ASCI / Young Physician-Scientist Awards, 2020

Dolly Ann Padovani-Claudio, MD, PhD, was born and raised in Puerto Rico, where she obtained her undergraduate degree summa cum laude from the University of Puerto Rico- Mayagüez. Following completion of MD and PhD (Neuroscience) degrees at Case Western Reserve University through the Medical Scientist Training Program, she completed ophthalmology residency as well as research and pediatric ophthalmology and adult strabismus fellowships at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center. She is now a member of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) faculty where she is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology in the Physician-Scientist Track. Her laboratory is focused on finding new treatments for angiogenic retinopathies such as diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity. At VUMC, Dr. Padovani-Claudio provides ophthalmic care to children at risk of vision loss and is developing a translational research portfolio with support from the NIH and several Foundations. She has been featured as an Emerging Vision Scientist in Washington DC representing the vision scientist community under the auspices of the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research and showcased by the National Eye Institute (NEI/NIH) as a Hispanic investigator that contributes to NEI’s mission to understand, prevent, and treat eye diseases. Dr. Padovani-Claudio is passionate about mentoring the next generation of physicians and scientists and promoting diversity in academia. At VUMC, she serves as the co-chair of the steering committee for Women on Track, an organization that aims to support the advancement, promotion, and retention of women in academia, and as the VUMC Ophthalmology Diversity Liaison and AUPO Champion for Minority Ophthalmology Mentoring. Nationally, she serves as a mentor in the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s minority mentoring program, member of the Diversity Initiatives Committee of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, and faculty mentor for the Rabb-Venable Ophthalmology Program of the National Medical Association.