Joel Schuman Named Ophthalmology Chair at NYU Langone

New York University's Langone Medical Center has named glaucoma clinician and scientist Dr. Joel S. Schuman chairman of its ophthalmology department.

Schuman was a member of the team that developed optical coherence tomography (OCT) for early detection of glaucoma. The noninvasive procedure creates a 3D map of the eye, allowing ophthalmologists to measure the thickness of the retina and better diagnose retinal diseases.

He has a bachelor's degree in psychology from Columbia University and a medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He completed his residency in ophthalmology at the Medical College of Virginia, and clinical and research fellowships in glaucoma at the Howe Laboratory of Ophthalmology, part of Harvard Medical School's Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.

He joins NYU Langone following a career as distinguished professor and chairman of ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and director of the University of Pittsburg Medical Center's Eye Center. Schuman also held appointments at the university's McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition and Swanson School of Engineering.

The NYU Langone ophthalmology department is one of the oldest of its kinds in the U.S. and provides research, education and patient care. It oversees a residency training program, as well as fellowship training in glaucoma, oculoplastic surgery, pediatric ophthalmology and nonsurgical retinal diseases.

The school's current research focuses on imaging, retinal metabolism, glaucoma and retinal diagnostics, and the translation of basic discoveries and inventions to clinical practice.