Mass. Eye and Ear Names Dr. David Friedman Director of the Glaucoma Service

Following a nationwide search, Dr. Friedman joins Mass. Eye and Ear to lead efforts in glaucoma care, research and teaching

Boston, Mass. — Mass. Eye and Ear recently welcomed David S. Friedman, MD, PhD, MPH, as Director of the Glaucoma Service, Co-Director of the Ophthalmology Glaucoma Center of Excellence, Medical Director of Clinical Research at Mass. Eye and Ear, and a member of the full-time faculty of the Harvard Medical School Department of Ophthalmology. Dr. Friedman will be the first incumbent of the Albert and Diane Kaneb Chair in Ophthalmology at Mass. Eye and Ear. An internationally recognized ophthalmologist and vision researcher, Dr. Friedman specializes in the full spectrum of medical and surgical care for glaucoma. He is currently accepting new patients at the main campus of Mass. Eye and Ear (243 Charles Street, Boston). 

“Dr. Friedman is a wonderful addition to our clinical and research leadership team,” said Joan W. Miller, MD, Chief of Ophthalmology at Mass. Eye and Ear and the David Glendenning Cogan Professor and Chair of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. “Dr. Friedman is a sought-after clinical glaucoma specialist, an international leader in research, and a gifted and generous teacher. We are thrilled to have him help craft our vision and strategy to cure this blinding disease,”

Before joining Mass. Eye and Ear, Dr. Friedman was Professor of Ophthalmology at Wilmer Eye Institute of Johns Hopkins University and Professor of International Health and of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In 2010, he was appointed to the prestigious Alfred Sommer Professorship, and from 2012 to 2018, he served as Director of the Dana Center for Preventative Ophthalmology at Wilmer.

Internationally known for his contributions to the study of the mechanisms, epidemiology and prevention of angle-closure glaucoma, Dr. Friedman helped design and implement two seminal clinical trials for the treatment of angle closure both of which were recently published in the Lancet.  Dr. Friedman has also made contributions in the area of medication adherence and was the principal investigator in the first clinical trial to show that an intervention can successfully improve patient use of eye medicines.

Dr. Friedman has published nearly 300 scientific articles, edited a book on angle closure glaucoma and has received numerous awards. The recipient of clinician-scientist awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Research to Prevent Blindness, American Geriatric Society and the Alcon Research Institute, Dr. Friedman has maintained continuous NIH funding since joining the Wilmer faculty.

Dr. Friedman serves on the editorial boards of the Cochrane Collaboration and the Journal of Glaucoma and was on the board of Ophthalmology for many years. He plays a leadership role in the World Glaucoma Association and sits on the Board of Orbis International. He was elected a member of the Glaucoma Research Society which is limited to 100 glaucoma researchers worldwide. Dr. Friedman has delivered numerous named lectures around the world. He is also the Senior Ophthalmologist for Helen Keller International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to alleviating blindness worldwide. A summa cum laude graduate of Yale College, Dr. Friedman earned his medical degree at Harvard Medical School. He completed his ophthalmology residency at Wills Eye Hospital, followed by a fellowship in Glaucoma with Harry Quigley, MD, of Wilmer Eye Institute. Dr. Friedman subsequently completed an MPH at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health and a PhD in Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University.