Invited Speakers of the Advanced Ophthalmology Insights Day
William A. Beltran
DVM, PhD, DECVO
AOI: Drug delivery to the back of the eye: Do all routes lead to the retina?
Corinne R. and Henry Bower Endowed Professor of Ophthalmology
Dr Beltran is a clinician-scientist at the School of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania. The research conducted over the past 20 years in his laboratory has focused on characterizing canine models of IRD and evaluating novel treatment modalities such as corrective gene therapy, neuroprotective agents, as well as cell-based therapies for vision restoration. As Director of the PennVet Division of Experimental Retinal Therapies (www.vet.upenn.edu/ExpeRTs), he regularly collaborates with academic investigators as well as biotech/pharmaceutical companies on preclinical projects aimed at characterizing new large/canine models and/or evaluating the efficacy and safety of novel retinal therapeutics. He is an elected member of the US National Academy of Medicine, The American Association for the advancement of Science and the Académie Vétérinaire de France.
Dr Ronette Gehring
AOI:Â Rational and Responsible Ocular Pharmacotherapy: Where Pharmacology meets Veterinary Ophthalmology
Ronette Gehring is Professor of Veterinary Pharmacotherapy and Pharmacy at Utrecht University. A veterinarian by training, she previously held academic positions in South Africa and the United States before joining Utrecht in 2017. Her research focuses on quantitative and comparative pharmacology, using computational models to understand species differences in drug behaviour and to improve translation from laboratory to clinical settings. She is a Diplomate of both the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, has authored over 100 scientific publications, and is a regular speaker at international veterinary and pharmacology meetings.
Dr Brian Gilger
AOI: Recent innovations in drug delivery to the ocular anterior segment
Dr Gilger is a Professor of Ophthalmology at NC State University, board-certified in Veterinary Ophthalmology and Toxicology, and an ARVO Gold Fellow and Trustee. He is a distinguished alumnus of Ohio State and Auburn Universities. He received the AVMA Clinical Research Award and the Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal, NCSU’s highest academic honor. He is an Associate Editor for Veterinary Ophthalmology and is on the editorial board for Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics. His research focuses on ocular drug delivery, immunomodulation, and innovative therapies for eye diseases. He has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications, 350 abstracts, and five editions of Equine Ophthalmology.
Dr András Komáromy
AOI: Future directions in glaucoma therapy
Dr András Komáromy is a Professor of Comparative Ophthalmology at Michigan State University (MSU). He received his veterinary degree from the University of Zurich (Switzerland). Following his internship in small animal medicine and surgery at MSU, he performed his PhD graduate work (glaucoma) and clinical residency in comparative ophthalmology at the University of Florida. Dr. Komáromy is a Diplomate of the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO and ECVO) and a Gold Fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). He was President of the ACVO and is the current Editor-in-Chief of Veterinary Ophthalmology.
Dr Lionel Sebbag
AOI: The blood-tear barrier: Clinical relevance and pharmacologic implications
Dr Lionel Sebbag earned his veterinary degree (DVM) from the National Veterinary School of Toulouse, France, followed by a rotating internship at Kansas State University and a 4-year Comparative Ophthalmology residency at the University of California, Davis (Dipl. ACVO). He then completed a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences at Iowa State University, focusing on pharmacology and ocular disease models. Dr. Sebbag is now a faculty member in Ophthalmology at the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Israel. He has published over 90 peer-reviewed manuscripts, with research centered on ocular surface disease, tear film biology, and ocular drug delivery.
Inge Slenter
MSc, PhD candidate, diplomate ECVO
AOI: Beyond antibiotics – Alternative and Adjunctive Treatment strategies in treating infected ulcerative keratitis.
Inge Slenter obtained her degree in Veterinary Medicine at Ghent University, Belgium, in 2012. After three years of general practice, she started an ophthalmology internship at Utrecht University, the Netherlands, followed by a residency training program. After successfully passing her board exam, she became a diplomate of the ECVO in 2021. She is still in academia and pursuing a PhD project focusing on alternative and adjunctive treatment options for infected ulcerative keratitis with a one-health approach.
Dr Els Broens
SOTAL: The fight against antimicrobial resistance
Els Broens was trained as a Doctor in Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht University (UU) and finished a PhD on livestock-associated MRSA in pigs in 2011. Currently, she is associate professor and Director of the Veterinary Microbiological Diagnostic Centre at UU. Her fields of expertise are clinical veterinary microbiology, antimicrobial stewardship and one health. She is an EBVS Diplomate of the European College for Veterinary Microbiology and is (co-)supervisor of several PhD-students and ECVM-residents. Together with (inter)national peers Els aims to promote diagnostic and antimicrobial stewardship by training early career scientists, by conducting research and by raising awareness among policy makers, veterinarians and other stakeholders.
