Gülgün Tezel, MD

Gülgün Tezel, MD, obtained her medical degree, completed her ophthalmology residency in Turkey, and began her career as a glaucoma clinician in 1989. Her devotion to better understanding and treatment of glaucoma led Dr. Tezel to leave her clinical practice to join a research team at Washington University in St. Louis, MO, in 1994. In 1999, she joined the Research Faculty there. Dr. Tezel established her laboratory at the University of Louisville in Louisville, KY, in 2002. In 2014, Tezel Lab was transferred to the Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute at Columbia University in New York, NY.

Building on her background as a glaucoma clinician, Dr. Tezel has three decades of experience in glaucoma research by directing multiple projects with NIH/NEI funding and funding from other sources.  

Through the studies of in vitro and in vivo experimental models of glaucoma, her laboratory has analyzed distinct molecular responses and interactions of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and glial cells to identify pathogenic processes, new treatment targets, and biomarkers of glaucomatous neurodegeneration. Dr. Tezel’s work resulted in over a hundred scientific publications illuminating various aspects of glaucoma.

Dr. Tezel has been invited to numerous national and international meetings to present her work, organize symposiums, or chair glaucoma sessions. She has received many professional awards, including the Research to Prevent Blindness Sybil B. Harrington Scholars Award, the World Glaucoma Association Potential Future Impact Award, Robert W. Rounsavall Jr. Family Foundation Glaucoma Research Award, Homer McK. Rees Scholarship in Glaucoma Research, and the AR and JR Peacock Trust Research Award. In addition, Dr. Tezel is the Fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (FARVO, Class of 2016). Dr. Tezel has served on several national and international grant review panels, including NIH/NEI study sections. She is currently a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Glaucoma Foundation. Dr. Tezel also currently serves on the Editorial Board of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, the Editorial Advisory Board of the Progress in Retinal and Eye Research, and the International Advisory Board of the European Eye Research.