Dear Friends and Colleagues,
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.
Science That Moves Forward
Our research enterprise continues to grow in both depth and ambition, with several leading scientists joining us over the past year. I encourage you to read about Dr. Daniel Gao’s lab — a remarkable team assembled in just one year, already tackling fundamental questions in molecular medicine with direct implications for patients. I am also excited to share our new partnership with Dr. Maysam Chamanzar at Carnegie Mellon University to develop Ultrasonically-Enhanced Optical Coherence Tomography (ue-OCT), a breakthrough imaging platform that could allow us to detect the earliest biological changes in AMD — shifting our approach from reactive treatment to proactive vision preservation.
Our grants portfolio this quarter reflects the confidence our funding partners place in this work, spanning NIH R01s, foundation awards, and Department of Defense support across corneal disease, retinal circuitry, gene delivery, and more.
Innovation at the Bedside
Thanks to a $100,000 grant to Dr. Sabrina Mukhtar, radiofrequency therapy is now available in our Dry Eye Clinic — a concrete example of how we translate scientific promise into patient benefit. Progress like this does not happen without the philanthropic generosity of partners like the Eye & Ear Foundation of Pittsburgh, whose support makes it possible to move faster and reach further than grant funding alone allows.
A Season of Recognition
The recognition this month is what truly excites me. Dr Jhanji was selected as the Editor-in-Chief of Cornea, the leading national and international medical and scientific journal in the field. Published monthly, the journal covers high-quality clinical, translational and basic science research that advances the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of corneal disease, serving ophthalmologists, vision scientists and eye care professionals worldwide. Dr. Jay 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. Dr. Xing Chen has been named one of the Top 5 Young American Scientists by Scientific American, a testament to the outstanding early-career talent we are cultivating in our Department. And Dr. Marlene Behrmann will receive an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Copenhagen this fall — a well-deserved tribute to her landmark contributions to cognitive neuroscience and ophthalmology.
I am deeply honored to have received the Wolf Prize in Medicine this June — an award I share with Botond Roska and accept on behalf of every colleague, collaborator, and patient who has been part of this journey. It is the first time this prize has been awarded to a Pitt faculty member and to an ophthalmologist, and I believe it speaks to the extraordinary caliber of the science being done here. I was also humbled to receive the 2026 Distinguished Innovation Award from Harvard Medical School and Mass Eye and Ear, and to receive the 2026 Proctor Medal at ARVO, the major international vision research conference, in May.
Welcoming the Next Generation
Perhaps nothing energizes us more than the arrival of a new class of residents and fellows. This month, we welcome six talented new residents — including Sean Ghiam, whose journey to ophthalmology you can read about in this issue — along with 10 fellows who represent the future of our field. We are proud to invest in their growth as clinicians, surgeons, scholars, and leaders.
It bears noting that the University of Pittsburgh remains among the top 2% of universities worldwide. Our Department is a meaningful part of that distinction, and I am committed to ensuring that we continue to earn it.
Thank you for your partnership, your curiosity, and your dedication to vision. There has never been a more exciting time to be in this field — and there is no Department in the world I would rather lead.
With gratitude and hope,
José-Alain Sahel, MD, FARVO
Chairman, Department of Ophthalmology
Director, UPMC Vision Institute
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine