VVRC Welcomes Dr. Edward Chaum!

The Vanderbilt Vision Research Center would like to take this opportunity to officially welcome Dr. Edward Chaum to our faculty.  As the former Plough Foundation Professor of Retinal Diseases (emeritus) at the University of Tennessee Hamilton Eye Institute, and the inaugural Margy Ann and J. Donald M. Gass Chair, Professor of Ophthalmology at the Vanderbilt Eye Institute, Dr. Chaum brings over 25 years of diverse clinical, research, and mentorship expertise to a broad range of investigations including; the cellular and molecular biology of the retina, treatments for age-related macular degeneration, electrochemical biosensors, point-of-care diagnostics and bioengineering, the development of novel surgical biomaterials and nanofabrication techniques, and clinical trials medicine. Trained as a molecular biologist, his work over the past decade has been focused on innovating and building research collaborations at the interface between engineering and medicine, between the lab and his patients in the clinic, to translate engineering concepts into transformative clinical care and launch new clinical paradigms to improve ocular health.

For the past 20 years Dr. Chaum’s laboratory has supported a robust portfolio of grants focused on understanding the molecular genetics and diagnostics of retinal disease, drug trials for eye disease, novel nanoplatforms for research and discovery, and clinical outcomes including national clinical trials. Their work has been supported by NIH, DOD, HRSA, USDA, other federal agencies, and private philanthropies. Over the past decade he has successfully translated diverse innovative concepts into new research tools and clinical medicine through robust, multidisciplinary research collaborations across the state of Tennessee, nationally, and internationally. These collaborations have generated numerous national awards for technological innovation, including an R&D100 Award, American Telemedicine Association Innovation Award, Memphis Business Quarterly, Inaugural 2013 Innovation Award, the B. Otto Wheeley Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer, and others. His lab focuses on translating engineering concepts into novel clinical paradigms with significant entrepreneurial success, leveraging them into commercial ventures and startup companies.

We are excited that Dr. Chaum will be a part of the growing VVRC faculty and for the strides his lab will be making in the vision research here at Vanderbilt.  Welcome Dr. Edward Chaum!