About Us
“Of all the senses, sight must be the most delightful.” - Helen Keller
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In the realm of ophthalmic science, we have witnessed remarkable progress and achieved treatments for ailments that once plagued the vision of countless individuals. However, despite these advances, there are regions across the world where people still face the prospect of blindness, deprived of access to critical retinal care.
In these underserved areas, conditions like diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, retinopathy of prematurity, uveitis-related retinal afflictions, and more are on the rise. This increase may be attributed to improved awareness and some limited diagnostic capabilities, but it also mirrors the global surge in these disorders. It's within this crucial context that RETINA GLOBAL takes its stand.
RETINA GLOBAL is dedicated to conducting outreach programs in these identified regions, rallying the support of volunteer retina specialists from around the globe who generously offer their time and expertise to make a profound difference.
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Get to Know Us
Retina Global was founded by Dr. Agrawal in 2012. Having been to multiple countries in different continents to work and to volunteer, he realized the lack of a retina-focused organization that could exclusively focus on retina related ailments, and provide not just care to the patients in underserved areas, but also focus on educating the local ophthalmologists as well as training someone to become a retina specialist.
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It took a couple of years to get the paperwork approved and to get funding for the first mission to Burundi in Africa in 2015. Since that time, volunteer retina specialists from many countries have traveling on Retina Global missions in Central and South America and in Africa.
Board of Directors
The Retina Global Board of Directors features some of the world's foremost retina specialists alongside globally renowned leaders from various industries. This diverse and accomplished group provides invaluable guidance and expertise as we continue our mission to combat global blindness.
Pravin Dugel, MD
Retina Specialist and Industry Leader
Pravin U. Dugel, MD, is a distinguished and accomplished medical professional who has achieved remarkable milestones throughout his career. Dr. Dugel's educational journey began with Summa Cum Laude graduation from Columbia University in the City of New York, followed by attendance at UCLA School of Medicine. He completed his residency in ophthalmology at the USC Eye Institute, Keck School of Medicine, and further honed his expertise with medical retina and surgical retina fellowships at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and the USC Eye Institute, respectively. Dr. Dugel was the Managing Partner at Retinal Consultants of Arizona and a busy retina clinician until 2020. He moved to industry, joining Iveric Bio as Executive Vice President, Chief Business Officer and Chief Strategy Officer in April 2020 and later taking over the role of the President in May 2021. Iveric Bio was sold to Astellas and Dr. Dugel left the company in October 2023. Dr. Dugel's dedication to the field of ophthalmology is evident through his prolific research and scholarly work, comprising numerous published papers and book chapters. He is a sought-after speaker, having been invited to lecture at prestigious meetings, serve as a Visiting Professor, and engage with universities worldwide. His influence also extends to the editorial boards of several major medical journals. Internationally recognized as a leading clinical researcher, Dr. Dugel has played a pivotal role as a primary investigator in over 100 multicenter clinical trials. His expertise has earned him positions of distinction, including Subspecialty Day Board Chairman for the American Academy of Ophthalmology and membership on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Retina Specialists and EuRetina, Europe's largest retina society. Dr. Dugel has contributed as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for numerous prominent companies, including Aerpio, Alcon, Digisight, Genentech, Novartis, Ophthotech, Opthea, Roche, and TrueVision. Within Arizona, Dr. Dugel has served as President of the Phoenix Ophthalmology Society and is an active member of the Board of Directors of the Arizona Ophthalmology Society. Since 1994, he has been a dedicated member of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agency, offering eye care services to Native Americans. Furthermore, Dr. Dugel, along with his daughters, co-founded Project SENA, a scholarship and mentorship program that fosters educational opportunities for Native American youth and adults. In the realm of philanthropy, Dr. Dugel served as the Chairman of the ORBIS International Medical Advisory Board and the Medical Strategic Committee. Through his involvement with ORBIS, he has shared his expertise by traveling to developing countries, where he educates local ophthalmologists on surgical techniques and provides free surgery to individuals suffering from preventable blindness. In recognition of his lifetime achievements and exceptional contributions to the field of retina, Dr. Dugel was honored with induction into the "Retina Hall of Fame" in 2017, an accolade that celebrates the extraordinary accomplishments of ophthalmologists in the field of retina.
Ram Palanki, PharmD
Executive Vice President, Commercial Strategy & Operations, REGENXBIO Inc.
