr. Robin holds joint Associate Professorships in Ophthalmology and in International Health at the Johns Hopkins University and is also a Professor at the University of Michigan. He was has been also a Professor of Ophthalmology in the VA system. He was the co-director of the Glaucoma Service at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center and held an active private practice with offices in the Baltimore and southern Pennsylvania areas.
Dr. Robin attended Yale University and Tufts University School of Medicine. He completed his fellowship at the Wilmer Institute. He was a HEED fellow and a recipient of two NIH RO1 grants as well as an award from the Glaucoma Research foundation. He has been an active clinical investigator in initial studies of widely used glaucoma medications including apraclonidine, latanoprost, brimonidine, brinzolamide, and rho kinase inhibitors. He was the principal investigator and developed Nd:YAG laser iridotomy, responsible for the development of alpha-agonists for clinical use, and performed the first modern prevalence study in India. Dr. Robin has published over 270 peer-reviewed seminal articles on the use of lasers, drugs, and surgery for glaucoma treatments in addition to manuscripts on cost effectiveness and adherence.
His current research interests include pseudoexfoliation, medical waste, and improving adherence to glaucoma therapies. Dr. Robin has authored or co-authored over 275 peer-reviewed papers, 24 book chapters, and given well over 100 invited lectures on all continents. He has won many honors and awards during his career, among them the senior honor and Secretariat awards of the AAO, the Outstanding Humanitarian Service award of the AAO and the American Glaucoma Society, Secretariat Award of the AAO, and the silver achievement award of the Associate of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences.
Dr. Robin has made over 100 trips to India and Nepal since the 1980s and worked closely with Dr. Ruit (founder of Tilganga Eye Institute) in Kathmandu and Dr. Venkataswamy (founder of the Aravind Eye Institute). He was instrumental in the development of the Tilganga Eye Center in Kathmandu, Nepal, and published the first paper documenting the value of intraocular lenses in the developing world. At the Aravind Eye Institute he was instrumental in establishing its glaucoma service and still serves as its co-director. He is an honorary member of both the Indian Glaucoma Society and Nepalese.
Alan Robin, MD
EVP American Glaucoma Society, Professor of Ophthalmology at University of Michigan & Johns Hopkins
Dr. Alan L. Robin is the executive vice president of the American Glaucoma Society. He is a leader in the clinical management and scientific study of glaucoma. Dr. Robin holds...
Joel Schuman, MD, FACS
As of May 1, 2023, Joel S. Schuman, MD, FACS is Professor of Ophthalmology, the Kenneth L. Roper Endowed Chair, Vice Chair for Research Innovation and Co-Director of the Glaucoma Service at Wills Eye Hospital. He chaired the ophthalmology department at NYU Langone Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine 2016-2020, and was Vice Chair for Ophthalmology Research in the department 2020-2022. Prior to arriving at NYU in 2016, he was Distinguished Professor and Chairman of Ophthalmology at University of Pittsburgh and UPMC (2003-2016) and before that was at Tufts University where he was Residency Director (1991-1999), Glaucoma and Cataract Service Chief (1991-2003) and Vice Chair (2001-2003).
Dr. Schuman and his colleagues were first to identify a molecular marker for human glaucoma, published in Nature Medicine in 2001. Continuously funded by the National Eye Institute as a principal investigator since 1995, he is an inventor of optical coherence tomography (OCT), used world-wide for ocular diagnostics. Dr. Schuman has published more than 450 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles.
In 2002 he received the Alcon Research Institute Award and the Lewis Rudin Glaucoma Prize and in 2012 the Carnegie Science Center Award as well as sharing the Champalimaud Award. In 2013 he received the AAO Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014 he became a Gold Fellow of ARVO and received a Special Recognition Award from the AAO in 2015. In 2022 he received the USC Keck Roski Eye Institute Laureate Award and the Pittsburgh Eye and Ear Foundation Muse Award.
Joel Schuman, MD, FACS
Professor of Ophthalmology, the Kenneth L. Roper Endowed Chair, Vice Chair for Research Innovation and Co-Director of the Glaucoma Service at Wills Eye Hospital
As of May 1, 2023, Joel S. Schuman, MD, FACS is Professor of Ophthalmology, the Kenneth L. Roper Endowed Chair, Vice Chair for Research Innovation and Co-Director of the Glaucoma...
Retina Advisors:
Lloyd Paul Aiello, MD, PhD, FARVO
Lloyd Paul Aiello is Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, Vice Chair Harvard Department of Ophthalmology for Centers of Excellence, Director Beetham Eye Institute at Joslin Diabetes Center, and Founding Chair of the Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network. A third-generation ophthalmologist, Dr. Aiello’s contributions to understanding mechanisms underlying diabetic retinopathy, development of novel therapeutics such as VEGF and plasma kallikrein inhibitors, clinical trial design and implementation, telemedicine initiatives and novel retinal imaging modalities have had a global influence on the evaluation and care of diabetic eye disease. He has served as Chair for the Lions Club International SightFirst Diabetic Retinopathy Research Program Review Panel, the Complications Section, of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Medical Science Review Committee and the Clinical Investigation Section of the JDRF. Dr Aiello has received 70 national and international honors and has authored more than 400 publications.
