Seenu Hariprasad Named Chair of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at the University of Chicago

Seenu M. Hariprasad, MD, the Shui-Chin Lee Professor of Ophthalmology, will be appointed Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at the University of Chicago, effective July 1, 2023. He has been serving as Interim Chair since 2020. 

Hariprasad is an internationally recognized vitreoretinal surgeon who originally joined UChicago in 2005. Over the course of his career, he has developed a strong track record as a clinician, surgeon, researcher, educator and leader in his department. He is a leading specialist in various vitreoretinal disorders, including macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease, intraocular infection and retinal vein occlusions. He has implemented more effective and efficient sutureless microincisional vitrectomy techniques at the medical center, and his clinical research has contributed to the understanding and use of new medications to combat a wide variety of vitreoretinal disorders. 

Hariprasad has served as an investigator in more than 45 national and international retina clinical trials evaluating various medications, sustained drug-delivery devices and surgical innovations. His work has led to over 300 peer-reviewed publications, meeting abstracts and textbook chapters, including Management of Retinal Vein Occlusion: Current Concepts, one of only a small number of textbooks dedicated to this disease. 

In addition to his clinical and research activities, Hariprasad has been an active contributor to his field, serving as an Executive Editor of the American Journal of Ophthalmology. He has received numerous honors, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award, the American Society of Retina Specialists Senior Honor Achievement and Crystal Apple Awards, the J. Donald Gass, MD, Beacon of Sight Award, the Baylor College of Medicine James Key Award, Becker’s 135 Leading Ophthalmologists in America, and the Retina Congress of India Gold Medal.  Ophthalmology Retina, an American Academy of Ophthalmology journal, listed his research as one of the “100 Most Cited Articles on Vitrectomy from 1971 to 2018.” He is also included in the Retina Hall of Fame and has been named consistently as a top doctor in publications such as US News & World Report and Chicago magazine.