Ram Palanki, Pharm.D., currently holds the position of Executive Vice President of Commercial Strategy and Operations at REGENXBIO, where he contributes his extensive knowledge and experience gained over more than 15 years in the field of ophthalmology. His diverse expertise encompasses pharmaceutical strategy and development, marketing, market access, sales, pricing, reimbursement, supply chain management, distribution, business development, medical affairs, and portfolio planning. Prior to his role at REGENXBIO, Dr. Palanki served as the Senior Vice President of Commercial for all of the Americas at Santen Inc. Before his tenure at Santen, he held the position of Global Head of Marketing and Sales at Thrombogenics, Inc., where he led the commercial launch of Jetrea, an innovative proteolytic enzyme therapy for symptomatic vitreomacular adhesion. Dr. Palanki's career journey also includes a role as Director of Global Marketing and Sales at NeoVista, Inc. and significant contributions to Genentech, where he played a key role in the development and launch of Lucentis. His early career saw him working with Eyetech Pharmaceuticals as part of the team responsible for submitting the New Drug Application for Macugen and at Novartis Pharmaceuticals within the New Product Commercialization group. Dr. Palanki earned his Pharm.D. from the Albany College of Pharmacy in New York and further expanded his knowledge during a postdoctoral fellowship at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Adrienne Graves, PhD
Company and Nonprofit Board Chair & Member
Adrienne L. Graves, Ph.D., is a distinguished visual scientist with a profound impact on the global ophthalmology industry. Having served as the former President and CEO of Santen Inc., she achieved the groundbreaking distinction of becoming the first woman and the first non-Japanese global corporate officer of Santen Ltd during her remarkable 15-year tenure. Dr. Graves also contributed nine years to Alcon, commencing as a Senior Scientist and progressing through various roles, ultimately holding the position of Director of International Ophthalmology. Currently, Dr. Graves serves as an Independent Director on several corporate boards, including Akorn, Inc., TearLab, Nicox, Envisia Therapeutics, Aerpio Therapeutics, and Encore Vision. She further extends her leadership to Foundation Boards, actively contributing to the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) Foundation, Glaucoma Research Foundation, American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Foundation (Emeritus), Himalayan Cataract Project, and KeepYourSight Foundation. Dr. Graves is also known for her role as the co-founder of Glaucoma 360 and Ophthalmic Women Leaders (OWL). Her academic journey includes an undergraduate degree from Brown University, a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, and a postdoctoral fellowship in visual neuroscience at the University of Paris (France).
Tien Yin Wong, MD, PhD
Founding Head & Chair Professor, Tsinghua Medicine University
Prof. Tien Yin Wong completed his medical training in 1992 at the National University of Singapore, before taking up residency training at the Singapore National Eye Centre. He completed retinal fellowships in the US (University of Wisconsin) and Australia (Westmead Hospital, University of Sydney). He also holds an MPH and PhD in epidemiology from John Hopkins University, Baltimore, completing his PhD in 2001. Prof. Wong’s research interests focus primarily on the epidemiology of eye diseases, most specifically diabetic retinopathy (DR) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and on the inter-relationship between eye and systemic diseases, using advanced retinal imaging techniques. He has written or co-authored over 1,500 peer-reviewed papers on these topics, and secured research funding totaling over $100 million from organizations such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Medical Research Council (NMRC, Singapore). In recognition of both his academic research and his clinical service, Prof. Wong has received many national and international awards, including the Alcon Research Institute Award, Macula Society’s Arnall Patz Medal, APAO’s Jose Rizal Medal, ARVO’s Friedenwald Award, as well as the two highest awards recognizing scientific contributions in Singapore: the President’s Science Award and the President’s Science & Technology Award. In 2020, Wong was elected into the U.S. National Academy of Medicine as an international (foreign) member, and in 2021, the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences as an international (corresponding) fellow. In 2022, Prof. Wong became the founding head of Tsinghua Medicine, a new healthcare and medical sciences institution based at the prestigious Tsinghua University, China. In this role, he focuses on leveraging the resources and capabilities of some of Beijing’s major institutions in the medical, biomedical, and pharmaceutical spaces, attempting to reform medical education in the country, as well as to strengthen scientific research, develop academic medicine, and build on international collaborations. A major part of this international collaboration rests in Prof. Wong’s previous appointment as Vice Dean and Deputy Group CEO of the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Center (AMC). He serves as a liaison between the two countries, aiming to transform healthcare and patient outcomes through the convergence of clinical education, care, and research, an aim which is aided by the introduction of cross-campus faculty and student exchanges. Prof. Wong’s clear dedication to the profession continues to advance our understanding of major eye diseases, with his research serving to substantially influence eye health policies worldwide, and his international collaborations further encouraging both clinical and academic steps towards preventing blindness and visual impairment in the global population.
José-Alain Sahel, MD
Professor & Chair, Ophthalmology, UPMC
José-Alain Sahel, M.D., is distinguished professor and chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology, Eye & Ear Foundation Endowed Chair University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and adjunct professor of Robotics and Bioengineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh. He is an exceptional class professor of Ophthalmology at Sorbonne Université and was the founding director of The Vision Institute (Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS) Paris, France (till 31 December 2020). He headed the French National Reference Center for Rare Retinal Dystrophies and the Paris Ophthalmology Clinical Investigation Center (2006-2020), overseeing more than 80 clinical trials, some of them within the most advanced areas of biomedical technologies (retinal implants, gene therapy, stem cell therapy, optogenetics). Dr. Sahel is a clinician-scientist conducting research on vision restoration focusing on cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying retinal degeneration and development of treatments for currently untreatable retinal diseases. He co-authored over 680 peer-reviewed articles and 40 patents. He was a founder of Fovea pharmaceuticals, which became the ophthalmological division of Sanofi, and is a scientific co-founder of StreetLab (visual adaptation and rehabilitation), GenSight Biologics (gene therapy) and Pixium Vision (artificial retina), among other biotech companies. Dr. Sahel is recipient of numerous awards including the Foundation Fighting Blindness Trustee Award, Alcon Research Institute Award for Excellence in Vision Research, Grand Prix NRJ-Neurosciences-Institut de France, Foundation Fighting Blindness Llura Liggett Gund Award, Charpak-Dubousset Award, Médaille Grand Vermeil, Ville de Paris, 2021 Breakthrough in the Life Sciences - Falling Walls Foundation, Berlin, Germany. He was elected to the: Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis, Académie des Sciences-Institut de France, German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, National Academy of Technologies of France, Association of American Physicians and American Ophthalmology Society. Dr. Sahel is Honoris Causa doctorate of University of Geneva and held the Technological Innovation Chair at the Collège de France (2015-2016). He is a member of several editorial scientific advisory boards, including Science Translational Medicine.
