I am a Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine (UICCM), where I was recently appointed to research positions at the Stephen A. Wynn Institute for Vision Research (WIVR) and Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC) Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Visual Loss. I also hold longstanding clinical appointments at the VAMC and University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC).

Until recently, the major focus of my research has been clinical studies that were conducted during 30+ years of academic clinical practice at Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (10 years), King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital in Saudi Arabia (10 years), and UIHC/VAMC/UICCM (10+ years). More than half of my peer-reviewed journal articles have been generated from either prospective or retrospective clinical studies derived from the vast clinical bases of these tertiary care institutions. The predominant published topics include corneal transplantation (indications, outcomes, complications, and graft survival), refractive surgery (outcomes, complications, and therapeutic applications), ocular inflammation/infections, and ocular surface disease.

In conjunction with my appointment to the VAMC Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Visual Loss, I plan to pursue clinical trials related to the prevention and/or rehabilitation of corneal visual disability related to dry eye syndromes, neurotrophic keratopathy, infectious diseases, and dystrophies/degenerations.

In conjunction with my appointment to the WIVR, I will be collaborating with Dr. Budd Tucker and Dr. Arlene Drack on basic science studies of corneal limbal stem cells with subsequent translational application to the management of stem cell deficiency-related morbidity, such as that associated with chemical and thermal injuries, conjunctival shrinkage syndromes, and dry eye disorders.