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The following was submitted by Mass Eye and Ear:
Joan W. Miller, MD — the David Glendenning Cogan Professor of Ophthalmology and Chair of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School and Chair of Ophthalmology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Mass General Brigham — has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s most esteemed honorary societies.
She is part of an illustrious cohort of nearly 250 new members this year, and will formally be inducted into the 2025 class during a ceremony this October in in Cambridge, Mass.
Founded in 1780, the Academy brings together exceptional scholars, leaders, artists, and innovators to advance the public good. Its members include luminaries such as Alexander Hamilton, Martin Luther King, Jr., Albert Einstein, and Madeleine K. Albright.
Miller will join the Academy alongside distinguished academic faculty, and trailblazers like Gloria Steinem, novelist Amy Tan, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
Pioneering retinal researcher
A world-renowned expert in retinal disorders, Miller has made transformative contributions to the field of ophthalmology, particularly in age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
She and her colleagues at Harvard Medical School and Mass Eye and Ear pioneered the development of photodynamic therapy using verteporfin (Visudyne®), the first pharmacologic therapy to slow vision loss in patients with AMD.
She and her colleagues also identified the key role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in ocular neovascularization, which led to the development of anti-VEGF therapies now administered to millions of children and adults with sight-threatening retinal diseases annually around the world.
In recognition of this groundbreaking work, Miller and her team received the prestigious 2014 António Champalimaud Vision Award — one of the highest distinctions in ophthalmology and visual science.
Miller’s current research focuses on the pathogenesis of AMD, including genomics, metabolomics, imaging, and functional measures; strategies for early intervention in AMD; and neuroprotective therapies for retinal diseases.
Trailblazer in ophthalmology
Miller’s career is marked by a series of historic firsts. In 2015, she became the first woman to receive the Mildred Weisenfeld Award for Excellence in Ophthalmology from the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.
In 2018, she was the first woman to receive the Charles L. Schepens, MD/American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Award.
She is the only individual to receive three of the most esteemed awards in the field of ophthalmology — the Charles L. Schepens, MD/AAO Award, the Gertrude D. Pyron Award from the Retina Research Foundation, and the Lucien Howe Medal from the American Ophthalmological Society, all awarded in 2018.
A trailblazer for women in medicine, Miller became the first woman physician to be appointed Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School in 2002; and in 2003, the first woman to serve as Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Mass Eye and Ear and Harvard Medical School.
Miller and her husband, John, live in Winchester. John, a construction attorney, specializes in domestic and international engineering procurement and public-private partnerships in global infrastructure.
Their eldest son, John, is a graduate of MIT and University of Michigan Medical School and is Director of Retinal Imaging at Mass Eye and Ear and an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School.
Their second son, Douglas, graduated from Harvard College, where he was co-captain of the Harvard basketball team; he now works in construction management and is a Vice President of Schernecker Property Services in Waltham, Mass.
Daughter, Mary, graduated from Harvard College and University of Michigan Law School, and is an experienced litigator and a partner at Lehotsky Keller Cohn, LLP.
With her election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Miller’s visionary leadership and extraordinary impact on science, medicine, and society are celebrated on a national stage.
