Cole Eye Institute Research Personnel

Bela Anand-Apte, M.B.B.S., Ph.D. Bela Anand-Apte, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., joined the staff of the Cole Eye Institute Department of Ophthalmic Research in 2000. She previously worked as a project scientist in the Cleveland Clinic's Lerner Research Institute. Prior to joining the Cleveland Clinic, she was a research associate at the Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston. Dr. Anand-Apte received her M.B.B.S. degree (the Indian equivalent of an M.D. degree) at the University of Bombay, India, in 1984 and received her doctorate from the University of Boston School of Medicine in 1991. She was a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Cell and Development Biology at Harvard University. The broad, long-term goal of her laboratory is to gain an understanding of the mechanism(s) by which alterations in matrix integrity may regulate retinal and choroidal neovascularization. Dr. Anand-Apte's research interests include studies of Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases-3 in retinal neovascularization and inhibition of tumor growth. The members of her team have identified a novel molecule which is expressed in RPE cells and may play a role in angiogenesis. They are attempting to identify other novel endogenous inducers and inhibitors of angiogenesis to understand the basic biology of neovascularization and with a final goal of designing therapeutic approaches to combat this process in disease states. She has authored many articles and a book chapter on the biological principles of angiogenesis. Publications for Bela Anand-Apte, M.B.B.S., Ph.D.

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John W. Crabb, Ph.D. Dr. Crabb joined the professional staff in the Department of Ophthalmic Research, Cole Eye Institute, in 1998. Proteome analyses under way in his laboratory seek to determine the molecular mechanisms involved in the formation of drusen, extracellular deposits that impair retinal function in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). New insights are expected regarding the etiology of AMD and strategies for limiting the complications of this devastating disease. Other research in the laboratory is directed toward a better understanding of the visual cycle, the enzymatic pathway which converts all-trans-retinal from photoreceptor bleaching to 11-cis-retinal for visual pigment regeneration. These studies seek to characterize a visual cycle protein complex in the retinal pigment epithelium and to identify malfunctioning components that cause retinal degenerative disorders such as retinitis pigmentosa. More information about the laboratory can be found at: www.lerner.ccf.org/eye/crabb/ Dr. Crabb received a bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR, and a doctorate in microbiology from the University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS. He pursued post-doctoral training in biological chemistry at the University of Michigan and in ophthalmology at the University of Washington. Prior to joining the Cole Eye Institute, he was an assistant professor in the Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany, then a senior scientist and the director of protein chemistry at the Adirondack Biomedical Research Institute in Lake Placid, N.Y. During the 14 years he was in upstate New York, Dr. Crabb maintained adjunct appointments at the University of Vermont, Clarkson University and Albany Medical College. Dr. Crabb holds joint appointments in the Department of Cell Biology at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation's Lerner Research Institute and in the chemistry departments at Cleveland State University, Kent State University and Case Western Reserve University. He has served full terms on NSF and NIH grant review panels, is a member of the editorial board of Experimental Eye Research and has published more than 120 basic science research articles. Publications for John W. Crabb, Ph.D.

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William J. Dupps Jr., M.D., Ph.D. William J. Dupps Jr., M.D., Ph.D., a refractive surgeon and corneal specialist who has a strong interest in ocular biomechanics, joined the staff Cole Eye Institute in July 2006. Dr. Dupps earned his master's and doctoral degrees in biomedical engineering at The Ohio State University in 1995 and 1998, respectively, followed by a medical degree in 2000 from the same institution. He completed a residency at the University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences in 2004. He is the first fellow to complete a two-year Cornea, External Disease and Refractive Surgery Fellowship at the Cole Eye Institute, a program designed to emphasize training of clinician-scientists. He also completed a fellowship in ocular gene therapy at the National Eye Institute in 1996 and studied under a Medical Scientist Training Program Fellowship as a Presidential Fellow at The Ohio State University from 1997 to 2000. Dr. Dupps' memberships include the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology and the International Society of Optical Engineering. In addition to seeing patients in the refractive surgery and cornea clinics, Dr. Dupps, with the help of a National Institutes of Health career development grant, conducts multi-disciplinary research emphasizing application of engineering tools to the diagnosis and management of biomechanical disorders such as keratoconus and glaucoma. His work also focuses on developing diagnostic tools for optimizing corneal and refractive surgery. Publications for William J. Dupps Jr., M.D., Ph.D.

