Thomas Mendel, MD, PHD
Assistant Professor
Ophthalmology
Academic contact
Academic information
- Department: Ophthalmology
Research interests
- Gene Therapy
- Inherited Retinal Diseases
About
Biography
I am a retina surgeon scientist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, where I serve as an assistant professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences in The Ohio State University College of Medicine.
I also direct a research team and translational laboratory to pioneer new gene therapy approaches for my many inherited retinal disease patients. I was trained in Luxturna therapy and saw first-hand the impact of restorative gene therapy. With that in mind, I founded my laboratory to extend the early success of Luxturna to other inherited retinal diseases. My particular research features a combination of novel surgical and molecular approaches and is carried out within the Ohio State University Gene Therapy Institute, which is comprised of an experienced interdisciplinary team of gene therapy investigators whose expertise ranges from neurosurgery to biomedical engineering.
Gene therapy research with Tom Mendel, MD, PhD | Ohio State College of Medicine
Credentials
Education
- Fellowship - Pediatric Medical and Surgical Retina
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University of Michigan Hospitals, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
8/2/2021 - 12/23/2021 - Fellowship - Vitreoretinal surgery/Ophthalmology
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Cole Eye Institute/Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, United States
7/1/2019 - 7/9/2021 - Residency - Ophthalmology
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Vanderbilt Eye Institute, Nashville, TN, United States
7/1/2016 - 6/30/2019 - Internship - Surgery (General Surgery)
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University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
7/1/2015 - 6/30/2016 - Doctor of Philosophy
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University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States
8/1/2006 - 5/18/2014 - Doctor of Medicine (MD)
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University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States
8/1/2006 - 5/20/2015
Certification
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American Board of Ophthalmology
10/22/2022
Research
Research interests
- Gene Therapy
- Inherited Retinal Diseases
Awards and Honors
- Foundation Fighting Blindness Career Development Award for 8/1/2024 - 7/31/2029
- ARVO Travel Grant – 2020 – OCTA project for diabetic intraretinal microvascular abnormalities presentation at annual meeting. The Lefkovitz Award for Vision Research – won competitive grant application for project entitled: Use of Optical Coherence
- Tomography Angiography to Guide Evaluation and Treatment of Patients with Birdshot Chorioretinopathy, 2018. Representative to American Academy of Ophthalmology Mid-Year Forum in Washington D.C. – selected to represent residency as Advocacy Ambassador and later worked on scope of practice battle in Virginia, 2017.
- Selected as the representative of the University’s Biomedical Research to speak at Teresa Sullivan’s Inaugural Dinner as she became the University of Virginia’s eighth President, for audience of major University donors, 2011
- Phi Eta Sigma – National Honor Fraternity – 2003
- Makley-Battles Teaching Award for Resident Education 2025
- National Eye Institute (NIH) K08 Award - Insulin-accelerated surgical approach to pre-retinal gene therapy 2025-2030