Dr. Joel S. Schuman, MD
Ophthalmologist
840 Walnut St Suite 1110 Philadelphia PA, 19107About
Joel S. Schuman, MD, FACS is Professor of Ophthalmology, the Kenneth L. Roper Endowed Chair, Vice Chair for Research Innovation and Co-Director of the Glaucoma Service at Wills Eye Hospital. Prior to this he was the Elaine Langone Professor of Ophthalmology and Professor of Neuroscience & Physiology at NYU Langone Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine; Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Electrical & Computer Engineering at NYU Tandon School of Engineering and Professor of Neural Science in the Center for Neural Science at NYU College of Arts and Sciences. He chaired the ophthalmology department at NYU Langone Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine 2016-2020, and was Vice Chair for Ophthalmology Research in the department 2020-2022. Prior to arriving at NYU in 2016, he was Distinguished Professor and Chairman of Ophthalmology, Eye and Ear Foundation Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology, Director of UPMC Eye Center (2003-2016) and before that was at Tufts University 1991-2003, where he was Residency Director (1991-1999) and Glaucoma and Cataract Service Chief (1991-2003). In 1998 he became Professor of Ophthalmology, and Vice Chair in 2001.
Dr. Schuman and his colleagues were first to identify a molecular marker for human glaucoma, published in Nature Medicine in 2001. Continuously funded by the National Eye Institute as a principal investigator since 1995, he is an inventor of optical coherence tomography (OCT), used world-wide for ocular diagnostics. Dr. Schuman has published more than 450 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles.
In 2002 he received the Alcon Research Institute Award and the Lewis Rudin Glaucoma Prize, in 2006 the ARVO Translational Research Award, and in 2012 the Carnegie Science Center Award as well as sharing the Champalimaud Award (a 1 million Euro cash prize). He was elected to the American Ophthalmological Society in 2008. In 2011 Dr. Schuman was the Clinician-Scientist Lecturer of the American Glaucoma Society. In 2013 he gave the Robert N. Shaffer Lecture at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Annual Meeting and received the AAO Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014 he became a Gold Fellow of ARVO and he received a Special Recognition Award from the AAO in 2015. He was elected to the American Association of Physicians and also received the Fight for Sight Physician/Scientist Award in 2016. In 2017 he received the Leslie Dana Gold Medal. In 2018 Dr. Schuman was the AGS Lecturer and received the Fight for Sight Alumni Achievement Award. In 2019 he was given the BrightFocus Scientific Impact Award, and in 2021 the Eye Foundation of America Robert Murphy Visionary Award. In 2022 he received the USC Keck Roski Eye Institute Laureate Award and the Pittsburgh Eye and Ear Foundation Muse Award. He is named in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in Medical Sciences Education, America’s Top Doctors and Best Doctors in America.
Dr. Joel S. Schuman, MD's Videos
Education and Training
Columbia University BA Psychology 0
Mt Sinai Sch of Med of The City Univ of Ny, New York Ny 1984
Board Certification
American Board of Ophthalmology- Certified in Ophthalmology
Provider Details
Expert Publications
Data provided by the National Library of Medicine- Advances in laser sclerectomy.
- Laser iridectomy--1992.
- Laser trabeculoplasty.
- Malignant glaucoma: theory and therapy, from past to present.
- Sialyl Lewis X, Lewis X, and N-acetyllactosamine expression on normal and glaucomatous eyes.
- A malignant glaucoma-like syndrome following pars plana vitrectomy.
- In vitro flow properties of glaucoma implant devices.
- Antiglaucoma medications: a review of safety and tolerability issues related to their use.
- Effects of systemic beta-blocker therapy on the efficacy and safety of topical brimonidine and timolol. Brimonidine Study Groups 1 and 2.
- Developments in laser trabeculoplasty.
- Subconjunctival cephalosporin anaphylaxis.
- Activation of a tissue-specific stress response in the aqueous outflow pathway of the eye defines the glaucoma disease phenotype.
- Ultrahigh-resolution ophthalmic optical coherence tomography.
- Reactivation of herpes simplex virus keratitis after initiating bimatoprost treatment for glaucoma.
- Optical coherence tomography measurement of nerve fiber layer thickness and the likelihood of a visual field defect.
