Vision Scientist Joins Dean McGee Eye Institute Research Team
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Dean McGee Eye Institute (DMEI) today announced the appointment of vision researcher Darren J. Lee, Ph.D., to its basic science research faculty as Assistant Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Oklahoma’s (OU’s) College of Medicine.
Dr. Lee is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Project Grant (R01)-funded vision researcher who comes to the Dean McGee Eye Institute from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) with a primary research interest in ocular inflammation (uveitis). He served as an instructor at BUSM after completing his post-doctoral training there and at the Schepens Eye Research Institute and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.
Dr. Lee’s R01-funded research focuses on a model of experimental autoimmune uveitis. Uveitis is inflammation of the uvea, or pigmented layer of the eye between the inner retina and outer layers of the sclera and cornea.
“Dr. Lee’s credentials as a gifted vision scientist bring new depth to ideas and potential discoveries for our internationally respected research team at the Institute,” said Gregory L. Skuta, MD, DMEI President and CEO and Edward L. Gaylord Professor and Chair of the OU Department of Ophthalmology. “Dr. Lee’s broad academic background makes him an ideal fit for the unique blend of collaborative and translational research underway at the Dean McGee Eye Institute and at the OU Health Sciences Center.”
Dr. Lee earned his Bachelor of Science degree in genetics from the University of California, Davis. He completed his Ph.D. in genetics at the University of New Hampshire and also served as adjunct faculty as a microbiology instructor at New Hampshire Community Technical College before going to Boston for his post-doctoral training.
About the Dean McGee Eye Institute
The Dean McGee Eye Institute is dedicated to serving all Oklahomans and the global community through excellence and leadership in patient care, education and vision research. It is one of the largest and most respected centers for medical and surgical eye care in the United States and houses the Department of Ophthalmology for the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. Its research and training programs are among the most highly regarded in the country. Twenty-two of the Institute’s ophthalmologists are listed in the Best Doctors in America and/or Castle Connolly’s Top Doctors; its Director of Vision Research is a Past President of the International Society for Eye Research, Past Vice President of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) and a recipient of ARVO’s prestigious Proctor Medal; two members of the faculty are recent or current directors of the American Board of Ophthalmology; three serve or have recently served on the Board of Trustees of the American Academy of Ophthalmology; one is Vice Chair of the Residency Review Committee in Ophthalmology for the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education; and one is the Immediate Past President of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and a Past President of the American Glaucoma Society. For more information, visit www.dmei.org.
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