Research seminars

About the series

This seminar series presented by the Department of Ophthalmology, Vision and Anatomical Sciences (OVAS), Wayne State University School of Medicine is one of the major platforms to enhance our knowledge base, promote innovation, stimulate new ideas and cultivate collaboration. It also emphasizes the education of the next generation of scientists.

The Distinguished Speaker Series hosts accomplished experts from all over the world to introduce their discoveries, cutting-edge technologies and translational research experience in their own words. The series covers a wide range of topics from Ophthalmology, Vision Sciences, Ocular Immunology, Neurobiology, Genetics and Imaging, from molecular mechanisms of health and pathogenesis of diseases to the development of new treatments.

All seminars will be held in the departmental conference room and broadcast live through Zoom. The Distinguished Speaker Series brings the best of the world to Detroit and disseminates knowledge to the world. Engaging in conversations with faculty members and trainees it stimulates new innovative ideas and collaboration and elevates the horizon of the students and trainees.

The seminars are held on Thursdays at noon, once a month during the academic year. Please join us in person or virtually on Zoom.

Next seminar 

Stephen FlugfelderStephen Flugfelder, M.D.
Professor and James and Margaret Elkins Chair in Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology
Baylor College of Medicine

May 22, 2025
Noon - 1 p.m.

On-site location:
OVAS departmental library
Scott Hall, room #8366

Virtual attendees: join via Zoom

For more information or comments and suggestions, please email:

Shunbin Xu, MD, PhD, or Selina Hall 


Seminar schedule
Winter/ Spring 2025

Date Speaker Topic Host Series Type
1/23/2025

Lu Chen, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor of Optometry & Vision Science

Center for Eye Disease and Development, Vision Science Graduate Program, and School of Optometry & Vision Science,
University of California at Berkeley

Novel insights into ocular lymphatics Shunbin Xu Distinguished Speaker
2/02/2025 Heather Chandler, Ph.D.

Professor
College of Optometry
Ohio State University
Novel strategies to reduce corneal fibrosis   Distinguished Speaker
2/20/2025

George L King, M.D.

Thomas J. Beatson, Jr. Professor of Medicine and Professor of Ophthalmology, Chief Scientific Officer
Harvard Medical School

Retinal Binding Protein 3 (RBP3), a Biomarker or Therapeutic Protective Factor for Diabetic Retinopathy Bruce Berkowitz Distinguished Speaker
3/20/2025

Tomomi Ichinose, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor

OVAS
Wayne State University

Watch out for your preparations! Lessons from retinal neurophysiological research Shunbin Xu Tranlastional Research Update
4/3/2025

Daniel R Saban, Ph.D.

Professor

Ophthalmology
Duke University School of Medicine

The cornea harbors a tricellular neuro-immune niche than underpins touch Shunbin Xu Distinguished Speaker
4/17/2025

Justin P Kumar, Ph.D.

Professor

Biology
Indiana University

Graded transcription factor expression mediates the choice between distinct organ fates Markus Friedrich Distinguished Speaker
5/1/2025

Trainee seminar 2 

Ph.D. thesis project in progress

Anamika Sharma, PhD candidate


Innate immune activation contributes to neurodegeneration in a fly model of familial ataxia

Role of IL-33 Induced Microglia Activation in Proliferative
Retinopathies

Ryan Insolera

Nihklesh Singh

Trainee Seminar
5/22/2025

Stephen Flugfelder, M.D.

Professor and James and Margaret Elkins Chair in Ophthalmology

Ophthalmology
Baylor College of Medicine

TBD Shunbin Xu Distinguished Speaker

Fall 2025

Date Speaker Topic Host Series Type
9/4/2025

Dimitrios Karamichos, Ph.D.

Interim Dean, School of Biomedical Sciences; Executive Director & Endowed Chair, NTERI; Professor

Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacology & Neuroscience  
The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth

TBD Shunbin Xu Distinguished Speaker
TBD

Timothy A Blenkinsop, Ph.D.

Associate professor

Ophthalmology, CDRB
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

TBD Ashok Kumar Distinguished Speaker
  • 2024-2025 Speakers Series Archive

    Distinguished Speaker Series 2024-25

    Date Speaker Topic WSU Host  
    September 19, 2024

    Eric Pearlman, Ph.D.

    Director, Institute for Immunology; Professor

    Physiology & Biophysics, Ophthalmology
    University of California Irvine, School of Medicine

    Neutrophil activation and cell death in Pseudomonas aeruginosa keratitis

    View recorded seminar

    Shunbin Xu Distinguished Speaker
    October 17, 2024

    Kaustabh Ghosh, Ph.D.