Areas of expertise and specialization
Faculty Titles & Positions
- Vice Chair for Research Innovation, Kenneth L. Roper Endowed Chair & Co-Director of the Glaucoma Service Wills Eye Hospital and the Vickie and Jack Farber Vision Research Center -
- Elaine Langone Professor NYU Grossman School of Medicine -
- Vice Chair for Research Department of Ophthalmology at NYU Langone Medical Center -
- Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Electrical & Computer Engineering NYU Tandon School of Engineering -
- Professor of Neural Science Center for Neural Science at NYU College of Arts and Sciences -
- Chair Department of Ophthalmology at NYU Langone Health and NYU Grossman School of Medicine 2016 - 2020
- Vice Chair Ophthalmology Research in the Department 2020 - 2022
- Distinguished Professor and Chairman of Ophthalmology, Eye and Ear Foundation Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology, Director UPMC Eye Center 2003 - 2016
- Residency Director Tufts University 1991 - 1999
- Glaucoma and Cataract Service Chief Tufts University 1991 - 2003
- Professor of Ophthalmology Tufts University 1998 -
- Vice Chair Tufts University 2001 - 2003
- Professor of Ophthalmology Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University -
Awards
- Muse Award 2022 Pittsburgh Eye and Ear Foundation
- Laureate Award 2022 USC Keck Roski Eye Institute
- Robert Murphy Visionary Award 2021 Eye Foundation of America
- Scientific Impact Award 2019 BrightFocus
- Achievement Award 2018 Fight for Sight Alumni
- Innovator Award 2017 American Glaucoma Society
- Honor Award 1995 American Academy Ophthalmology
- Physician/Scientist Award 2016 Fight for Sight
- Alcon Research Institute Award 2002
- Lewis Rudin Glaucoma Prize 2002
- ARVO Translational Research Award 2006
- Carnegie Science Center Award 2012
- Champalimaud Award Year
- AAO Lifetime Achievement Award 2013
- Special Recognition Award 2015 AAO
- Fight for Sight Physician/Scientist Award 2016
- Leslie Dana Gold Medal 2017
- American Glaucoma Society Innovator Award 2017
- Fight for Sight Alumni Achievement Award 2018
- BrightFocus Scientific Impact Award 2019
- Pittsburgh Eye and Ear Foundation Muse Award 2022
Treatments
- Glaucoma, Anterior Segment Eye Disorders
Professional Memberships
- Fellow of the American College of Surgeons
- Fellow American Academy of Ophthalmology
Fellowships
- Mass Eye & Ear Infirmary, Glaucoma 1988
- Mass Eye & Ear Infirmary, Ophthalmic Research 1989
Internships
- Beth Israel Medical Center-Petrie Campus
Fellowships
- Mass Eye & Ear Infirmary, Glaucoma1988/ Mass Eye & Ear Infirmary, Ophthalmic Research1989
Professional Society Memberships
- American Academy of Ophthalmology
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Get to know Ophthalmologist Dr. Joel S. Schuman, who serves patients in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Schuman is an internationally-renowned glaucoma clinician-scientist. He is a pioneer in the field of ophthalmology, lauded for his research, discoveries, inventions, and compassionate patient care over the course of his more than 30-year career.
In 2001, he and his colleagues were the first to identify a molecular marker for human glaucoma. In 1991, he was part of the team that invented optical coherence tomography (OCT) technology, which provides quick, non-invasive, high resolution 3D mapping of the eye and has become an essential tool for the detection and treatment of diseases including glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy. Today, more than 60,000 of these machines are used every day across the globe.
Joining Wills Eye Hospital and the Vickie and Jack Farber Vision Research Center, Dr. Schuman is Vice Chair for Research Innovation, Kenneth L. Roper Endowed Chair & Co-Director of the Glaucoma Service. His areas of interest include early detection of disease and its progression, focusing on the invention and investigation of novel diagnostics for eye disease, most specifically for glaucoma.
Prior to this, he was the Elaine Langone Professor at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Ophthalmology at NYU Langone Medical Center, Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Electrical & Computer Engineering at NYU Tandon School of Engineering, and Professor of Neural Science in the Center for Neural Science at NYU College of Arts and Sciences. He also chaired the Department of Ophthalmology at NYU Langone Health and NYU Grossman School of Medicine from 2016 to 2020 and was Vice Chair for Ophthalmology Research in the Department from 2020 to 2022.
A native of Roslyn, New York, Dr. Schuman received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Columbia University and his medical degree from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. After completing his internship year at Beth Israel Medical Center, he went on to do his residency in ophthalmology at the Medical College of Virginia and a glaucoma fellowship at Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary.
His first study of vision actually began during his undergraduate studies at Columbia University in what was then known as psychology but would today be categorized as neuroscience. He was motivated by parallels drawn to visual perception in his arts and humanities coursework at Columbia. The notions of “how we see what we see” and “how we perceive the world” were central to his choice of ophthalmology.
Dedicated to the highest standard of surgical excellence, Dr. Schuman is a Diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
Prior to arriving at NYU in 2016, he was Distinguished Professor and Chairman of Ophthalmology, Eye and Ear Foundation Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology, Director of UPMC Eye Center (2003-2016). Before that, he was at Tufts University from 1991-2003, where he was Residency Director (1991-1999), Glaucoma and Cataract Service Chief (1991-2003), Professor of Ophthalmology (1998), and Vice Chair (2001-2003).
Teaching medical students, Dr. Schuman serves as a Professor of Ophthalmology at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University.
Ophthalmology is a branch of medicine and surgery, which deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. Ophthalmologists are experts in the diseases, functions, and anatomy of the eye. Ophthalmologists are also surgeons. They repair traumatic injuries to the eye and may perform cataract, glaucoma, and corneal surgery.
The desire to understand more deeply and to find new and better ways to care for patients are the driving forces behind the work Dr. Schuman does in his clinical care and research. He is currently working on research projects including stem cell treatment, artificial intelligence for imaging technology improvement, and novel diagnostics.
Among his remarkable accomplishments are 22 patents, dozens of awards and recognitions, and contributions to more than 450 peer-reviewed publications.
Named in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in Medical Sciences Education, America’s Top Doctors and Best Doctors in America, Dr. Schuman received the Alcon Research Institute Award and the Lewis Rudin Glaucoma Prize in 2002, the ARVO Translational Research Award in 2006, the Carnegie Science Center Award in 2012 and sharing the Champalimaud Award (a 1 million Euro cash prize), the AAO Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013, the Special Recognition Award from the AAO in 2015, the Fight for Sight Physician/Scientist Award in 2016, the Leslie Dana Gold Medal in 2017, the American Glaucoma Society Innovator Award in 2017, the Fight for Sight Alumni Achievement Award in 2018, the BrightFocus Scientific Impact Award in 2019, the Eye Foundation of America Robert Murphy Visionary Award in 2021, the USC Keck Roski Eye Institute Laureate Award in 2022, and the Pittsburgh Eye and Ear Foundation Muse Award in 2022.
Happily married, he and his wife, Carole, have three children – Alexandra, in business; Eric, a filmmaker; and Ari, a physician.
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