On June 20, 2025, The Glaucoma Foundation presented The Dr. Robert Ritch Award for Excellence and Innovation in Glaucoma to Alon Harris, MS, PhD, FARVO, Vice Chair of International Research & Academic Affairs, Co-Director of the Center for Ophthalmic Artificial Intelligence and Human Health, and Director of the Ophthalmic Vascular Diagnostic and Research Program at Mount Sinai Hospital, and Professor of Ophthalmology and Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Human Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

An internationally recognized clinical research scientist and FARVO recipient, Professor Harris focuses on glaucoma risk factor assessment, monitoring techniques for structural and functional glaucoma progression, ocular perfusion assessment, mathematical modeling and artificial intelligence, branded and generic glaucoma medications, novel imaging methodologies and population-based studies. In addition, Professor Harris has made significant contributions involving vascular deficits in the fields of diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy, and brain physiology.

Professor Harris is the PI/MPI of two currently active multi-year NIH RO1 grants, “SCH: SEEthroughGLAUCOMA: Smart Eye Emulator (SEE) to study glaucoma risk factors” and “Integration of clinical measures and theoretical modeling to quantify sectorial specific changes in ocular structure, function, and hemodynamics.”

Dr. Harris is actively researching novel methods for using the eye as a window into the body, to identify and predict cardiac abnormalities and other systemic disease. A recent example of his novel work is highlighted in the article: Kellner RL, Harris A, Ciulla L, Guidoboni G, Verticchio Vercellin A, Oddone F, Carnevale C, Zaid M, Antman G, Siesky B. The Eye as the Window to the Heart: Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Biomarkers as Indicators of Cardiovascular Disease. J. Clin. Med. 2024; 13(3), 829.

Prior to joining Mount Sinai, Professor Harris served as the Letzter endowed chair of Ophthalmology and Director of Clinical Research for the Department of Ophthalmology (2010-2018) and additionally served on numerous leadership councils, both departmentally and university-wide, chairing the Diversity Committee for the Department of Ophthalmology at Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana. At Indiana University he founded and served as Director for one of the world’s leading centers for ocular blood flow and its implications to glaucoma: The Glaucoma Research and Diagnostic Center. He currently serves on the Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Board for The Glaucoma Foundation.

Professor Harris has published over 411 peer-reviewed journal articles, 23 books and 70 book chapters, 662 abstracts and has a Google Scholar H index of 75 . He has received over 7 million dollars in research funds from prestigious institutions including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), American Diabetes Association (ADA), and the National Eye Institute (NEI) in the United States.

In addition to his academic pursuits Professor Harris is a highly sought-after expert consultant in both regulatory affairs and start-up considerations of biotech and pharmaceutical industries. He is the founder of AdOM, an ophthalmic medical imaging company for dry eye and he serves on the board of several life sciences and startup companies. He has served as Chairman of the Board for XLVision and served as a senior consultant for Oxymap, Nano Retina, Science Based Health, and Isarna Therapeutics among others.

Professor Harris holds two issued patents related to ocular blood flow: 1) Novel Treatment of Macular Edema; and 2) Method to Increase Retinal and Optic Nerve Head Blood Flow; and has other patents pending related to mathematical modeling and artificial intelligence in ophthalmic health and disease.

Awards

Sam Rothberg Glaucoma Award

William and Mary Greve International Research Scholar Award

Research to Prevent Blindness

Glenn W. Irwin Jr., MD., Experience Excellence Recognition Award

Edmund Benjamin Spaeth Oration Award for Outstanding Clinical Research

American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award

Letzter Endowed Chair of Ophthalmology

Research

Professor Harris currently serves as principal investigator for both NIH and NSF funded grants: R01EY030851 Integration of clinical measures and theoretical modeling to quantify sectorial specific changes in ocular structure, function, and hemodynamics NSF-DMS 1853222/1853303 Collaborative Research: Multiscale Modeling of Intraocular Pressure Dynamics and Its Role in Ocular Physiology and Pharmacology NYEE: Does COVID-19 Increase the Risk of Glaucoma Progression?

Publications

https://scholars.mssm.edu/en/persons/alon-harris