News Release: Emory Healthcare, Research, School of Medicine

May 11,  2009

Michael Iuvone Joins Emory Eye Center as Director of Research

News Article ImageP. Michael Iuvone, PhD

P. Michael Iuvone, PhD, professor, Department of Pharmacology, Emory University School of Medicine, will serve as director of research at Emory Eye Center, effective Sept. 1, 2009. Iuvone will take the lead role in vision research at the Emory Eye Center and continue the national reputation of scientific excellence that Henry F. Edelhauser, MD, has cultivated over the past two decades.

Iuvone, originally from New York, received his BS in Psychology at the University of Florida. He completed his graduate work there, earning his doctorate in Neurosciences. His post-doctoral experience was conducted at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). He came to Emory in 1978, serving in the Pharmacology Department and was promoted to full professor in 1990. Dr. Iuvone has held a joint appointment in ophthalmology since 1980.

“Dr. Iuvone has an outstanding academic record in vision research,” says Timothy W. Olsen, the F. Phinizy Calhoun Sr. Professor and director, Emory Eye Center. “He is a thought leader in retina and cell biology and is world-renowned for his work in circadian rhythms, with an emphasis at the basic level on neuromodulation and cell signaling in the neurosensory retina.

“Dr. Iuvone clearly has the respect and admiration of our basic scientists as well as our clinicians,” he continues. “We are thrilled he is joining us. We anticipate his leading Emory Eye Center’s research efforts to new heights.”

Iuvone served as scientific program planner at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) for many years and currently is on the program planning committee for the biannual meeting of the International Society of Eye Research. He also served on an NIH grant review study section for six years, as ad hoc reviewer for seven years, and as an editorial board member of five distinguished journals, including the Journal of Neurochemistry, Experimental Eye Research and Molecular Vision.  He was named a Fellow of ARVO at the society’s 2009 annual meeting, along with three other Emory Eye Center faculty members, Drs. Henry Edelhauser, John Nickerson and Hans Grossniklaus.

Dr. Iuvone currently serves as principal investigator on a NIH grant that deals with retinal function, which provides basic science information relevant to eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.  He is a co-investigator on several other NIH grants dealing with myopia, ocular melanoma, and circadian rhythms in health and disease. His publications include more than 140 articles published in peer-reviewed literature.  He also holds two U.S. patents that deal with the pharmacological treatment of ocular development. At Emory, he has served on 13 separate university committees. His teaching service at Emory includes mentoring seven graduate students and 11 postdoctoral fellows and directing several graduate courses.  

He holds memberships in the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, among others. He is a sought-after speaker on retinal function.

The Department of Ophthalmology and Emory Eye Center have a mission to conduct pioneering research into blinding eye diseases, to educate and train eye professionals, and to provide excellent patient care. The Department includes 35 ophthalmologists, seven optometrists, nine basic scientists, 11 post-doctoral fellows, and nine researchers in other Emory departments who hold joint appointments in the Department of Ophthalmology. Ophthalmology research is supported by $6 million in NIH funding. The Department remains in the top rankings (#9 – 2008) by U.S. News & World Report for the 12 years the magazine has held a ranking for Ophthalmology. It also ranks in the Top Ten in all four categories surveyed by Ophthalmology Times annual report.

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The Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center of Emory University is an academic health science and service center focused on missions of teaching, research, health care and public service. Its components include schools of medicine, nursing, and public health; Yerkes National Primate Research Center; the Emory Winship Cancer Institute; and Emory Healthcare, the largest, most comprehensive health system in Georgia. The Woodruff Health Sciences Center has a $2.3 billion budget, 17,000 employees, 2,300 full-time and 1,900 affiliated faculty, 4,300 students and trainees, and a $4.9 billion economic impact on metro Atlanta.

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