    Associate Professor

    Ophthalmology
    University of California, Los Angeles; Doheny Eye Institute

    Mechanobiology of Retinal Vascular Inflammation and Degeneration in Diabetes.

    View recorded seminar

    Ahmed Ibrahim Distinguished Speaker
    November 7, 2024

    Marcelo M. Nociari, Ph.D.

    Assistant Professor

    Ophthalmology, immunonology and genetic medicine
    Weill Cornell Medical College

    Novel Therapies for Retinal Atrophy in Dry AMD and Stargardt Disease

    View recorded seminar

    Nikhlesh Singh Distinguished Speaker
    November 21, 2024

    Steve H DeVries, M.D., Ph.D.

    Professor

    Ophthalmology & Neuroscience
    University of California, Los Angeles; Doheny Eye Institute

    The cone synapse at nanoscale: single protein localization and single vesicle transmission.

    View recorded seminar

    Tomomi Ichinose Distinguished Speaker
    December 5, 2024

    Harald Junge, Ph.D.

    Mary and Marian Robinson Chair in Macular Degeneration, Associate Professor and Research Director

    Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neuroscience
    University of Minnesota

    The Norrin/Frizzled4 signaling pathway controls the blood-retina barrier and is a target for therapeutic intervention

    View recorded seminar

    Nikhlesh Singh Distinguished Speaker
    January 23, 2025

    Lu Chen, M.D., Ph.D.

    Professor of Optometry & Vision Science

    Center for Eye Disease and Development, Vision Science Graduate Program, and School of Optometry & Vision Science,
    University of California at Berkeley

    Novel insights into ocular lymphatics Shunbin Xu Distinguished Speaker
    February 2, 2025 Heather Chandler, Ph.D.

    Professor
    College of Optometry
    Ohio State University

    Novel strategies to reduce corneal fibrosis

    View recorded seminar

      Distinguished Speaker
    February 20, 2025

    George L King, M.D.

    Thomas J. Beatson, Jr. Professor of Medicine and Professor of Ophthalmology, Chief Scientific Officer
    Harvard Medical School

    Retinal Binding Protein 3 (RBP3), a Biomarker or Therapeutic Protective Factor for Diabetic Retinopathy

    View recorded seminar

    Bruce Berkowitz Distinguished Speaker
    March 20, 2025

    Tomomi Ichinose, M.D., Ph.D.

    Professor

    OVAS
    Wayne State University

    Watch out for your preparations! Lessons from retinal neurophysiological research

    View recorded seminar

    Shunbin Xu Tranlastional Research Update
    April 3,
    2025

    Daniel R Saban, Ph.D.

    Professor

    Ophthalmology
    Duke University School of Medicine

    The cornea harbors a tricellular neuro-immune niche that underpins touch

    View recorded seminar

    Shunbin Xu Distinguished Speaker
    April 17, 2025

    Justin P Kumar, Ph.D.

    Professor

    Biology
    Indiana University

    Graded transcription factor expression mediates the choice between distinct organ fates

    View recorded seminar

    Markus Friedrich Distinguished Speaker
    May 01,
    2025

    Trainee seminar 2 

    Ph.D. thesis project in progress

    Anamika Sharma, PhD candidate

    Innate immune activation contributes to neurodegeneration in a fly model of familial ataxia

    Role of IL-33 Induced Microglia Activation in Proliferative
    Retinopathies

    Ryan Insolera

    Nihklesh Singh

    Trainee Seminar

    Trainee Seminars 2024-25

    Date Speakers Topics
    Oct. 31, 2024 Hubert O. Acheampong, PhD candidate
    Abdul Rhman Hassan, MD.
    Application and validation of a novel mitophagy reporter in Drosophila melanogaster

    Cellular mechanisms of pupil light reflex in the mouse retina
  • 2023-2024 Speaker Series archive

    Distinguished Speaker Series 2023-24

    Date Speaker Topic WSU Host
    Sept 7, 2023

    Anthony St. Leger, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Immunology
    University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

    Exploiting the ocular microbiome and neuroimmune axis during blinding ocular surface disease.

