Pedram Hamrah, MD, FACS

Dr. Pedram Hamrah is a clinician/scientist who has focused his research activities on neuropathic corneal pain and inflammatory corneal diseases, including dry eye disease. Dr. Hamrah trained in Ocular and Transplantation Immunology at Schepens Eye Research Institute and in Corneal and External Diseases at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School. There, he participated in research studies that resulted in findings that refuted a previous long-standing belief that the cornea is immune privileged due to the absence of bone marrow-derived cells and due to antigenic sequestration, and subsequently resulted in a paradigm shift in corneal immunology. His clinical research utilizing in vivo confocal microscopy for patient with corneal neuropathic pain has demonstrated specific findings in these patients that has aided in diagnosis of this disease. He has extensive experience treating patients with neuropathic corneal pain and has demonstrated the success and efficacy of autologous serum tears in these patients. More recently, he has developed an ocular pain specific questionnaire that allows for assessment and monitoring of patients’ symptoms.

Dr. Hamrah's research has been supported by the NIH K12 Harvard-Vision Clinical Scientist Development Program, a K08 individual award, and individual R01and R21 grants from the National Eye Institute, a Career Development grant from Research to Prevent Blindness, and his appointment as the inaugural Henry Allen Cornea Scholar at MEEI. He has authored close to 80 peer-reviewed articles, over 35 reviews and book chapters, and has given more than 70 lectures and presentations worldwide. He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Claes Dohlman Society Award, the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Excellence in Research Scholarship Award, and the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology/Research to Prevent Blindness Resident and Fellow Research Award, the Achievement Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Clinical Research Award from the European Association for Vision and Eye Research, and was most recently awarded Silver Fellow at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmolgy.

Dr. Hamrah currently serves as the Section Editor for Clinical Science and Clinical Practice of the journal The Ocular Surface, Cornea Section Editor of the journal Eye, Assistant Editor of the journal Ocular Immunology and Inflammation, and Ophthalmology Associate Editor for BMC Ophthalmology. He serves on numerous additional editorial boards and is a peer reviewer for over 50 ophthalmology, immunology and transplantation journals. He is an Instructor at the American Academy of Ophthalmology, served as Chair of the ARVO Members-in-Training Committee, as well as on the Professional Development and Education and Ethics and Regulation in Human Research Committees at ARVO.