School of Medicine
Showing 21-30 of 33 Results
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Stephen Smith, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsRESEARCH OVERVIEW
Dr. Smith’s primary professional interest is developing solutions for unmet clinical and surgical vitreoretinal needs. Beginning in medical school, one of his primary focuses has been improving treatment outcomes in patients with retinoblastoma (RB). During his second year in medical school Dr. Smith published a manuscript on a novel technique to reduce the risk of tumor spread following intravitreal drug delivery in patients with RB. His work summarizing published data on tumor spread following intravitreal injection therapy (IVT) for RB has resulted in multiple platform presentations at national and international meetings, including an invited lecture at ARVO 2014. The results of this study influenced the growing trend toward broader acceptance of intravitreal chemotherapy in pediatric patients with treatment-resistant retinoblastoma vitreous seeds. A primary active area of research has included studying and publishing on ocular toxicity that results from the use of intravitreal melphalan and other agents for RB. This work, and subsequent publications from leaders in the field, has led to an increased awareness of ocular toxicity caused by injecting chemotherapeutic agents into the eyes of young children. This highlighted the need for toxicity data on additional chemotherapeutic agents for local delivery. To answer this question, Dr. Smith assembled an excellent group of collaborators and consultants, including internationally known experts at Bascom Palmer, Mayo Clinic, and Emory University. As a resident he secured a highly competitive career starter grant from the Knights Templar Foundation and used that funding and the expertise of his collaborators to carry out preclinical ocular toxicity studies of combination intravitreal chemotherapy for RB. His work in RB has led to a broader recognition of the challenges facing patients with RB who receive IVT and has led to a continued search for optimal local injectable therapies for patients with this disease.
INNOVATION HIGHLIGHTS
In addition to his work in retinoblastoma, Dr. Smith has been actively involved in developing technologies to improve outcomes for patients receiving intravitreal injection therapy (IVT) for macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusions and more. IVT has become the most common procedure performed by retina specialists in the United States, with an estimated 6 million injections given in the United States alone in 2016. Dr. Smith has co-developed technology that simplifies and streamlines the IVT process, removing barriers to treatment and improving patient outcomes. His work in innovation covers pre-clinical and clinical development work, and has given him expertise in diverse subject areas including fundraising, intellectual property portfolio development, team building, and business administration. He is a co-founder of iRenix Medical, a biotechnology and medical device start-up company committed to improving vision through optimization of the IVT process.
Dr. Smith remains dedicated to helping improve and restore vision and quality of life in patients with vitreoretinal disease. He is currently involved in both medical device and pharmaceutical innovation, and serves as a mentor for the Stanford University Biodesign Innovation Course. -
Blake Marleau Snyder
Clinical Instructor, Ophthalmology
Affiliate, Ophthalmology Clinic and EducationBioBlake Marleau Snyder, MD, is a board-eligible ophthalmologist and Clinical Instructor at Stanford’s Byers Eye Institute whose work focuses on global ophthalmology, equitable access to eye care, and the prevention of avoidable blindness. He completed Stanford’s Global Ophthalmology Fellowship, in partnership with Cure Blindness, following subspecialty training in uveitis and medical cornea at UCSF and the Francis I. Proctor Foundation. He completed his ophthalmology residency at UC Davis, where he served as Chief Resident and co-authored policy work that helped advance legislation in Congress addressing corneal donation access for minority populations. At Stanford, he works with Department Chair Jeffrey L. Goldberg, MD, PhD, to pioneer an initiative examining the cataract surgery backlog and barriers to timely eye care across 25 clinical sites in 15 Northern California counties. He also consults for Orbis International, developing a comprehensive uveitis curriculum and assessment content for Cybersight, and is the founder of Vision Without Borders, an organization focused on expanding access to high-quality eye care through education, innovation, partnerships, and responsible storytelling.
Originally from Colorado, Dr. Snyder studied biochemistry and chemistry at the University of Colorado, graduating summa cum laude as the only student in his department to do so, with distinction and Phi Beta Kappa honors. He subsequently completed an Intramural Research Training Award fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, where he was introduced to ophthalmology. During medical school, he received a full presidential scholarship, was selected as one of six AOA Honor Society leaders, and received the Department of Ophthalmology Award at graduation. He later spent two years conducting international ophthalmology research as a Doris Duke/Fogarty Fellow with UCSF’s Proctor Foundation, contributing to work subsequently supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. His international work has included clinical care, research, and educational collaborations across Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
Outside medicine, Dr. Snyder carries a deep curiosity and spark for life. Inspired by his favorite book, The Alchemist, he strives to remain a student of the world, learning through travel, new cultures and languages, live music, the outdoors, and the people he meets along the way. He values relationships and partnerships in which people learn from one another, grow together, and create more than they could alone. A Colorado native, he also finds joy in skiing, biking, and hiking. -
Brian Soetikno
Affiliate, Ophthalmology Clinic and Education
BioBrian Soetikno grew up in Union City, CA. He received his BS in Biomedical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, MO, where he studied biomedical optics under the mentorship of Lihong Wang, PhD. In the summer of 2013, he entered the Medical Scientist (MD/PhD) Training Program at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL. He completed a PhD in Biomedical Engineering in 2018 under the combined mentorship of Amani Fawzi, MD and Hao Zhang, PhD, which focused on retinal imaging. Specifically, his dissertation described advances in functional optical coherence tomography (OCT), including retinal oximetry with visible-light OCT and OCT angiography. He graduated with his MD in 2020 and joined the Stanford Ophthalmology Advance Research (SOAR) residency. Brian aspires to ultimately pursue a career in academic ophthalmology, where he hopes to combine his passion for engineering, innovation, and ocular surgery.
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Gayathri Srinivasan OD, MS
Clinical Associate Professor, Ophthalmology
BioDr. Srinivasan is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at Stanford University. Her clinical focus is on the management of amblyopia, strabismus, childhood refractive errors, and concussion-related vision disorders in children and adults. Dr. Srinivasan's research interests are amblyopia, strabismus, and concussion-related vision disorders. She serves as co-Investigator in ongoing clinical trials through the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group (PEDIG), funded by the NIH, and chairs the Pediatrics and Strabismus subgroup within the Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI) network.
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Creed Stary
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine (MSD) and, by courtesy, of Ophthalmology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMechanisms promoting neuronal survival following cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury; utilizing microRNA's to target multiple pathways to promote mitochondrial homeostasis and cell survival; anesthetic neurotoxicity; astrocyte-neuronal interaction
