Emily W. Gower

Dr. Emily W. Gower is an Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina’s Gillings School of Global Public Health. Her research focuses on improving surgical outcomes for trachomatous trichiasis (a leading cause of infectious blindness) and enhancing access to eye care in marginalized populations. She leads global clinical trials, including a major study in Ethiopia evaluating trichiasis surgery techniques. Her work also incorporates innovative surgical simulation training for low-resource settings.

Education:

• PhD in Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (2002)
• BA in Economics and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania (1994)

Research Interests:

Dr. Gower’s research spans global health, ocular epidemiology, and health equity. Key areas include:

• Optimizing trichiasis surgery techniques and training
• Analyses of large healthcare databases to assess eye care utilization
• Diabetic retinopathy epidemiology
• Postoperative trichiasis recurrence prevention

Publications:

Her articles address critical topics such as:

• Trichiasis surgery outcomes in Ethiopia
• Endophthalmitis risks post-cataract surgery
• Barriers to eye care access in vulnerable populations
• Innovations in surgical simulation for eyelid repair

Labs/Teams:

She leads an international team developing low-cost surgical simulators to improve trichiasis surgery training. Her work aligns with global trachoma elimination efforts and WHO health equity goals.