Iris S. Kassem, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Anatomy
Locations
- Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Clinics Building
- 8920 W. Connell Ct.
Milwaukee, WI 53226
Children's Hospital of Wisconsin - New Berlin Clinic
4855 S. Moorland Rd.
New Berlin WI, 53151
Research Lab
The Eye Institute
925 N. 87th St.
Milwaukee, WI 53226
Contact Information
Biography
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)
Research Interests
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
Publications
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(Han DP, Skumatz C, Besharse JC, Kassem IS.) J Ocul Pharmacol Ther. 2019 Mar 27.
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Acid Ceramidase Deficiency in Mice Leads to Severe Ocular Pathology and Visual Impairment.
(Yu FPS, Sajdak BS, Sikora J, Salmon AE, Nagree MS, Gurka J, Kassem IS, Lipinski DM, Carroll J, Medin JA.) Am J Pathol. 2019 Feb;189(2):320-338.
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(Bogaard JD, Young JB, Movahedan A, Kassem IS.) Transl Vis Sci Technol. 2019 Jan;8(1):5.
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Findings in Persistent Retinopathy of Prematurity.
(Warren CC, Young JB, Goldberg MR, Connor TB, Kassem IS, Costakos DM.) Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2018 07 01;49(7):497-503.
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(Kinori M, Wehrli S, Kassem IS, Azar NF, Maumenee IH, Mets MB.) Am J Ophthalmol. 2017 May;177:144-149.
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Engineering a Light-Attenuating Artificial Iris.
(Shareef FJ, Sun S, Kotecha M, Kassem I, Azar D, Cho M.) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2016 Apr 01;57(4):2195-202.
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A Case Report of Ablepharon-Macrostomia Syndrome with Amniotic Membrane Grafting.
(Feinstein E, Traish AS, Aakalu V, Kassem IS.) Case Rep Ophthalmol. 2015 Sep-Dec;6(3):366-72.
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One Year of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Research in Review.
(Kassem IS, Miller MT, Archer SM.) Asia Pac J Ophthalmol (Phila). 2013 Nov-Dec;2(6):388-400.
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Traumatic eye injuries from collapsible wire laundry hampers.
(Prickett AL, Salar S, Chow CC, Traish AS, Leiderman YI, Chau FY, Kassem IS.) Pediatrics. 2013 Aug;132(2):e522-5.
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Exotropia in children with high hyperopia.
(Kassem IS, Rubin SE, Kodsi SR.) J AAPOS. 2012 Oct;16(5):437-40.
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Findings in Persistent Retinopathy of Prematurity
(Warren CC, Young JB, Goldberg MR, Connor TB, Kassem IS, Costakos DM.) Ophthalmic Surgery, Lasers, and Imaging Retina.. .
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Animal models of benign essential blepharospasm and hemifacial spasm
(Evinger C, Kassem IS.) . Animal Models of Movement Disorders.
Research Interests
- Inflammation and Scarring After Pediatric Intraocular Surgery
- Ocular Findings of Fabry Disease
- Retinopathy of Prematurity