Iris S. Kassem, MD, PhD

Dr. Iris Kassem was born and raised in Queens, New York. She earned her Bachelor of Science in physiology with honors at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. She then attended the combined MD/PhD Medical Scientist Training Program at the SUNY Health Science Center at Stony Brook. After completing her internship in internal medicine, Dr. Kassem completed her ophthalmology residency at the hospital where she was born at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System. She subsequently undertook a pediatric ophthalmology and adult strabismus fellowship at the University of Illinois at Chicago Eye and Ear Infirmary, where she stayed on as faculty for four years after fellowship. She joined the faculty at the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2015.

Dr. Kassem met and married her husband while they attended the same MD/PhD program. They have two young boys who love sports, including hockey, long-distance running, and tennis.

General Interests

Inflammation and Scarring After Pediatric Intraocular Surgery, Ocular Findings of Fabry Disease, Retinopathy of Prematurity

Education

Doctor of Medicine - Stony Brook University Medical Center - Stony Brook, NY (2006)
Postgraduate Training
Residency in Ophthalmology - North Shore University Hospital - Great Neck, NY (2010)
Fellowship in Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus - University of Illinois - Chicago (2011)

In children, achieving optimal visual potential after intraocular surgery is more difficult than adults because there is a higher incidence of complications from inflammation and scarring. Postoperative complications in children increase the risk of irreversible decreased vision from amblyopia. As a clinician-scientist, my long-term goal is to improve visual outcomes in children after intraocular surgery. Improving postoperative care in patients, especially children who are at risk of permanently reduced vision from amblyopia, can have a lifelong impact of improved visual outcomes.

The central hypothesis is that children have intrinsic differences in the response to intraocular surgery that result in more inflammation and scarring compared to adults. We are currently investigating age-related changes in aqueous humor and investigating the efficacy of pharmacologic intervention on reduction of inflammation and scarring after eye surgery. This information enables us to identify and evaluate novel and therapeutic options that will potentially improve surgical outcomes.

Funding for this research: 
NIH/NEI K08 Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award 2014-2019

Research Interests

• Inflammation and Scarring After Pediatric Intraocular Surgery
• Ocular Findings of Fabry Disease
• Retinopathy of Prematurity