Susan Orr, OD
Ophthalmology Biotech Leader & Board Memer
Dr. Orr has broad experience and expertise in eye care, driven largely by intellectual curiosity and a desire to help patients. Following 10 years private practice in Canada, Dr. Orr joined Alcon in roles of increasing responsibility across international clinical development, pharmacology, business development and licensing, pipeline/product strategy, and marketing. Moving to Janssen, Dr. Orr developed the therapeutic strategy for Janssen’s nascent retina team. Moving from large pharma to start-up, Dr. Orr took on the role of CMO at Notal Vision, an OCT diagnostic company, ultimately advancing to CEO. Dr. Orr joined Clarke Atwell at Claris Biotherapeutics in 2020, enticed by the robust preclinical data and wealth of knowledge surrounding the molecular pathway of their lead dHGF program. Dr. Orr is also the Board Member of Ophthea, an ophthalmology Biotech company focused on developing new treatment options for retinal diseases.
Dimitri Azar, MD MBA
Distinguished Ophthalmology Leader
Dr. Azar is an internationally recognized ophthalmic surgeon who served as Dean of the College of Medicine at University of Illinois from 2011 to 2017. He joined the faculty in 2006 as Head of the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences. Previously he was a tenured Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, Director of the Cornea Service at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Senior Scientist at Schepens Eye Institute and a faculty member at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He earned an executive MBA from University of Chicago. Dr. Azar is board certified in ophthalmology. He is a leader in basic science and clinically related vision research, making significant contributions to the treatment of corneal diseases and to advances in refractive surgery through mathematical analyses and applications of advanced optics. His basic science research on matrix metalloproteinases in corneal wound healing and angiogenesis has been continually funded by the National Eye Institute R01 award since 1993. Dr. Azar is the author of more than 400 scientific articles and book chapters. He is the editor of 14 books in ophthalmology and holds 15 patents. He has been named one of The Best Doctors in America or recognized among Castle Connolly’s Regional Top Doctors in America annually since 1994. He serves as a trustee for the Chicago Ophthalmological Society and for the Association of Research and Vision in Ophthalmology. Dr. Azar has received multiple leadership awards, including the 2009 Lans Distinguished Award and the University of Illinois at Chicago Scholar Award. Dr. Azar currently serves as the President & CEO of Twenty/Twenty Therapeutics.
Rajat N Agrawal, MD, MS
CEO at Retina Global
Dr. Rajat N. Agrawal is a distinguished ophthalmologist and retina specialist, widely recognized for his clinical expertise, extensive research contributions (including co-inventor of ARGUS-II), dedication to teaching, and a profound commitment to social causes. Dr. Agrawal's journey in the field of ophthalmology began with his medical education and residency in Nagpur and Mumbai (formerly Bombay). He subsequently embarked on a retina fellowship at Sankara Nethralaya in Chennai, India, where he later assumed a faculty role, dedicating seven years to the institute. Following this, he received an invitation to Hong Kong, where he played a vital role in teaching, training, and managing complex cases at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and other hospitals in the city. His expertise also extended to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, where he held the unique position of being the sole Retina Specialist in the country and the Caribbean region. Dr. Agrawal served as the Director of the Ophthalmology Program at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Nassau and took on the role of Residency Director for residents from Yale University Department of Ophthalmology. In 2003, Dr. Agrawal became a part of USC/Doheny Eye Institute in Los Angeles, California. Alongside clinical care and teaching, he significantly contributed to the ideation, research, and development of ARGUS-II. His involvement included devising the surgical procedure for the implantation process and overseeing the subsequent clinical trials conducted in six centers in the United States and four in Europe. Notably, ARGUS-II currently stands as the sole approved treatment for advanced retinitis pigmentosa in the United States and Europe. Dr. Agrawal also works with the industry in the field of ophthalmology, helping companies with clinical development and operations, medical affairs, regulatory strategy, marketing and commercial plans, etc. He holds a Masters degree in Regulatory Sciences from USC. Dr. Agrawal's leadership extends to his role as the President and CEO of Retina Global, where he continues to make a profound impact on the field of ophthalmology and the global fight against blindness.
