Clinical Interests

Corneal and External Diseases, Corneal Transplantation, Herpetic Eye Diseases, Corneal Imaging, Refractive Surgery, Cataract Surgery, Dry Eye Syndrome

Research Interests

Corneal and Transplantation Immunology, Corneal Imaging, Inflammatory Corneal Disorders

Physician Profile

Dr. Hamrah is an Instructor and full-time faculty at the Harvard Department of Ophthalmology. In addition to his position as full-time staff of the Cornea and Refractive Surgery Service at the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary, he is an Instructor at the Immune Disease Institute of the Harvard Medical School and a member of the Harvard-Vision Clinical Scientist Development Program. He is a clinician-scientist with a particular interest in live imaging and its use to elucidate molecular and cellular mechanisms in corneal immunology, neuro-immunology, and inflammation. His research is focused on immune cell trafficking in immune and infections diseases of the cornea, including viral and microbial keratitis, refractive surgery complications, corneal transplant tolerance and rejection, as well as neurotrophic keratopathy.

Dr. Hamrah performed his residency in Ophthalmology at the University of Louisville, where he was elected chief resident during his last year. He has completed a fellowship in Ocular and Transplantation Immunology at the Schepens Eye Research Institute, Harvard Medical School, as well as a two-year advanced clinical fellowship in Cornea, External Diseases and Refractive Surgery at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Hamrah's research is supported by the K12 Clinical Scientist Development Award from Harvard through the NIH. He has authored over 30 peer-reviewed articles, over 10 reviews and book chapters, and has given more than 40 lectures and presentations worldwide. He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Claes Dohlman Society Award for the outstanding Cornea Fellow in the country, the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Excellence in Research Scholarship Award, and the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology/Research to Prevent Blindness Resident and Fellow Research Award. Dr. Hamrah currently serves as the Cornea Section Editor of the journal Eye, Assistant Editor of the journal Ocular Immunology and Inflammation, serves on the editorial board of the Graefeís Archives of Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology, and is a peer reviewer for over 20 Ophthalmology, Immunology and Transplantation journals. He is an Instructor at the American Academy of Ophthalmology and was recently named Chair of the ARVO Members-in-Training Committee.

Please click to see Dr. Hamrah's CV.

Selected Publications

Hamrah P, Zhang Q, Liu Y, Dana MR. Novel Characterization of MHC class II-negative Population of Resident Corneal Langerhans Cell-type Dendritic Cells. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 2002; 43:639-646.

Hamrah P, Liu Y, Zhang Q, Dana MR. The Corneal Stroma is Endowed with Significant Numbers of Resident Dendritic Cells. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 2003; 44:581-589.

Hamrah P, Chen L, Zhang Q, Dana MR. Novel Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth factor Receptor (VEGFR)-3 and VEGF-C on Dendritic Cells in the Cornea. Am J Pathol, 2003; 163(1):57-68.

Hamrah P, Liu Y, Zhang Q, Dana MR. Alterations in Corneal Stromal Dendritic Cell Phenotype and Distribution in Inflammation. Arch Ophthalmol, 2003; 121:1132-1140.

Chen L, Hamrah P, Cursiefen C, Zhang Q, Jackson DG, Streilein JW, Dana MR. Molecular Lymphadenectomy and Immune Regulation through VEGFR-3 Blockade in an Immune Privilege Site. Nat Med, 2004; 10:813-815.

Hamrah P, Huq SO, Gulati A, Dana MR. Mechanisms of the Ocular Surface Immune Response. In: Pflugfelder SC, Beuerman RW, Stern ME. Dry Eye and Ocular Surface Disease. Chapter 6, pp 111-142. New York: Marcel Dekker, 2004.

Djalilian AR, Hamrah P, Pflugfelder SC. Dry Eye. In: Krachmer JH, Mannis MJ, Holland EJ. Cornea. 2nd ed. Vol 1, Chapter 42, pp 521-540. St. Louis: Mosby, 2005.

Hamrah P, Djalilian AR, Stulting RD. Immunologic High-Risk Penetrating Keratoplasty. In: Krachmer JH, Mannis MJ, Holland EJ. Cornea. 2nd ed. Vol 2, Chapter 133, pp 1619-1635. St. Louis: Mosby, 2005.

Cursiefen C, Chen L, Saint-Geniez M, Hamrah P, Jin Y, Rashid S, Pytowski B, Persaud K, Wu Y, Streilein  JW, Dana R. Nonvascular VEGFR-3-Expression by Corneal Epithelium Maintains Avascularity and Vision. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2006; 103:11405-11410.

Hamrah P, Dana R. Corneal Antigen-Presenting Cells. In: Niederkorn JY, Kaplan HJ (eds): Immune Response and the Eye. Chem Immunol Allergy. 92:58-70. Basel: Karger, 2007.

Hamrah P, Yamagami S, Liu Y, Zhang Q, Vora SS, Lu B, Gerard CJ, Dana MR. Deletion of the Chemokine Receptor CCR1 Prolongs Corneal Allograft Survival. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2007; 48:1228-1236.

Hamrah P, Pavan-Langston D, Dana R. Herpes Simplex Keratitis and Dendritic Cells at the Crossroads — Lessons from the Past and a View into the Future. Int Ophthalmol Clin. 2008, in press.

Hamrah P, Amesburry E, Eiferman RA. Corneal Endothelium in Health and Disease. In: John T. Surgical Techniques in Sutureless Corneal Transplantation: DSEK/DSAEK & DLEK. 2008, in press.

Publications

A complete list of research publications can be seen at www.pubmed.gov. Type the physician's name at the top, where it says 'for' and the physician's research publications will appear.

Page updated May 18, 2009