Dr. Van Gelder was born and raised in and around New York City. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Stanford University. He remained at Stanford for the MD/PhD program, earning his PhD in Neurosciences studying the molecular biology of circadian rhythms. Following internal medicine internship at Stanford, he completed his residency in ophthalmology at Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University in St. Louis, and his medical retina and uveitis fellowship at the Barnes Retina Institute.
Dr. Van Gelder was born and raised in and around New York City. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Stanford University. He remained at Stanford for the MD/PhD program, earning his PhD in Neurosciences studying the molecular biology of circadian rhythms. Following internal medicine internship at Stanford, he completed his residency in ophthalmology at Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University in St. Louis, and his medical retina and uveitis fellowship at the Barnes Retina Institute.
Dr. Van Gelder remained on faculty at Washington University from 1999 until 2007. His research has been continuously funded by the NIH since 1999. His laboratory has been at the forefront of two fields, non-visual photoreception and pathogen detection in uveitis. He has published over 100 papers and book chapters, including papers in Science, Neuron, Nature Genetics, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. He was appointed the Bernard Becker Professor of Ophthalmology at Washington University in 2006. Dr. Van Gelder has won numerous awards for his research, including the Research to Prevent Blindness Career Development Award, an NEI K08 Award, the Culpeper Foundation Clinician-Scientist Award, the inaugural Becker/RPB/AUPO Research Award, and the Translational Scientist Award of the Burroughs-Wellcome Foundation.
Since 2008, Dr. Van Gelder has been the Boyd K. Bucey Memorial Chair, Professor, and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at University of Washington in Seattle. He is Director of the UW Medicine Eye Institute, and is Adjunct Professor of Biological Structure and of Pathology. Nationally, he is a Trustee of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and serves as Chair of the Council. He is past President of the American Uveitis Society. He is a Trustee of the Society of Heed Fellows, and serves on the Scientific Advisory Board for Foundation Fighting Blindness. Dr. Van Gelder is an active clinician-scientist and teacher. He sees patients with ocular inflammatory disease one day per week, and divides his remaining time between his research, teaching, and administrative duties. Dr. Van Gelder lives on Mercer Island, Washington, with his wife and two teen age children. His pastimes include hiking, backpacking, skiing, music, and photography.
Overview
Undergraduate Education: BS, Biological Sciences, 1985
Medical School: MD, Stanford University School of Medicine, 1994
Graduate Education: PhD, Neurosciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, 1994
Internship: Internal Medicine, Stanford University Hospital and VA Hospital, 1995
Residency: Ophthalmology, Washington University,1998
Fellowship: Uveitis and Medical Retina, Washington University School of Medicine, 1999
Board Certification: American Board of Ophthalmology
Memberships: American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO); Washington Academy of Eye Physicians and Surgeons (WAEPS); Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO); Washington State Medical Association Sub Specialty Societies; American Uveitis Society; American Association for the Advancement of Science; Society for Research on Biological Rhythms; Macula society
Academic Interests
Clinical Interests
Dr. Van Gelder specializes in uveitis, including iritis, pars planitis, retinitis, choroiditis and scleritis, medical retinal disease, and also in hereditary retinal disease and macular dystrophies
Research Focus
Dr. Van Gelder's laboratory is interested in the mechanisms of uveitic disease, including discovery of novel pathogens and understanding the role of auto-antibodies in uveitis. His laboratory is also interested in how the eye can sense light without seeing, and how these mechanisms can be used to treat blindness.
Awards & Honors
2018: President, Washington Academy of Eye Physician and Surgeons
2018: President, Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology
2010-2017: Inclusion in 'Top Doctors', in Seattle Magazine and/or Seattle Met Magazine
2017: Bressler Award, Lighthouse Guild
2015: President, American Academy of Ophthalmology
2013-present: Editorial Board, Ophthalmology
Download CV here
Publications
Lee CS, Lee AY, Akileswaran L, Stroman D, Najafi-Tagol K, Kleiboeker S, Chodosh J, Magaret A, Wald A, Van Gelder RN .Determinants of Outcomes of Adenoviral Keratoconjunctivitis. Ophthalmology. 2018 Mar 27. pii: S0161-6420(17)32895-6. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2018.02.016.
Laprell L, Tochitsky I, Kaur K, Manookin MB, Stein M, Barber DM, Schön C, Michalakis S, Biel M, Kramer RH, Sumser MP, Trauner D, Van Gelder RN. Photopharmacological control of bipolar cells restores visual function in blind mice. J Clin Invest. 2017 Jun 30;127(7):2598-2611.
Doan T, Akileswaran L, Andersen D, Johnson B, Ko N, Shrestha A, Shestopalov V, Lee CS, Lee AY, Van Gelder RN. Paucibacterial Microbiome and Resident DNA Virome of the Healthy Conjunctiva. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2016 Oct 1;57(13):5116-5126.
Buhr ED, Yue WW, Ren X, Jiang Z, Liao HW, Mei X, Vemaraju S, Nguyen MT, Reed RR, Lang RA, Yau KW, Van Gelder RN. Neuropsin (OPN5)-mediated photoentrainment of local circadian oscillators in mammalian retina and cornea. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Oct 20;112(42):13093-8.
Lee AY, Akileswaran L, Tibbetts MD, Garg SJ, Van Gelder RN. Identification of torque teno virus in culture-negative endophthalmitis by representational deep DNA sequencing. Ophthalmology. 2015 Mar;122(3):524-30. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2014.09.001. Epub 2014 Nov 24.
CONTACT INFO
Primary Clinical Office
Location:
Harborview Medical Center
908 Jefferson St., 7th Floor
Seattle, WA
Clinic Phone: 206-744-2020
Clinic Fax: 206-897-4320
Mailing Address:
Box 359608
325 Ninth Ave.
Seattle, WA 98104
Academic Phone: 206-543-7250
Additional Offices
Vision Science
Van Gelder Lab
Location:
South Lake Union
Mailing Address:
University of Washington
Van Gelder Lab, E 510
750 Republican St.
Seattle, WA 98109-8058
Main Reception Tel: 206-897-1327
Phone: 206-221-3262
Specialties
Uveitis and Ocular Inflammation
Languages
English