OIS - Key Persons
Carey Powers has more than 20 years of marketing leadership experience in the life sciences sector across a broad spectrum of verticals, including ophthalmology, aesthetics, diagnostics and therapeutics. Her commercialization expertise spans pre-clinical assets to billion-dollar brands, with deep experience in direct-to-consumer and professional marketing. As Principal for Powers & Company, Carey advises emerging companies in the areas of commercialization and strategic marketing. Previously, Carey served as the Vice President of Marketing for Visus Therapeutics, where she led commercial strategy for its emerging pipeline of ophthalmic drug candidates. Prior to Visus, Carey spent nine years at Allergan where she held a variety of commercial leadership roles, most recently as Director of Consumer Marketing for RESTASIS®. Carey's industry accolades include Top 25 DTC Marketers from DTC Perspectives and Vision Monday's Most Influential Women in Optical in 2014. She is a host for the Ophthalmology Innovation Source (OIS) Podcast. Carey holds a master's degree in business administration from the University of Florida.
Job Titles:
- Director of the Retina Consultants of Texas Research Centers
Dr. Wykoff is Director of the Retina Consultants of Texas Research Centers; Chairman of Research & Clinical Trials, Retina Consultants of America; and Deputy Chair of Ophthalmology for Blanton Eye Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital. He received his baccalaureate from MIT, PhD from Oxford University, MD from Harvard Medical School, and completed clinical training at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. He is passionate about translational research and clinical trial design and has published nearly 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts. He serves on multiple scientific and medical advisory boards, safety monitoring committees, and global steering committees for retina endeavors spanning the innovative process from early to late stage developments. He is President of the Vit-Buckle Society, serves on the ASRS Board of Directors, and is also a founding member of the Ophthalmology Retina Editorial Board. He has been awarded multiple Achievement and Honor Awards along with the ASRS Young Investigator and the AAO Secretariat Awards.
Daniela Ferrara received her medical degree suma cum laude from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, one of the most prestigious universities in South America. During medical school, she joined a research group from the Biophysics Institute and conducted laboratory research projects on macromolecular metabolism. She completed a surgical internship and ophthalmology residency at the same University, followed by a Master's Degree in Ophthalmology. Dr. Ferrara completed her training at University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, achieving a PhD degree in Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences. Dr. Ferrara moved to the United States in 2006 to complete a research fellowship in Medical Retina at the Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital affiliated to New York University, and since then she has been working on multimodal imaging analysis for clinical trials on retinal diseases. Dr. Ferrara's training and career are shaped to bring together basic research and clinical challenges.
Dr. Ferrara's major research interests include imaging of the posterior segment of the eye, and multimodal imaging analysis on pathological conditions of the vitreous, retina and choroid. As Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at Tufts University School of Medicine, Dr. Ferrara is currently involved with the Optical Coherence Tomography Team at the New England Eye Center, a multidisciplinary group that promotes the scientific contribution on a clinical setting between retina specialists and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
As Associate Medical Director in the Clinical Science team of Genentech, one of the largest biotech companies worldwide, Dr. Ferrara participates in the development and execution of the clinical initiatives within the Clinical Ophthalmology group. She is a key contributor in building an integrated plan to late product development, providing support and clinical guidance, and assessing future opportunities to advance the science and address unmet needs in Ophthalmology.
Under Dr. Guyer's leadership, Ophthotech raised more than $350 million in financing from May to September 2013, including a $192 million IPO, a multi-tranched $125 million royalty financing deal with Novo A/S and a $50 million Series C private funding round. In February 2014, Ophthotech completed a follow-on public offering resulting in gross proceeds to the Company of $59.9 million. In May 2014, Ophthotech entered into an ex-US licensing and commercialization deal for Fovista® with Novartis potentially worth over $1 billion, inclusive of $330 million in an upfront fee ($200 million) and near-term enrollment milestones ($130 million), excluding future royalties, which places the deal as one of the largest ex-US partnering transactions ever in the biotechnology industry.
Following a successful career in academic medicine as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at New York University School of Medicine, Dr. Guyer co-founded and served as CEO and Director at Eyetech Pharmaceuticals, where he led the company through private, public and corporate financings totaling over $400 million. He also oversaw the rapid development and successful commercialization of Macugen®, the first FDA-approved anti-VEGF treatment for wet AMD. OSI Pharmaceuticals subsequently acquired Eyetech in a deal valued at $935 million.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor in Ophthalmology at the Tufts University School of Medicine
- Professor
Dr. Nadia Waheed is Associate Professor in Ophthalmology at the Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston and Director of the Boston Image Reading Center. Her research interests include novel imaging modalities in the eye, OCT and OCT angiography, clinical trial endpoint development and the applications of these to non-exudative AMD and diabetic retinopathy.
She has published over 100 papers in peer reviewed journals, over 100 abstracts, book chapters and editorials and is the co-author on 3 books, the ‘Handbook of Retinal OCT', the ‘Atlas of Retinal OCT' and ‘OCT Angiography of the Eye.' She is an editorial board member of the journals ‘Retina' and ‘IOVS.'
