Geoffrey K Dube, MD

Tongalp H. Tezel, MD is the Chang Family Endowed Professor of Ophthalmology and the Director of the Vitreoretinal Service and Fellowship Program at the Department of Ophthalmology. Dr. Tezel is an internationally known clinician-scientist and a leader in the management of vitreoretinal diseases. Dr. Tezel received his medical degree and initial ophthalmology training in Ankara, Turkey at Hacettepe University, School of Medicine, and completed his ophthalmology residency at Washington University School of Medicine. He later trained under Dr. Stanley Chang and received his fellowship in vitreoretinal surgery here at Columbia University. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Society of Retina Specialists, the Macula Society, The Retina Society, and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. He has received numerous honors, including the Fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (FARVO), American Academy of Ophthalmology's Achievement Award, Alpha Omega Alpha Faculty Membership; Honor Award of the American Society of Retina Specialist, and several Awards for Excellence in Teaching. He is listed on the Best Doctors of America and Castle Connolly's Top Doctor Directory. Dr. Tezel's research laboratory focuses on investigating the molecular mechanisms of various retinal diseases. His main research interests include gene therapy for age-related macular degeneration, inherited retinal diseases, retinal stem cell transplantation, angiogenesis, pharmacologic vitreolysis, and tissue engineering. He has developed several techniques used for tissue engineering and retinal cell replacement therapies, awarded numerous patents for his contributions. Recently, he has embarked on gene treatment and tissue engineering trials for macular degeneration. Dr. Tezel is an ad-hoc reviewer for several journals in his field and has been contributing to the development of the vitreoretinal field with several publications, presentations, and invited lectures.

Michael Argenziano, MD, FACS, is Associate Chief of the Division of Cardiac, Thoracic, and Vascular Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. He also serves as the director of the Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery and Surgical Arrhythmia programs, director of the Cardiothoracic Surgery Research Laboratory and Clinical Research Program, and program director of the Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency program. Dr. Argenziano received his medical degree from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, and completed his postgraduate training at Columbia University Irving Medical Center/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Argenziano is board certified in Surgery and Thoracic Surgery. He is the immediate past president of the New York Society for Thoracic Surgery. He has authored more than 100 publications, presented at numerous scientific conferences, and received several grants and awards for his research. He has led two national trials of robotic surgery, and his atrial fibrillation research has been supported by the TSFRE's Career Development Award. He currently serves as Columbia's principal investigator in the NIH/NHLBI Network for Cardiothoracic Surgical Investigations.