معرفی
John G. Flanagan is a Professor at the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of California, Berkeley. He served as the eighth and inaugural Dean of the school from 2014 to February 2025. Previously, he held professorships at the University of Waterloo and University of Toronto, where he directed the Glaucoma Research Unit and served as Senior Scientist at Toronto Western Hospital.
Education:
- Optometry and Vision Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, UK (1980)
- PhD, Aston University, Birmingham, UK (1985)
Research Interests: Professor Flanagan's work centers on glaucoma pathophysiology including glial cell activation, cellular models of glaucoma, and biomechanics of the lamina cribrosa. His research integrates ocular imaging, clinical psychophysics, ocular hemodynamics, and chronobiology with molecular/cellular mechanisms. He also investigates diabetic macular edema and neural aspects of spatial/temporal vision processing, bridging molecular biology with clinical applications in vision science.
Scientific Awards:
- Certificate of Merit for Research Excellence, Glaucoma Research Society of Canada
- Claire Bobier Lecture, University of Waterloo
- Springer Lecture, University of Alabama
- Glenn A Fry Award from the American Academy of Optometry
- Outstanding Performance Award, University of Waterloo (2004 and 2013)
- Institute of Medical Science Mel Silverman Mentorship Award, University of Toronto (2011)
- Dario Lorenzetti Lecture, McGill Ophthalmology (2013)
- Karen Walker-Brandreth Lecture, UC Berkeley (2015)
- Life Fellowship of the British College of Optometrists (2015)
- DSc honoris causa from Aston University (2016)
- Fellowship of Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (2016)
- President’s Award, American Optometric Association (2020)
- American Academy of Optometry Hall of Fame (2022)
- Borish Scholar, University of Indiana (2023)
Advising and Grants: Professor Flanagan has supervised 46 graduate students throughout his career. He maintained continuous federal research funding for over 34 years from MRC/CIHR/CHRP/ORF/NIH agencies, supplemented by grants from BrightFocus Foundation, Glaucoma Research Society of Canada, and Glaucoma Research Foundation. His extensive funding portfolio supports translational research bridging basic science and clinical applications.
Labs and Teams: As former Director of the Glaucoma Research Unit at Toronto Western Research Institute and Senior Scientist at Toronto Western Hospital, he led multidisciplinary teams investigating glaucoma mechanisms. A founding member of the Optometric Glaucoma Society (serving as Program Chair 2002-2007 and President 2007-2012), he currently serves on the Boards of Glaucoma Research Foundation and Optometry Giving Sight. His leadership extends to the American Glaucoma Society, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, and American Academy of Optometry where he chairs critical committees and organizes international conferences.