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Stephanie Hagstrom, Ph.D. Stephanie A. Hagstrom, Ph.D., joined the staff of the Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute in November of 2000. Prior to that, she completed specialty training in molecular genetics of inherited retinal degenerations at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston. Dr. Hagstrom received her doctorate in cellular biology from the Medical College of Wisconsin and her bachelor's degree in biology with a minor in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Hagstrom's research focuses on inherited retinal degenerations. Her interest in this field began when she studied color vision during her doctoral work, and came to appreciate the extent to which vision loss can affect patients. Her work focuses on using the candidate gene approach to identify mutations and look at the function and pathologic mechanisms behind retinal disorders. In Boston in 1997, she identified a mutation in the TULP1 gene as the cause of retinitis pigmentosa (RP). At the Cole Eye Institute, she is working to determine why the gene causes RP and to identify genes that cause other macular degenerations. Publications for Stephanie Hagstrom, Ph.D., Ph.D.

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Joe G. Hollyfield, Ph.D. Director of Ophthalmic Research Dr. Hollyfield has been Director of Ophthalmic Research at the Cole Eye Institute since 1996. The research staff he directs includes nearly 50 people whose primary focus is finding ways to prevent and treat retinal disease. The primary focus of his own research is on studying the organization of the interphotoreceptor matrix in which photoreceptor cells are imbedded. Novel molecules present in this matrix comprise excellent targets for involvement in degenerative retinal diseases, including age related macular degeneration. His work also involves the analysis of how proteins interact to form this matrix and the involvement of hyaluronan as the scaffold on which this matrix is organized. A major new initiative in his laboratory is in the isolation and characterization of sub-types of drusen, the major risk factors for developing age-related macular degeneration. Dr. Hollyfield is editor-in-chief of Experimental Eye Research and past president of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology and the International Society for Eye Research. He received his doctorate in zoology from the University of Texas in 1966 and his masters in zoology from Louisiana State University in 1963. He received his bachelor's degree in biology from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, in 1960. Dr. Hollyfield completed special training at the Hubrecht Laboratory in Utrecht, The Netherlands. He was professor of ophthalmology and neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston before joining the Cole Eye Institute. In addition to his work at the Cole Eye Institute, Dr. Hollyfield also serves as a visiting professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan and is a professor in the Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy at Ohio State University, Columbus. He is on the scientific advisory board of several research foundations including The Foundation Fighting Blindness, Owens Mill, Maryland; Research to Prevent Blindness, New York, New York; The Helen Keller Eye Research Foundation, Birmingham, Alabama; Retina International, Zurich, Switzerland; and Retina Preservation Foundation, Johannesburg, South Africa. Publications for Joe G. Hollyfield, Ph.D.

