Dr Danial Roshandel

Dr Danial Roshandel is an overseas-trained ophthalmologist who has specialised in ocular surface diseases and stem cell transplantation. He obtained his PhD in inherited retinal diseases from The University of Western Australia (UWA) and joined the Lions Eye Institute as a postdoctoral research fellow to continue his research on advanced cell therapies for end-stage ocular surface diseases and pursue his career as a clinician-scientist.

Dr Roshandel is a former Assistant Professor of the Department of Ophthalmology at Labbafinejad Medical Center (LMC; Tehran, Iran, 2015–2018), where he treated numerous patients with corneal blindness due to severe ocular surface diseases, including but not limited to chemical and thermal burns, Sjögren syndrome, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, ocular cicatricial pemphigoid, and mustard-gas keratopathy. Dr Roshandel’s current research is focused on developing innovative disease models and therapies for ocular surface diseases.

Education/academic qualifications/roles responsibilities

Qualifications

2018 – 2022: Doctor of Philosophy, UWA, Australia
2010 – 2014: Specialty in Ophthalmology, SBMU, Iran
2003 – 2010: Doctor of Medicine (MD), GOUMS, Iran

Positions

2022 – current: Adjunct Research Fellow, UWA
2022 – current: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Lions Eye Institute
2019 – 2022: Research Associate, Lions Eye Institute
2015 – 2018: Assistant Professor (Ophthalmology), SBMU, Iran
2017 – 2018: Member of the Educational and Research Committee, LMC
2016 – 2018: Supervisor of the Emergency Ophthalmology Department, LMC
2014 – 2015: Consultant Ophthalmologist, Kamkar Hospital, Iran
2013 – 2014: Chief Resident, Ophthalmology Department, LMC

Awards/Professional achievements/Memberships

2018: University Postgraduate Award, UWA
2020 – current: Member, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)
2018 – current: Member and Global Ambassador, Tear-Film and Ocular Surface Society (TFOS)
2014 – current: Member, Iranian Society of Ophthalmologists (IRSO)
2010 – current: Member, Medical Council of I.R. Iran
2010: 1^st ranked graduate, School of Medicine, GOUMS, Iran
2009: 1^st ranked in pre-internship examination, GOUMS, Iran
2008: Outstanding Exceptionally Talented Student, GOUMS, Iran

Research activity

Dr Roshandel has been involved in basic and clinical research projects in various medical fields since 2005 and has published more than 40 peer-reviewed original and review articles in prestigious journals. He contributed to developing various innovative surgical techniques that improved the clinical outcomes of the management of limbal stem cell deficiency, a common cause of corneal blindness, and other severe ocular surface disorders. During his PhD, Dr Roshandel made a significant contribution in the field of developing clinical trial endpoints for specific types of inherited retinal diseases and gained international recognition for his publications in adaptive optics retinal imaging.

Dr Roshandel’s current projects involve developing novel therapeutic techniques for advanced ocular surface diseases. He has received generous funding from the Lions Eye Institute and Lions Save-Sight Foundation (WA) Inc to establish and support his research into producing corneal cells from adult stem cells that can revolutionise the treatment of end-stage ocular surface diseases. Dr Roshandel is a supervisor for Higher Degree by Research students at UWA. He is also seeking further funding to support the translation of his laboratory findings into potential clinical use in the future.

Board membership/Editor/Reviewer

Reviewer for high-ranked international journals such as Scientific Reports, Retina, American Journal of Ophthalmology, British Journal of Ophthalmology, Experimental Eye Research, and Ophthalmology Science.
2023: Review committee board member for Australian Vision Research (AVR).
2022: Reviewer of AVR grant applications.
2022: Reviewer of Swiss National Science Foundation grant application.
2021 – 2022: Invited Guest Editor,
2020 – current: Academic Editor, Biomedical Research International.
Book Editor: Recent Advances in Dry Eye Disease. 2023.
Book Editor: Atlas of Cornea and Ocular Surface Disease. 2018.

Invited speaker/Panel member/Lecture

2023: Australia and New Zealand Cornea Society and Eye Bank meeting. Speaker.
2023: RANZCO/LEI colloquium. Lecture: Human amniotic membrane in ophthalmic practice.
2023: AO-Vision symposium. Speaker.
2022: RANZCO/LEI colloquium. Lecture: Where the oral mucosa meets the eye.
2022: Ophthalmology registrars’ teaching session. Lecture: Diagnosis and management of limbal stem cell deficiency.
2022: rtx1 users’ e-symposium 2022. Panel member.
2021: Adaptive optics imaging for fighting inherited retinal diseases (webinar). Panel member.
2017: XXVII Annual Congress of the Iranian Society of Ophthalmology. Speaker.
2017: The 2^nd SBMU Summer School for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine. Speaker.
2017: National Symposium on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine in Ophthalmology. Speaker.
2016: XXVI Annual Congress of the Iranian Society of Ophthalmology. Speaker.
2016: The 1^st Shahid Beheshti Medical Sciences University Summer School for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine. Speaker.
2016: National Symposium on Corneal Transplantation. Speaker.