OIS Podcast | Ophthalmology's leading Podcast

OIS Podcast host Paul Karpecki, OD , sits down with Ashley Brissette, MD , who just launched an eye-focused cosmetic skincare line called Eye Revive by Daily Practice .  Now assistant professor of ophthalmology at  Weill Cornell Medicine, New York Presbyterian Hospital, Dr. Brissette talks about her journey to physician and entrepreneur. We get to hear how the Canadian-born, one-time performing-ar...

Scientist, entrepreneur, and executive Thomas Chalberg, PhD , has developed or funded companies that have advanced complex gene therapy technology, a novel anesthesia delivery system, and a lens that helps slow myopia progression in kids. And that’s just the start. A leader in gene therapy development who is recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer, Dr. Chalberg cofounded Ava...

Before joining BioLight Life Sciences , an Israel-based publicly traded venture capital fund focused on ophthalmology, CEO Yaacov Michlin considered starting his own healthcare VC fund. Instead, he now finds himself leading a smaller fund within a vibrant community of startups. Although it’s a publicly traded company, BioLight operates like many VC funds, working both with early-stage companies an...

Raj Agrawal, MD, talks about his dual roles: CEO and president of the medical mission group Retina Global; and VP at clinical-stage biopharma Rezolute, where he’s leading development of a noninvasive diabetic macular edema treatment.

It started with a call.  First, a call from Abbott led Christian Roesky to an industry role after completing his chemistry PhD in Germany. Next, came the call that would shape Roesky’s career—from Alcon, where he discovered eye care was his “everyday joy and passion.” The most pivotal call, however, came from Novaliq founder Bernhard Günther, who convinced Roesky to take his emerging startup to th...

Jill Hopkins, MD, didn’t plan to end up in a global leadership position at one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. But she got there in 2021, when Novartis recruited her to serve as its SVP and global head of the ophthalmology development unit.  Dr. Hopkins moved from academia to the clinic to industry, not by muscling her way in, but by exploring opportunities that sparked her intere...

William “Bill” Freeman, MD , has been at the forefront of intraocular drug delivery for more than 30 years, and he’s done so while also treating patients and teaching the next generation of eye surgeons.  From sunny University of California San Diego, where he serves as distinguished professor, vice chair of ophthalmology, and director of the Jacobs Retina Center, Dr. Freeman pioneered new techniq...

New World Medical , maker of the Ahmed Glaucoma Valve, continues to innovate and maintain a steady pipeline without the cachet that comes with big-name partnerships. CEO Bilal Khan spoke with OIS podcast host Rob Rothman, MD, about assuming the lead role at New World Medical from founder Dr. A. Mateen Ahmed—Bilal’s father-in-law. While Dr. Ahmed and Bilal can “geek out” about glaucoma devices at t...

Multiple reports have shown that only about 11% of Phase I clinical trials make it through to regulatory approval. Business, says retina expert Pravin Dugel, MD , president of Iveric Bio , follows a similar trajectory. Success comes only after multiple failures.  Dr. Dugel has enjoyed success as a retina surgeon, as a principal investigator, and as president of a biopharmaceutical company focused...

  NovaSight is tackling one of the biggest unmet needs in ophthalmology: pediatric amblyopia, otherwise known as “lazy eye.” It’s the leading cause of vision loss in children. And despite innovations in virtually every other eye condition, the most common amblyopia treatment has remained the eye patch. NovaSight’s CureSight is a binocular treatment that lets kids do their favorite on-screen activi...

Patrick Tresserras Former CEO & founder, Avizorex Pharma (acquired by Aerie in 2019) In this episode of the OIS Podcast, Dr Robert Rothman is joined by Patrick Tresserras, former CEO & Co-founder of Avizorex Pharma which was sold to Aerie in 2019. Dr. Rothman hones in on Patrick’s unique ability to identify promising academic assets to address unmet medical needs. Patrick’s first start-up...