Dr. Waheed received her medical degree summa cum laude from the Aga Khan University Medical School, Pakistan, and a Masters in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health. She trained in Ophthalmology at the Harvard Medical School/Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary Program in Ophthalmology, which was followed by a fellowship in retina at the Harvard Medical School/Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston. She has since worked at the Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute before coming to Boston to the New England Eye Center.
Job Titles:
- Staff Surgeon, Vice President, and Chief Medical Officer at the Cleveland Clinic Martin Health
Dr. Rishi P. Singh MD is a staff surgeon, vice president, and chief medical officer at the Cleveland Clinic Martin Health and Professor of Ophthalmology at the Lerner College of Medicine in Cleveland Ohio. He received his bachelors and medical degrees from Boston University and completed his residency at the Massachusetts Eye and Infirmary Harvard Combined Program in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Singh then completed a medical and surgical fellowship at the Cole Eye Institute in Cleveland,Ohio.
He specializes in the treatment of medical and surgical retinal disease such as diabetic retinopathy, retinal detachment, and age-related macular degeneration. Dr. Singh has authored more than 250 peer reviewed publications, books, and book chapters and serves as the principal investigator of numerous national clinical trials advancing the treatment of retinal disease. Dr. Singh is the former president on the Retina World Congress and is on the board of the American Society of Retina Specialists.
Dr. Singh has been honored with several research recognitions such as the Alpha Omega Alpha Research Award and American Society of Retina Specialists Senior Honor Award.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine
- Co - Founder, Co - Managing Member / Partner
Dr. Robert Rothman is a board-certified ophthalmologist and Clinical Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine and has 18 years of venture capital deal sourcing, structuring and investing experience. Dr. Rothman graduated from the Combined Seven-Year Bachelor of Arts/Doctor of Medicine Program at Boston University in 1993. He completed a residency in Ophthalmology at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center and a fellowship in Glaucoma at The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. Dr. Rothman is currently a partner at OCLI/Glaucoma Consultants of Long Island, and is a member of numerous local and national societies, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Glaucoma Society. He is a past president of the Long Island Ophthalmological Society and the Nassau Academy of Medicine, Ophthalmology Section.
Dr. Rothman currently serves on the Board of Directors of Qura, Galimedix, and Cellview Imaging. He serves on the Clinical Advisory Board for Visibly. He is a former Director of Strategic Initiatives, Ophthalmology for the Northwell Health System.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Founder and General Partner at ExSight Ventures
Dr. Rahhal is a Founder and General Partner at ExSight Ventures, LLC, a VC firm helping to develop innovative treatments and diagnostics in the ophthalmology space. He is also a Partner and a member of the Executive Committee at Retina-Vitreous Associates Medical Group in Los Angeles. He serves as Associate Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the UCLA - Geffen School of Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at the USC - Keck School of Medicine, where he serves as Co-Director of the Combined USC - RVA Vitreoretinal Surgery Fellowship. Dr. Rahhal has published extensively in peer-reviewed ophthalmology journals and has been an investigator in over 100 ophthalmology clinical trials. He completed an Ophthalmology Residency at Cornell University Medical Center, followed by a Fellowship in Vitreoretinal Surgery and Uveitis at UCSD Medical Center.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Chairman Emeritus of Allergan
Mr. Herbert is the Chairman Emeritus of Allergan, Inc., headquartered in Irvine, CA. Mr. Herbert, who helped found the company in 1950, served as its Chairman from 1977 to 1995 as its Chief Executive Officer from 1961-1991. Mr. Herbert is also Owner/Chairman of Roger's Gardens, a large retail nursery in Newport Beach, CA and the Chairman and Founder of REGENESIS Bioremediation Products in San Clemente, CA. Mr. Herbert serves on the Board of Directors at Research to Prevent Blindness, Doheny Eye Institute, EyeCare America Foundation, The Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace Foundation and is Vice Chairman of the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. He is a Life Trustee of the University of Southern California.
HJ Smead Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at Stanford University. He received his undergraduate/graduate degree in biochemical pharmacology, and medical education at Brown University and vitreo-retinal training at Bascom Palmer where he served on the faculty. He was founding director of the vitreoretinal fellowship program at William Beaumont Hospital & Chairman of the Department at Stanford from 1997 until 2015. He spearheaded the development of the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford and served as founding Director from 2010 until 2015. Dr. Blumenkranz was an early innovator in vitrectomy techniques to treat complex forms of retinal detachment as well as the treatment of macular disease. He helped usher in the modern era of intravitreal, gene and surgical adjuvant drug therapy, new lasers and laser tissue interactions.
