Rhett Schiffman, MD, MS, MHSA, brings with him more than 20 years of expertise and achievements in ophthalmology. Prior to joining Visus Therapeutics as Chief Medical Officer and Head of R&D, Dr Schiffman was President and CEO of Vision Ophthalmic Development International, LLC, providing consultative services to ophthalmology biotech companies in the areas of ocular formulations (including drug delivery), nonclinical and clinical development, and regulatory affairs for the front and back of the eye. Prior to this, Dr Schiffman was Executive Vice President of R&D and Chief Medical Officer for Envisia Therapeutics, where he led the development of sustained delivery therapeutics for glaucoma and retina. Before that, he was CMO at Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc, where he was responsible for the development of encapsulated cell technology for the treatment of wet AMD, retinal degenerations, and glaucoma. Prior to joining Neurotech, he was Vice President of Global Drug Development and Therapeutic Area Head of Ophthalmology at Allergan, Inc, where he had responsibility for the approval of numerous ophthalmic medications, including RESTASIS™, ZYMAR™, ZYMAXID™, ACULAR LS™, ACUVAIL™, COMBIGAN™, and LUMIGAN 0.01%™. Dr Schiffman has authored 40 scientific articles and holds over 30 patents.

Dr Schiffman is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Ophthalmology and completed a fellowship in uveitis and ocular immunology at the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health. He is a Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of California, Irvine, where he volunteers seeing patients and teaching residents.