Long before pharmaceutical and medical device sales reps make their pitches to physicians, ophthalmic drug and device developers run their products through years of clinical trials. Most of the time, they turn to third-party vendors to get them across the finish line. One of the most important partners in that process are clinical research organizations (CROs), which manage all aspects of clinical...

Richel Liu , left a secure post as CEO of a comprehensive IT group to start a VC with a focus on early-stage ophthalmology and optometry companies. She’s now one of a growing number of successful women entrepreneurs in China,  a country that’s home to two-thirds of the richest women in the world. The move from IT CEO to eye care VC isn’t as dramatic of a detour as it sounds. To Liu, ophthalmology...

As president and CEO of LENTECHS , a clinical-stage ophthalmic device company on the verge of commercializing a new contact lens, Robin Sears applies the core competencies he learned while moving through the ranks at Johnson & Johnson and Allergan. As told to podcast host Paul Karpecki , OD, when Robin heard about the presbyopia lens developed by Melissa Bailey, OD, PhD, and Joe Barr, OD, he s...

One of the most influential women in ophthalmology today, Adrienne Graves, PhD has exceled in nearly every aspect of the industry, from research to industry to nonprofits. While many know Dr. Graves from her executive experience—which includes eight years as CEO of Santen and board positions with over a dozen ophthalmology companies—she got her start as a scientist. Her work in visual neuroscience...

Retina specialists have limited imaging and surgical tools to visualize the back of the eye. While technology has improved, the need for incredible precision is paramount. [MOU1] PulseMedica ’s 3D imaging and surgical platform has the potential to deliver extreme accuracy through advanced imaging technology, AI-based decision assistance, and femtosecond laser pulses. (For those who don’t study las...

Daniel Chao, MD, PhD, spent a lot of years in the lab studying the nervous system of zebra fish and worms. No surprise, after earning his PhD in neuroscience, he wanted to move on. Ophthalmology reeled him in. After a residency and a fellowship in the field, he moved into a multifaceted research career that includes academia, biotech, and industry. As Senior Director of Translational and Experimen...

A new generation of drug delivery technology is emerging, with new refillable, absorbable, and dissolvable drug delivery systems making their way through clinical trials and into the market. Large pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, and device startups alike are all developing innovative alternatives to intravitreal injection. These systems are important for improving compliance and, as a res...

Brian Strem, CEO and Director of Kiora Pharmaceuticals , didn’t plan to become an executive, or even an entrepreneur, when he started doing translational research for publicly traded biotech company Cytori Therapeutics. But as his career progressed from the bench to business development to leading Bayon Therapeutics (acquired by EyeGate) and Okogen, he found himself following in his father’s foots...

A college detour away from medical school and into scientific research worked to the advantage of Lori-Ann Christie. Her career has evolved from academic researcher to pharmaceutical industry scientist and director to venture capital fund principal, with each role building on the one before. Christie recently joined Visionary Venture Fund, a capital firm that focuses on ophthalmology devices and p...

The annual tradition of the Ophthalmology Innovation Year in Review continues for 2021with data on, NEI funding, venture deals, public offerings, M&A transactions, FDA approvals and phase 3 data. This time OIS Co-founder, Craig Simak switches seats with three of our podcast hosts: Firas Rahhal, MD; Robert Rothman, MD and Ehsan Sadri, MD. The three wisemen who also happen to be MDs and VCs, ref...

Even the most experienced physicians encounter patients with conditions they can’t solve after multiple questions, tests, and treatments. Diana Driscoll, OD, has not only treated some of these patients successfully, she’s been one of them. On a trip to Costa Rica, Dr. Driscoll contracted a virus. Through 10 years of disability, she saw over 50 doctors, but still had no answer. Her son, who also co...

When you’re an entrepreneur building out a company, it’s not enough to hire people with expertise you don’t have. As Brent Jones, Chief Operating Officer of I-MED Pharma , says in this week’s podcast, you have to ask questions and listen to what your experts have to say. I-MED Pharma, a Montreal, Quebec-based company that offers a complete portfolio of dry eye disease products, is the latest stop...