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“First and foremost, my main responsibility is
always patient care,” says George Papaliodis, M.D., as he discusses his
responsibilities as the newly appointed Acting Director of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary’s Ocular Immunology
and Uveitis Service. The service provides a multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of uveitis, which is the third
leading cause of blindness in the United States, and other immunological disorders of the eye. As Acting Director,
Dr. Papaliodis will also serve as a consultant to referring physicians in the community who serve patients with uveitis
or inflammatory eye diseases.
Dr. Papaliodis, who is Board Certified in ophthalmology and internal medicine, notes that practicing ophthalmology was a good compromise between two realms that he enjoys — internal medicine and surgery. However, his interest in ophthalmology extends beyond a mere professional interest. “My grandmother lost vision to glaucoma and, as such, I could see the impact the ophthalmology care she received had upon her,” he says.
Dr. Papaliodis’ research interests in ocular immunology and ocular inflammatory disorders reiterate his enthusiasm for both domains. “The treatment of these conditions overlaps between internal medicine and ophthalmology. Each has some systemic basis for the ophthalmologic manifestations we observe. It is to the patient’s benefit and to the benefit of the field to have multiple specialists involved in their care,” he adds.
Related to this, Dr. Papaliodis, who has a dual faculty appointment at the Infirmary and MGH, seeks to utilize this position to encourage collaboration between the Infirmary’s Ocular Immunology and Uveitis Service and other departments in both clinical services and research.
Dr. Papaliodis expresses a continuing interest in research into new immunological agents for the treatment of inflammatory eye diseases. “Uveitis is often undertreated or treated in traditional manners despite newer, novel approaches to these diseases,” he says. As a Clinical Instructor of Ophthalmology at the Infirmary and at the Harvard Medical School, Dr. Papaliodis enjoys teaching because it provides a unique opportunity to train future physicians in the knowledge and approaches that are available to treat ocular inflammatory diseases.
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