    View recorded seminar

    Shunbin Xu
    Oct. 5,
    2023
    Ning Tian, Ph.D.
    Professor
    Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
    University of Utah
    Immune proteins in RGC development and protection

    View recorded seminar
    Zhuohua Pan
    Oct. 19, 2023 Justin Kenney
    Assistant professor
    Biological Sciences
    College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, WSU
    Identifying the neural and molecular basis for individual differences in the exploratory behavior of zebrafish Ryan Thummel
    Nov. 2, 2023

    Ryan Thummel, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor
    Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences
    WSU School of Medicine

    Renu Kowluru, Ph.D.
    Professor
    Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences
    WSU School of Medicine

    Bedside to Bench: Examples of Enhanced Training Opportunities in OVAS/KEI

     

     

    Diabetic macular edema: Anti-VEGF therapy and epigenetically modified mitochondrial DNA

     
    Nov. 16, 2023 Bruce Berkowitz, Ph.D.
    Professor
    Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences
    WSU School of Medicine

    Mitigating threats to sight with translational mitochondrial biomarker imaging

    View recorded seminar

     
    Nov. 30, 2023 Mary Marquart, Ph.D.
    Professor
    Cell and Molecular Biology
    University of Mississippi Medical Center

    Innovative Cold Atmospheric Plasma (iCAP) for the Treatment of Microbial Keratitis

    View recorded seminar

    Ashok Kumar
    Dec. 14, 2023 Bart Borghuis, Ph.D.
    Associate professor
    Anatomical Sciences & NeurobiologyInstitute: University of Louisville

    Understanding retinal visual function using live imaging and targeted electrophysiology

    View recorded seminar

    Tomomi Ichinose
    Jan.18, 2024 Danielle Robertson, O.D., Ph.D.
    Professor
    Department of Ophthalmology
    UT Southwestern Medical Center
    Mitochondria as mediators of host defense in the cornea: implications for contact lens-related bacterial keratitis

    View recorded seminar
    Fu-shin Yu
    Feb. 1,
    2024
    Przemyslaw (Mike) Sapieha, Ph.D.
    Wolfe Professor in Translational Research
    FROUM Endowed Chair 
    Canada Research Chair in Retinal Cell Biology
    Member of the College of the Royal Society of Canada
    Professor of Ophthalmology, Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, 
    University of Montreal
    Targeting Cellular Senescence in the Retina: From dish to Clinic Ahmed Ibrahim

    Feb. 29,
    2024

    Vladimir Jivkov Kefalov, PhD
    Professor
    Ophthalmology
    University of California Irvine

    From a cone-specific visual cycle to prevention of retinal degeneration

    View recorded seminar

    Bruce Berkowitz
    March 28,
    2024
    Monica Vetter, PhD
    Professor and Chair
    Department of Neurobiology
    University of Utah School of Medicine

    Pathways for generation and elimination of retinal ganglion cells

    View recorded seminar

    Ryan Thummel
    April 11,
    2024
    Akihiro Ikeda, Ph.D.
    Professor
    Genetics 
    College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, School of Medicine and Public Health 
    University of Wisconsin, Madison

    Genetics of retinal aging and lipid metabolism - role of peroxisomes and mitochondria

    View recorded seminar

    Nikhlesh Singh
    April 25
    2024
    Samer Hattar, Ph.D.
    Chief and Senior Investigator
    Head of the Section on Light and Circadian Rhythms (SLCR)
    Intramural Research Program
    National Institute of Mental Health

    The impact of light on animal behvaior

    View recorded seminar

    Bruce Berkowitz

    Translational research updates 2023-24

    Date Speakers Topics
    Nov. 2, 2023

    Ryan Thummel, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor
    Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences
    WSU School of Medicine

    Renu Kowluru, Ph.D.
    Professor
    Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences
    WSU School of Medicine

     

    Bedside to Bench: Examples of Enhanced Training Opportunities in OVAS/KEI

     

     

    Diabetic macular edema: Anti-VEGF therapy and epigenetically modified mitochondrial DNA

     

     

    Nov. 16, 2023 Bruce Berkowitz, Ph.D.
    Professor
    Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences
    WSU School of Medicine
    Mitigating threats to sight with translational mitochondrial biomarker imaging


    Trainee Seminars 2023-24

    Date Speakers Topics
    Previous Trainee Seminar(s)    

    Feb 15,
    2024

    Nan Gao
    Research scientist 
    The role of exosomes in mediating corneal wound healing in normal and diabetic mice

    Feb 15,
    2024

    Nicole Oska
    MD candidate
    Retinal endothelial barrier and bioenergetics

    Sept. 21,
    2023

    Jeremy Bohl
    PhD candidate
     

    Long-Distance Cholinergic Feedback-
    From Starburst Amacrine Cells to Retinal Bipolar Cells Enhances Direction Selectivity in the Mammalian Retina

     

    Sept. 21,
    2023

    Zeeshan Ahmed
    Postdoctoral Research Fellow
    Host NAD+ Metabolism Perturbation in Bacterial Endophthalmitis