I/O - Innovation in Ophthalmology

Shaan Bhambra

I/O is the Innovation in Ophthalmology podcast. Each episode interviews innovators in the field of ophthalmology to learn more about their path to their innovations and careers, where they see the future of innovation in the field being, and how medical students, residents, and early-career ophthalmologists can integrate innovation into their own careers.

Episodes

  1. Episode 6 - A Legacy of Cornea Innovation with Dr. Claes Dohlman

    02/05/2023

    Episode 6 - A Legacy of Cornea Innovation with Dr. Claes Dohlman

    On this episode, I had the honour of hosting Dr. Claes Dohlman for a discussion on his legacy in cornea innovation, and how the future generations of ophthalmologists can integrate similar focuses on innovation in their own careers.  Dr. Claes H. Dohlman is considered the father of modern corneal science, and his seminal work has led to the development of the cornea subspecialty..  His research is recognized worldwide and laid the foundations of corneal physiology.  He first graduated in medicine from the University of Lund (1957). In 1958, he left to work at the Boston Retina Institute. In 1964, he was given the mission of setting up a care and research service relating to the cornea at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI). Combining positions at Harvard Medical School, he was also appointed head of the department of ophthalmology of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.  A talented clinician researcher in the field of corneal pathology, Dr. Dohlman is also the inventor of the Boston Keratoprosthesis, the most successful artificial cornea in the world. Dr. Dohlman has received numerous awards and honors throughout his career, and Harvard Medical School has established a research chair in his name. In 2019, the Universite de Montreal awarded him an honorary doctorate for his decades of commitment and dedication to the field of corneal science.  In 2022, he shared the Champalimaud Vision Award for his incredible career in the development of the artificial cornea. Considered the “Nobel Prize of Vision,” the Champalimaud Vision Award, presented by the Portugal-based Champalimaud Foundation, is the highest distinction bestowed in ophthalmology and vision science, carrying one of the largest prizes in scientific research.  His work with the Boston KPro has led to the publication of over 500 research papers in the field. Most importantly however, the Boston KPro has been implanted in over 16,000 patients globally. He is truly a legend in the field of ophthalmology, and it is an honour to have the chance to speak with him today.

    1h 27m
  2. 11/28/2022

    Episode 2 - Ocular Genetics Panel with Drs. MacDonald, Héon, and Ballios

    In our second episode of I/O, we speak with three leaders in ocular genetics about the burgeoning future of gene therapies, challenges the field faces, how to promote innovation amongst learners, and the value of ocular genetics to patients and their families. Dr. Ian MacDonald is an ophthalmologist and clinical geneticist at the University of Alberta. He began his career as an Ontario Ministry of Health career Scientist, and then moved to the University of Alberta where he served four terms as the Dept. Chair of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences. He then served as the Branch Chief of Ophthalmic Genetics and Visual Function at the National Eye Institute of the NIH before returning for a fourth term as Department Chair. In 2021, he was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian College of Medical Geneticists, and was invited by the International Society for Genetic Eye Disease and Retinoblastoma to give the Franceschetti Lecture in 2021.  His primary research interests are in heritable ocular disorders, particularly in the immune mechanisms that are triggered in viral vector-mediated gene therapies and in gene therapies for choiroideremia. The two main projects currently being worked on are antisense oligonucleotide suppression and a synonymous variant in the CHM gene that has variable effects in two siblings.  Dr. Elise Héon is an ophthalmologist and was previously the inaugural holder of the Mira Godard Chair in Vision Research and Chief of Ophthalmology at The Hospital for Sick Children. She is the Henry Brent Chair in Innovative Pediatric Ophthalmology at SickKids, a Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Toronto, and the Director of the Ocular Genetics Program at SickKids.  She and her research group are renowned worldwide for her expertise in inherited retinal disorders. In particular, her research group has been particularly successful in using genome sequencing to detect disease-causing variants in IRDs. Her group also has an interest in identifying small molecules that may improve patient outcomes.  Dr. Brian Ballios is a staff ophthalmologist at Sunnybrook, and an assistant professor at the Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences at the University of Toronto. He completed a clinical fellowship in Inherited Retinal Diseases at Mass Eye and Ear, and completed his MD/PhD at the University of Toronto in the lab of Dr. Derek van der Kooy. His doctoral work focused on the transplantation of stem cells for the treatment of retinal degeneration. His research involves combining his cross-disciplinary interests in stem cell biology and tissue engineering to treat retinal disease.

    1 hr

About

I/O is the Innovation in Ophthalmology podcast. Each episode interviews innovators in the field of ophthalmology to learn more about their path to their innovations and careers, where they see the future of innovation in the field being, and how medical students, residents, and early-career ophthalmologists can integrate innovation into their own careers.