Jena J. Steinle, PhD, associate professor in the Departments of Ophthalmology, Anatomy and Neurobiology, and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has been appointed director of research at the Hamilton Eye Institute.
Since joining the UTHSC Hamilton Eye Institute in 2007, Dr. Steinle has been a prolific and successful research scientist. The focus of her research has been on diabetic retinopathy. She has received numerous federal and foundation grants for her work toward developing treatments to prevent, or even reverse, damage caused by diabetic retinopathy.
“Dr. Steinle has a remarkable enthusiasm,” said James C. Fleming, MD, FACS, chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at UTHSC. “She infuses our research group with energy for innovation, creating a vigorous environment for discovery at the Hamilton Eye Institute.”
In her new position, Dr. Steinle directs the Center for Vision Research (CVR), which was established in 1998 as a multidisciplinary research program in vision science. The CVR is charged with recognizing, supporting and expanding the efforts of individual vision researchers, and facilitating collaborations. The CVR has members, including scientists and clinicians, from roughly a dozen institutions in the community, and has received substantial grant funding to further vision research.
Dr. Steinle received her undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut, her PhD in neurophysiology from the University of Kansas Medical Center, and did her postdoctoral work in vascular biology at the Texas A&M University System Health Science Center.
Dr. Steinle’s writing has appeared in more than 50 peer-reviewed publications. She has been awarded grants from the Department of Defense, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Oxnard Foundation, UT Research Foundation and other organizations.
She is a member of The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, The American Diabetes Association, and Research to Prevent Blindness. Dr. Steinle is a medical scientific reviewer for the National Institutes of Health (ad hoc) retina section and a member of the complications study section of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
“I am excited to have this new opportunity to grow vision research, both on campus and throughout the community,” Dr. Steinle said.
About the Hamilton Eye Institute
Founded in 2004, the Hamilton Eye Institute consistently ranks among the top 10 providers of ophthalmic clinical care across the country. Its mission is to prevent blindness through patient care, research and education. As a premier eye center providing an advanced level of vision care, the institute’s team manages more than 40,000 outpatient visits annually. Under its new chairman, James C. Fleming, MD, FACS, the institute continues to attract patients from throughout the region and the world. HEI is the only university eye center providing an advanced level of vision care within a 150-mile radius of Memphis.