As we move through the summer, I am filled with gratitude and pride at what our Department has accomplished — and profound optimism for what lies ahead.
This edition of Our Vision for the Future reflects the full breadth of who we are: a community of scientists, clinicians, educators, and trainees united around our patients by a shared commitment to defeating blinding diseases and restoring sight to all.
Read Dr. Sahel's message
José-Alain Sahel, MD, FARVO Distinguished Professor and Chairman of Ophthalmology
The Eye & Ear Foundation Endowed Chair University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Director, UPMC Vision Institute Emeritus Professor at Sorbonne Université, Paris
RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT
During the first year Daniel Gao, PhD, was at Pitt, he was fortunate to build a team of researchers with diverse backgrounds who share a passion for understanding fundamental biological questions, developing molecular medicines, and ultimately benefiting patients.
Read more about Dr. Gao's lab
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Borrelli E, Neri G, Berni A, Olivieri C, Chhablani J, Corradetti G, DolzMarco R, Reiter GS, Zur D, Bandello F, Reibaldi M. Review of emerging imaging findings to reveal a broader spectrum of lesions in AMD. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2026 Jun 25. doi: 10.1007/s00417-026-07335-9. Online ahead of print. PMID: 42347990.
Shane J, Evans M, Rigas Y, Shanks RMQ, St Leger AJ. Genetically engineered eye-colonizing microbes that deliver the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 enhance corneal tissue repair. Cell Rep. 2026 Mar 24;45(3):117064. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2026.117064. Epub 2026 Mar 5.
Tallapaneni PS, Zaheer HA, Cassidy J, Liang HW, McGinnis-Thomas DM, Williams AM Impact of a Patient Navigator Program on Access to Outpatient Ophthalmic Surgery Clin Ophthalmol. 2026 Jun 16;20:608653. doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S608653. eCollection 2026. PMID: 42326752.
View full list of recent publications
CLINICAL INNOVATION
Radiofrequency Therapy Now Available in Dry Eye Clinic
Thanks to a $100,000 grant, radiofrequency therapy (RF) is now available in the Vision Institute’s Dry Eye Clinic.
Read more about this therapy
OUTREACH
Bringing Vision Care to Women in Recovery
A collaboration between the Department of Ophthalmology and POWER (PA Organization for Women in Early Recovery) resulted in the first outdoor mobile optometry clinic.
Read more about this collaboration
RECOGNITION
Vishal Jhanji, MD, FRCS, FRCOphth(Glasgow), FARVO
Editor-in-Chief, Cornea. Dr. Jhanji has been selected as Editor-inChief of Cornea, the official journal of the Cornea Society. Published monthly, Cornea is one of the world's largest leading peer-reviewed journals devoted to corneal, ocular surface, and anterior segment diseases. Read more about the journal
Jay Chhablani, MD
The Retina Hall of Fame, The American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) Annual Meeting in Montreal, July 17. Dr. Chhablani has been inducted into the Retina Hall of Fame by the American Society of Retina Specialists, a peer-nominated distinction that speaks to his transformative contributions to retina care and research worldwide.
Xing Chen, PhD
Top 5 Young American Scientists, Scientific American, July 2026. Dr. Chen was listed as one of the top 5 young scientists 'on the radar.' Dr Chen is a highly productive early-career researcher who has made tremendous impact in her field and beyond,
performing at the cutting edge of innovation. Read the Scientific American article
Marlene Behrmann, PhD
Honorary Doctorate, from the University of Copenhagen in the fall, a well-deserved tribute to her landmark contributions to cognitive neuroscience and ophthalmology. Read more about Dr. Behrmann and her research below in the Faculty Spotlight.
José-Alain Sahel, MD, FARVO
The Wolf Prize in Medicine, The Wolf Foundation (with Botond Roska), June 18. The Wolf Prize is an international award presented to scientists and artists for outstanding achievements in the interest of mankind. Dr. Sahel is the first Pitt faculty member and the first ophthalmologist to receive this award.
