Tom Mendel, MD, PhD
I am a retina surgeon scientist at The Ohio State University (OSU) and Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, where I serve as an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology. Clinically, I practice both adult and pediatric retina, with a particular focus on inherited retinal disease. My clinic cares for over 200 inherited retinal disease patients with a team of caregivers, including an ophthalmically specialized genetic counselor in Taylor Sabato, MPH, MMSc, LGC, and a dedicated inherited retinal disease clinical care coordinator in Lindsey Pyers, COA.
I also direct a research team and translational laboratory to pioneer new gene therapy approaches for my many inherited retinal disease patients. I was trained in Luxturna therapy at the University of Michigan’s Kellogg Eye Center and saw first-hand the impact of restorative gene therapy. With that in mind, I founded my laboratory to extend the early success of Luxturna to other inherited retinal diseases. My particular research features a combination of novel surgical and molecular approaches and is carried out within the OSU Gene Therapy Institute, which is comprised of an experienced interdisciplinary team of gene therapy investigators whose expertise ranges from neurosurgery to biomedical engineering.
Education & Training
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Pediatric Vitreoretinal Surgery Fellowship - University of Michigan: Kellog Eye Center - Ann Arbor, MI - 2021
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Vitreoretinal Surgery Fellowship - Cleveland Clinic: Cole Eye Institute - Cleveland, OH - 2019-2021
Ophthalmology Residency - Vanderbilt Eye Institute - Nashville, TN - 2016-2019
General Surgery Internship - University of Virginia Department of General Surgery - Charlottesville, VA - 2015-2016
MD/PhD - University of Virginia School of Medicine - Charlottesville, VA - 2006-2015
BS - Duke University - Durham, NC - 2002-2006
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Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology - Alexandria, VA - 1998-2002
More Information
Where I Work
915 Olentangy River Road
Columbus, OH 43212
​6100 North Hamilton Road
Westerville, OH 43081