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Peter K. Kaiser, M.D. Vitreoretinal Department Peter K. Kaiser, M.D., has been an ophthalmologist at the Cleveland Clinic since 1997. He specializes in vitreoretinal diseases, age-related macular degeneration, complicated retinal detachment, diabetic retinopathy and posterior segment complications of anterior segment surgery. Dr. Kaiser has authored an ophthalmology textbook and more than 30 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. He is actively involved in retinal clinical research. He has participated as the principal investigator or investigator in numerous national, multi-center clinical trials, including Vitrase for Vitreous Hemorrhage (VVHS), the Visudyne photodynamic therapy trials, the Submacular Surgery Trials (SST), Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study (COMS), Protein Kinase C (PKC) beta inhibitor diabetic retinopathy trial, as well as several diabetic macular edema trials. He also is a member of the Optical Coherence Tomography Biomedical Consortium funded by the National Institutes of Health, which is exploring new ways to non-invasively image ocular structures to improve detection and treatment of retinal, glaucomatous and corneal diseases. Dr. Kaiser received his medical degree from Harvard College in Boston. He completed his internship in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and his ophthalmology residency at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, both in Boston. Dr. Kaiser received his retinal fellowship training at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, where he received the Heed Foundation Award. Dr. Kaiser is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, the Pan-American Ophthalmology Association and the Vitreous Society. He recently received an Honor Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Dr. Kaiser is an editor of the American Journal of Ophthalmology. He also serves on several scientific advisory boards that are exploring the genesis and treatment of retinal diseases. Publications for Peter K. Kaiser, M.D.

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Hilel Lewis, M.D. Chairman, Division of Ophthalmology Director, Cole Eye Institute Hilel Lewis, M.D., is chairman of the Division of Ophthalmology and director of the Cole Eye Institute at The Cleveland Clinic. He is recognized as a pioneer in the treatment of diseases of the retina, macula and vitreous. Dr. Lewis has made significant contributions to the understanding of these diseases, has described several new diseases and has developed new treatment for many of these disorders. His primary areas of research include the development of new surgical techniques, as well as the use of drug therapy for the treatment of diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and uncomplicated retinal detachments. Dr. Lewis also serves as the principal investigator for numerous clinical trials. Born and raised in Mexico, Dr. Lewis completed his residency at the Jules Stein Eye Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles. In addition, he completed two vitreoretinal fellowships, one in surgical retina at the Eye Institute of the Medical College of Wisconsin Clinics in Milwaukee, Wisc., and a fellowship in medial retina at the Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Prior to his appointment to The Cleveland Clinic in 1993, Dr. Lewis held an academic position at UCLA, where he was a Charles Kenneth Feldman Scholar. For the past two years, under Dr. Lewis' direction, the Cole Eye Institute has had the highest patient volume in the United States and has become one of the leading ophthalmic research institutions in the country. Dr. Lewis has been the recipient of more than 50 national and international honors and awards in his career. He is a member of 30 national and international professional societies and serves on the editorial board of 10 ophthalmic scientific journals, including being associate editor of the American Journal of Ophthalmology. A frequent lecturer for national and international meetings, Dr. Lewis has contributed to more than 150 publications, over 20 book chapters and is the author of the textbook "Medical and Surgical Retina: Advances, Controversies and Management." Publications for Hilel Lewis, M.D.

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Neal S. Peachey, Ph.D. Dr. Peachey joined the staff of the Cleveland Clinic's Cole Eye Institute Department of Ophthalmic Research in August of 2000 from the Departments of Neurology and Ophthalmology at Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University of Chicago, where he was an associate professor. He was also on the Research Service at Hines Veterans Administration Hospital in Hines, IL. Dr. Peachey earned his doctorate and master's degrees in experimental psychology at Northeastern University in Boston. He has done post-doctoral work at the University of Illinois at Chicago and has a bachelor's degree in biology and psychology from Hobart College in Geneva, NY. He describes himself as a "retinal electrophysiologist who is interested in animal models of disease." His research at the Cole Eye Institute focuses on using non-invasive retinal electrophysiology to study animal models of human disorders and, potentially, to objectively evaluate experimental treatments for hereditary retinal degenerative diseases. Publications for Neal S. Peachey, Ph.D.

