Dr. Jose-Alain Sahel

José-Alain Sahel, MD, is an internationally recognized clinician-scientist and Chair of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh, where he leads the UPMC Vision Institute with a mission to prevent blindness and restore sight. His work centers on inherited and age-related retinal degenerations, advancing novel therapies such as gene therapy, optogenetics, neuroprotection, stem-cell approaches, and retinal prostheses. Dr. Sahel founded and directed the Institut de la Vision in Paris and has led multiple first-in-human vision-restoration trials. He has authored hundreds of peer-reviewed publications and holds numerous patents. As a surgeon in the Retina and Vitreoretinal Surgery Service, he provides expert care for complex retinal diseases while integrating clinical research and advanced imaging to tailor treatment. His contributions have been honored with major awards in translational neuroscience and vision research, and he continues to mentor teams worldwide to bring innovative treatments from bench to bedside for patients with otherwise untreatable retinal conditions.