Dr. Pollack is a retinal clinician, surgeon, and educator with over 25 years of clinical, research, and drug development experience in ophthalmology. He is Chief Medical Officer at jCyte and previously served as Chief Medical Officer at Neurotech Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Pollack is also a partner with Illinois Retina Associates in Chicago and on faculty at Rush University Medical Center. He is past president of the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) and its Foundation. In 1999, he co-founded the annual ASRS Preferences and Trends Survey which continues to serve as a leading assessment of global retina practice patterns. Dr. Pollack has delivered over 200 scientific presentations at international scientific conferences, published over 60 papers and book chapters, and has participated in numerous clinical studies in a variety of roles including study chairperson and principal investigator. He serves on the Board of the Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness and previously served on the Board of Notal Vision, Inc. He has co-founded 3 physician-focused companies including Vestrum Health, Covalent Medical, and Clarus Acuity Group. His work led to him being honored as a Charter Inductee into the Retina Hall of Fame in recognition of his lifetime achievements and contributions to the field of retina.
Job Titles:
- Director of the Office of Ophthalmic, Anesthesia, Respiratory, ENT and Dental Devices - FDA
Dr. Eydelman joined FDA in 1995 and for the last 17 years, has served as the Director of FDA's Division of Ophthalmic and Ear, Nose and Throat Devices (DOED), and subsequently Director of the FDA's Division of Ophthalmic, Neurological and Ear, Nose and Throat Devices (DONED). Dr. Eydelman has been involved in all aspects of assuring the safety and effectiveness of ophthalmic medical devices. She also has been actively involved in standardization of ophthalmic devices as the U.S. Expert Delegate to the International Standards Organization and FDA's Liaison to the American National Standards Institute‘s Committee for Ophthalmic Devices.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Ophthalmology and Co - Director
Dr. Humayun is an internationally recognized pioneer in vision restoration. He assembled a team of multidisciplinary experts to develop the first FDA approved artificial retina, Argus II, for sight restoration. He is a member of the U.S. National Academies of Medicine, Engineering, and Inventors. He has more than 100 patents/patent applications and more than 200 peer reviewed publications. For his extraordinary contributions he was awarded the United States' highest technological achievement, the 2015 National Medal of Technology and Innovation by President Obama. Dr. Humayun is an IEEE Fellow and the recipient of the 2018 IEEE Biomedical Engineering Award.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Texas Health Science Center
Michael Singer MD is Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas. He is also the Director of Clinical Research at Medical Center Ophthalmology Associates, San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Singer is a member of the Retina Society, the Macula Society, Club Jules Gonin, the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Retina Specialists. Dr. Singer is the recipient of many awards, including the American Society of Retina Specialists Honor and Senior Honor award, the Achievement award of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, The Gary Thomas Award, Faculty of the Year of the F1000 Foundation, and Two ASRS Rhet Buckler Awards. Dr. Singer has been involved in well over 150 clinical trials and has presented research and taught courses both nationally and internationally. He has written numerous journal articles on a vast majority of the medicines approved for retinal indications. In 2018 he was inducted into the Retina Hall of Fame.
Richard (Rick) A. Hill, MD, is a Founder of Glaukos Corporation and Orange County Glaucoma. He is an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Emeritus, at the University of California, Irvine, and a Founding Member of the Armenian EyeCare Project. Dr. Hill earned his MD from Northwestern University Medical School. He subsequently completed an internship in internal medicine at Saint Joseph Hospital, a residency in ophthalmology at Pennsylvania State University - Hershey, and a clinical fellowship in glaucoma at the University of Southern California (USC) Medical Center. He has been a board-certified Ophthalmologist since 1990. He currently holds memberships in the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and American Glaucoma Society (AGS). Dr. Hill has authored scientific papers, holds numerous patents, and has been an invited lecturer and presenter at scientific meetings.
Thomas Ciulla, MD, MBA is Chief Medical Officer, Clearside Biomedical. Previously, Dr. Ciulla served a VP role, as Medical Strategy Lead-Ophthalmology at Spark Therapeutics, where he defined and led medical strategy to support development and commercialization of Luxturna, the first FDA-approved gene therapy for a genetic disease. Before launching his executive management career, Dr. Ciulla co-directed the retina service and ocular angiogenesis research lab at Indiana University School of Medicine, the largest U.S. med school. He remains a volunteer Clinical Professor at the university and serves on the Board of Directors of Midwest Eye Institute. He is an active member of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Macula Society, Retina Society, American Society of Retina Specialists, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Dr. Ciulla has held numerous leadership roles in clinical research, including principal investigator, medical monitor, and member of scientific advisory, data safety monitoring or writing committees in over 100 national clinical trials, including CATT and multiple registration trials. He has served on journal editorial boards, edited several textbooks, presented at over 200 conferences, and co-authored over 200 publications, including the first published U.S.-based randomized clinical trial on any intravitreal therapy in neovascular AMD. Dr. Ciulla graduated from Harvard College and UCSF Med School, followed by an internship and residency at Harvard Med School, and a fellowship at Tufts Med School. He also earned an MBA from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, specializing in the business of medicine.