Dr. Aiello received his medical degree and a doctoral degree in Biochemistry from Boston University School of Medicine, completed residency in ophthalmology at the Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute at Johns Hopkins University and Hospital, and then joined the Joslin Diabetes Center where he completed both a clinical vitreoretinal, and a research fellowship.
Lloyd Paul Aiello, MD, PhD, FARVO
Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, Vice Chair for Centers of Excellence and Associate Chief of Longwood Ophthalmology at Harvard Department of Ophthalmology, Director of the Beetham Eye Institute and Head of Eye Research at the Joslin Diabetes Centre (JDC), and Founding Chair of the National Eye Institute Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network
Lloyd Paul Aiello is Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, Vice Chair Harvard Department of Ophthalmology for Centers of Excellence, Director Beetham Eye Institute at Joslin Diabetes Center, and...
David S. Boyer, MD
David S. Boyer, M.D., is a renowned clinician, surgeon, and educator at the Retina-Vitreous Associates Medical Group in Southern California. Dr. Boyer is board certified in ophthalmology and has completed formal sub-specialty training in medical and surgical diseases of the retina, vitreous, and macula and is an Adjunct Clinical Professor at USC / Keck School of Medicine. He has an extensive research background and 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. Boyer is a published author and avid lecturer. He lectures nationally and internationally on retinal research and the innovative approach to the treatment of retinal diseases.
Dr. Boyer received his medical degree from the Chicago Medical School, finished his residency at the Los Angeles County – USC County Medical Center, and completed his retinal surgery fellowship at the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia.
David S. Boyer, MD
Adjunct Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Southern California/Keck School of Medicine
David S. Boyer, M.D., is a renowned clinician, surgeon, and educator at the Retina-Vitreous Associates Medical Group in Southern California. Dr. Boyer is board certified in ophthalmology and has completed...
Peter Campochiaro, MD
Peter Campochiaro is a clinician-scientist who is the Eccles Professor of Ophthalmology and Neuroscience at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He studies ocular neovascularization and excessive vascular leakage which occurs in age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and retinal vein occlusion. He utilized mouse models to help define the molecular pathogenesis of ocular neovascularization and excessive vascular leakage, including the roles of VEGF, HIF-1, and Tie2. His clinical trial group showed the benefits of inhibiting VEGF in diabetic macular edema and retinal vein occlusions. He has helped to develop strategies to provide sustained suppression of VEGF that are currently being evaluated in clinical trials. His laboratory also demonstrated that oxidative damage contributes to cone cell death in retinitis pigmentosa and this has also advanced to testing in clinical trials.
Peter Campochiaro, MD
George S. and Dolores Dor Eccles Professor of Ophthalmology and Neuroscience at the John Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute
Peter Campochiaro is a clinician-scientist who is the Eccles Professor of Ophthalmology and Neuroscience at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He studies ocular neovascularization and...
Arshad M. Khanani, MD, MA, FASRS
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 Magazine Healthcare 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.
Arshad M. Khanani, MD, MA, FASRS
Managing Partner, Director of Clinical Research, and Director of Fellowship at Sierra Eye Associates, Reno; and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno School 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...
Charles Wykoff, MD, PhD
Charles C. Wykoff, MD, PhD is Director of Research at Retina Consultants of Texas; Chairman of Research, Retina Consultants of America; and Deputy Chair of Ophthalmology for the Blanton Eye Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital. He received his baccalaureate from MIT, PhD from Oxford University while on a Marshall Scholarship, and MD from Harvard Medical School. Dr. Wykoff completed ophthalmology residency and vitreoretinal fellowship at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute where he served as Chief Resident/Co-Director of Ocular Trauma and received a Heed Fellowship and the Ronald G. Michels Award.
He is passionate about translational research, clinical trial design, accelerating drug-development programs and has published over 250 peer-reviewed manuscripts. He serves on multiple scientific and medical advisory boards, safety monitoring committees, and global steering committees for endeavors spanning the innovative process from early to late-stage developments. He serves on the ASRS Board of Directors, is a founding member of the Ophthalmology Retina Editorial Board, and past President of the Vit-Buckle Society. He has been awarded multiple Achievement, Honor and Senior Honor Awards including the ASRS Young Investigator and the AAO Secretariat Awards. His guiding philosophy is to build and strengthen innovative, ethical teams focused on developing new approaches to improving outcomes for blinding diseases.
Charles Wykoff, MD, PhD
Director of Research at Retina Consultants of Texas and the Greater Houston Retina Research Foundation and Chairman of the Research and Clinical Trials Subcommittee, Retina Consultants of America
Charles C. Wykoff, MD, PhD is Director of Research at Retina Consultants of Texas; Chairman of Research, Retina Consultants of America; and Deputy Chair of Ophthalmology for the Blanton Eye...
