Dr. Felipe A. Medeiros Joins Bascom Palmer as Vice Chair for Translational Research

Felipe A. Medeiros, M.D., Ph.D., one of the world’s leading glaucoma experts, has joined Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine as professor of ophthalmology and vice chair for translational research. Dr. Medeiros will bring extensive experience in data science, bioinformatics, and clinical trials to the nation’s top-ranked eye hospital.

“Dr. Medeiros brings extraordinary interdisciplinary expertise to our Institute,” said Eduardo C. Alfonso, M.D., professor and director of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and the Kathleen and Stanley J. Glaser Chair in Ophthalmology. “His trail-blazing research and commitment to clinical care will significantly benefit patients here in South Florida and throughout the world.”

Medeiros will join the faculty on June 1 from Duke University, where he was a distinguished professor of ophthalmology and the Joseph AC Wadsworth Endowed Chair. He was also vice chair of technology and professor of electrical and computer engineering, biostatistics and bioinformatics at Duke.

“Dr. Medeiros is an innovative thinker and a visionary leader who will drive Bascom Palmer’s translational research program to new heights,” said Henri R. Ford, M.D., M.H.A., dean and chief academic officer of the Miller School. “He brings many years of remarkable research accomplishments to our school.”

Medeiros has been ranked among the top three glaucoma experts in the world by Expertscape, an independent organization that evaluates publications and citations from more than 40,000 glaucoma specialists and researchers worldwide. His high-impact research has been published in more than 400 peer-reviewed publications that have received over 30,000 citations. He is recognized for his work in developing innovative methods and technologies for risk assessment, diagnosis, and detection of disease progression in glaucoma, which has influenced clinical practices worldwide. He has been a pioneer in the use of artificial intelligence and big data to help improve management of glaucoma and other eye conditions, and has led multidisciplinary efforts in the creation of some of the largest multimodal and imaging databases to evaluate disease outcomes in ophthalmology.

“Dr. Medeiros’ focus on collaborative research will create new opportunities for scientists and clinicians throughout the Miller School,” said Stephen D. Nimer, M.D., the Miller School’s executive dean for research; director of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center; the Oscar de la Renta Endowed Chair in Cancer Research, and professor of medicine, biochemistry and molecular biology. “In leading Bascom Palmer’s translational research program, Dr. Medeiros will accelerate the process of turning scientific discoveries into leading-edge therapies for patients with vision loss.”

A native of Brazil, Medeiros earned his medical degree at the University of Sao Paulo where he also completed a residency in ophthalmology, became a senior clinical fellow in ophthalmology, and obtained his Ph.D. in vision science. He then completed a fellowship in glaucoma at the Hamilton Glaucoma Center of the University of California San Diego (UCSD).  He joined UCSD as a faculty member and became the youngest full professor of ophthalmology in the country in 2011. At UCSD, he was the Ben and Hildyard Endowed Chair and medical director of the Hamilton Glaucoma Center. In 2017, he joined Duke Eye Center, where he led the department’s efforts in clinical research.

Medeiros is a creative thinker and an entrepreneur who holds several patents for the development of innovative devices for diagnosing diseases and assessing patient outcomes in ophthalmology and other areas of medicine. He has also been a pioneer in the development of innovative treatments, having been the principal investigator on the clinical trials leading to the FDA approval of the first sustained-release drug treatment for glaucoma.

Through the years, he has given hundreds of invited keynote lectures worldwide and has received dozens of honors and awards, including the ARVO Cogan Award, one of the most prestigious awards in vision science. He has served on the editorial boards of several ophthalmology journals and is an elected member of the prestigious Glaucoma Research Society, whose members are restricted to the Top 100 glaucoma researchers in the world.

At Bascom Palmer, Medeiros plans to advance innovative and impactful translational research, support discovery and technological innovation, and attract and develop outstanding students, trainees and faculty researchers.  “I am very honored to join Bascom Palmer and I look forward to working with this exceptional group of clinicians, scientists and educators to improve the lives of glaucoma patients through cutting-edge research and state-of-the-art care,” he said.

Tags: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Dean Henri Ford, Dr. Eduardo Alfonso, Dr. Felipe Medeiros, Dr. Stephen Nimer, glaucoma, translational research