Expertscape Recognizes UPMC Vision Institute Faculty

Expertscape, an online resource for biomedical information and leading physicians in various disciplines, has named four UPMC Vision Institute faculty members as world experts in their subspecialties. According to its website, Expertscape determines expertise based solely on a physician’s scientific publications; those who rank in the top 0.1% of all published authors on a topic are termed world experts.

José-Alain Sahel, MD, chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and director of the UPMC Vision Institute, was named in the retina and retinitis pigmentosa categories. Dr. Sahel has spent his career in pursuit of new and better therapies to preserve and restore vision, from corrective gene therapy to neuroprotection, optogenetics, stem cells, prosthetic vision restoration, novel methods to assess visual impairment, and the impact of these therapies on daily life for patients.

Ken Nischal, MD, professor of ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, was named in the corneal opacity category. Dr. Nischal serves as medical director for digital health and chief of the Division of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, assistant medical director of UPMC International Medicine, and executive vice chair and vice chair of quality at the UPMC Vision Institute. Dr. Nischal is a pioneer in pediatric corneal transplant, with clinical research interests in anterior segment developmental anomalies affecting the cornea, lens, and trabecular meshwork, the main pathway for drainage of aqueous humor from the eye.

Vishal Jhanji, MD, professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, was named in the cornea category. Dr. Jhanji directs the cornea service and serves as vice chair for quality and co-director of clinical trials at the UPMC Vision Institute. He is also clinical co-director of the Funderburgh Cornea Regeneration Project at the University of Pittsburgh, which examines ways to repair scarred corneal tissue. Dr. Jhanji’s research interests include complex ocular surface disorders like graft-versus-host disease, Stevens Johnson syndrome, and cicatricial disorders, keratoconus, corneal infections, corneal transplantation, and corneal imaging.

Jay Chhablani, MD, professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, was named in the retina category. Dr. Chhablani is a retina and vitreoretinal surgeon and serves as director of clinical research at the UPMC Vision Institute. He established the choroid analysis and research (CAR) lab at the University of Pittsburgh to focus on computational and biological research of the choroid, the thin layer of tissue in the middle layer of the wall of the eye that is filled with blood vessels and supplies oxygen and nutrients to the eye. Dr. Chhablani’s research centers on macular disorders, artificial intelligence, automated retinal image analysis, and advanced imaging techniques.