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Jonathan E. Sears, M.D. Department of Vitreoretinal Disease Dr. Jonathan E. Sears has been a staff member of the Cleveland Clinic's Cole Eye Institute since 1998. Prior to that, he served a two-year retina fellowship at Emory Eye Clinic at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, where he was a Heed Ophthalmic fellow trained in the surgical management of pediatric and adult vitreoretinal disease. Dr. Sears received his undergraduate, medical and residency training at Yale University, New Haven, Conn. While at Yale, he developed a novel method for mapping B-cell epitopes, specifically defining the immunoprotective epitope of Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent responsible for Lyme disease. As a resident in ophthalmology, Dr. Sears engineered a rapid method of analyzing disparate populations of messenger RNA and used it to identify circadian-based genes in the ocular ciliary epithelium. Dr. Sears' specialty interests include pediatric retinal detachment after trauma, inherited vitreoretinal disorders and acquired proliferative vitreoretinal disease, such as retinopathy of prematurity. His clinical focus is on both pediatric and adult vitreoretinal disease, including primary retinal detachment, diabetic retinopathy, ocular tumors and macular hole surgery. He is a board-certified member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, and the International Congress of Ophthalmology. Publications for Jonathan E. Sears, M.D.

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Elias I. Traboulsi, M.D. Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus Dr. Elias I. Traboulsi has been head of the Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus at the Cleveland Clinic since 1997. Previously, he was associate professor of ophthalmology and pediatrics at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore. He also is director of the Center for Genetic Eye Diseases www2.ccf.org/isged and professor of ophthalmology at Ohio State University. He received his medical degree from the American University of Beirut Medical Center in Lebanon and completed his first residency training there. He later completed a second residency, including one year as chief resident, at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. He served a fellowship in ophthalmic genetics with Irene H. Maumenee, M.D., at Johns Hopkins and another in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus with Marshall M. Parks, M.D., at the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. He then spent a year as a clinical assistant professor of ophthalmology at Georgetown University Medical Center, after which Dr. Traboulsi returned to the Johns Hopkins Center for Hereditary Eye Diseases of the Wilmer Institute as assistant professor of ophthalmology. He also served a chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore from 1990 to 1997. He is board-certified in ophthalmology and medical genetics. He is president of The International Society for Genetic Eye Disease and is a frequent guest speaker at national and international meetings. He has authored more than 130 scientific articles and 40 book chapters and edited the eye disease sections of the Birth Defects. He is the author and editor of "Genetic Diseases of the Eye," a textbook published in 1998. His clinical and research interests include the genetics of strabismus, the classification and management of ophthalmic and general medical genetic disorders, ocular developmental biology and ocular malformations, cancer of the eye, retinal dystrophies, childhood cataracts and glaucoma, and other pediatric eye disorders. Dr. Traboulsi is director of the Cole Eye Institute Residency Training Program. He also is editor-in-chief of Ophthalmic Genetics and serves on the editorial board of The American Journal of Ophthalmology. Publications for Elias I. Traboulsi, M.D.

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Steven E. Wilson, M.D. Departments of Cornea and External Disease and Refractive Surgery After five years as professor and chair of ophthalmology and the holder of the Grace E. Hill Chair in Vision Research at the University of Washington in Seattle, Steven E. Wilson, M.D., returned to the Cole Eye Institute as director of corneal research in September of 2003.  He previously was a member of the Eye Institute’s staff from 1996 to 1998. In addition to his research duties, Dr. Wilson will treat patients with cornea and external diseases and perform a wide range of laser vision correction procedures. Dr. Wilson received his masters degree in molecular biology and biochemistry from the University of California, Irvine, and his medical degree from the University of California, San Diego. He served his residency at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, and his fellowship in cornea, external disease, and refractive surgery at the Louisiana State University Eye Center, New Orleans. He then joined the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Dr. Wilson is recognized as one of the world’s leading cornea and refractive surgery specialists. An NIH-funded investigator, he leads a research laboratory that explores cellular and molecular interactions in the cornea involved in development, homeostasis, wound healing and disease. He is the author of more than 130 peer-reviewed clinical and research papers. Dr. Wilson is currently a trustee of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). He serves on the executive board of ISRS-RSIG, the program committee for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and the editorial boards for Experimental Eye Research, The Journal of Refractive Surgery, and Cornea.  He is the chief medical editor of Review of Refractive Surgery.

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