Read about the Wolf Prize | Watch the Wolf Prize ceremony
2026 Distinguished Innovation Award, Harvard Medical School & Mass Eye and Ear, June 12. Dr. Sahel received the award to recognize his pioneering contributions to translational vision science and life-changing therapies for retinal disease.
2026 Proctor Medal and Lecture, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), May 4. Dr. Sahel delivered the Proctor Lecture and was awarded this prestigious honor to recognize his outstanding research and significant contributions in the field of ophthalmology
Watch Dr. Sahel's Proctor lecture
PRIMA wireless retinal implant has received a CE mark, which is the European version of the FDA.
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
Marlene Behrmann, PhD, John and Clelia Sheppard Chair in Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh, is receiving an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Copenhagen in the fall.
Read about Dr. Marlene Behrmann's research
EDUCATION & TRAINING
Residents
We are excited to welcome a new class of talented physicians as they begin the next stage of their training with the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Vision Institute.
Top Row: Annika Chang, Arman Y. Zarnegar, Robert J. Porter
Front Row: Paula A. Sepulveda Beltran, Sean Ghiam, Owen Clinger
Fellows
These future leaders in eye care, research, and education bring a passion for improving vision and patient outcomes, and we look forward to supporting their growth as clinicians, surgeons, and scholars.
Top Row: Christian Karam, Nathaniel P. Goldblatt, Nasiq Hasan
Middle Row: Kajree Gupta, Maya Vardi, Hao-Tinh "Tinh" Le
Front Row: Rachel Mills, Annabel Levin, Zeenal Dabre, Crystal Lee
NEW RESIDENT PROFILE
As we welcome the new class of Ophthalmology residents, each newsletter will feature a profile. This month’s is Sean Ghiam, whose interest in ophthalmology developed through a combination of patient experiences, research, and an appreciation for the precision of microsurgery
Read about Sean Ghiam
Al Diri Wiring of chromatin landscape $413,741
Chen Y RHO-associated retinitis pigmentosa $525,957
Chhablani Platform for drug delivery and modeling of AMD
Dhaliwal Biosensor for realtime detection of corneal injuries
Durrani, Errera, Rossi, Sahel, St. Leger In vivo imaging in of the immune response in human uveitis
Fuller Unfolded protein response as a therapeutic target for fungal keratitis
$250,000 Thome Memorial Foundation
Jones Retinal circuitry $557,870
Pfieffer Spatial transcriptomic profiling in pediatric RP
Sahel, Beltran, Byrne, DiLeo Retinal-adhesive gel for AAV gene delivery
Sigal AXON: Axonal BiomechaniX to unveil injury mechanisms in glaucomatous ON
Sigal Histology, Imaging & Analysis Module
St. Leger Sympathetic nerves & herpes stromal keratitis
St. Leger Ocular surface microbiome colonization
Leger, Galor Ocular surface microbiome stability
$100,000 Knights Templar Eye Foundation
St. Leger, Kaplan, Singh Neuro-immune homeostasis at the ocular surface
Pitt / EEF NF1 Vision Restoration
Williams Leveraging NLP of the EHR to identify social needs
UPCOMING EVENTS
$1,277,057 U01
$2,182,900 Gilbert Family Foundation
$15,000 Eye & Ear Foundation
The Fox Center for Vision Restoration Conference, November 2-4
PITTSBURGH HIGHLIGHTS
Partnership to Develop Breakthrough Imaging Platform
José-Alain Sahel, MD, Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology and Director of the UPMC Vision Institute, and Maysam Chamanzar, PhD, Dr. William D. and Nancy W. Strecker Career Development Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, established a partnership to develop a breakthrough imaging platform—Ultrasonically-Enhanced Optical Coherence Tomography (ue-OCT) —designed to overcome the fundamental limitations of current retinal imaging. By enabling clinicians to visualize the earliest biological changes in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), ue-OCT has the potential to shift care from reactive treatment to proactive preservation of vision.
Read more about the collaboration
The Eye & Ear Foundation of Pittsburgh, an independent 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in 1985 to foster philanthropic support for the Departments of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. The goal is to keep moving forward, expanding EEF’s support network, and helping the Departments achieve unparalleled distinction in research, education, outreach, and patient care. Subscribe
