Basel, Basel, Switzerland
I am an Ophthalmologist specialised in medical and surgical retina with over 16 years of experience in the clinic. For the past 30 years, I have also been involved in retinal research, and I am currently a Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Cologne. Since 2016, I've been heading the Ophthalmology group in pRED (Pharma Research and Early Development) in discovery and translational medicine at Roche. At Roche, I am fortunate to work with a unique group of people — clinicians, scientists, and computer science specialists, who bring together a wealth of expertise and diversity of thought to solve the big problems in Ophthalmology. I believe Ophthalmology is a truly unique field; although the eye is a small, separate, and highly complex organ it has so many connections to other parts of the body and fields of medicine and science. It is a real privilege to be working on the next generation of healthcare solutions for the millions of people living with visual impairments and retinal diseases worldwide. At medical school, one of my earliest passions was exploring the molecular and genetic causes of retinal degeneration. Years later, I am exceptionally proud to have contributed to the discovery and development of a new treatment option for people living with neovascular macular degeneration (nAMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME). I find it both consistently challenging and incredibly rewarding developing transformative medicines that will eventually not only benefit people living with visual impairments but also their families, and society. It is such an exciting time to work in this area, at the forefront of technological advances in both optics and imaging.