Mary Whitman

Mary Whitman, M.D., Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School and a pediatric ophthalmologist at Boston Children's Hospital. She combines clinical expertise in strabismus surgery with research on ocular motor nerve development and genetic disorders of eye movement. Her NIH-funded investigations focus on congenital cranial dysinnervation disorders using genomic sequencing and developmental models.

Dr. Whitman's research examines molecular mechanisms of axon guidance in oculomotor nerves, with applications to paralytic strabismus conditions like Congenital Fibrosis of Extraocular Muscles (CFEOM). She developed innovative ex vivo oculomotor slice cultures for real-time nerve imaging.

Awards:

• Harvard Vision Clinical Scientist Development Program Scholar
• K08 Research Award

She mentors trainees at all levels and serves as Precision Medicine Expert for Ophthalmology at Boston Children's Hospital. Dr. Whitman teaches in Harvard's 'Molecular Mechanisms of Eye Disease' course and clinical training programs.