Ahmara G. Ross, MD, PhD

Description

Dr. Ross is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Neurology who completed ophthalmology residency at the University of Pittsburgh then fellowships in Neuro-ophthalmology and Glaucoma at the Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania. She also has a PhD from Thomas Jefferson University. In addition to caring for patients with both glaucoma and neuro-ophthalmologic disorders, she also performs ocular surgery ranging from cataracts, minimally invasive, and incisional glaucoma surgery. Dr. Ross diagnoses, treats, and manages optic neuropathies beyond the spectrum of glaucoma, but views this disease as another neuro-degenerative disease in need for sight changing therapy. Her interests and professional strengths go beyond basic science research with a clinical approach also aimed at addressing socio-economic barriers to the treatment of healthcare. She joined the faculty in 2017 and is currently funded by an NIH K08 Career Development award to investigate the neuroprotective potential of gene therapy directed at retinal ganglion cells and neighboring support cells to treat chronic glaucoma. She is also collaborating on similar research using gene therapy to treat other mouse models of optic neuropathy such as trauma, compression, and inflammation.