Drs. Punzo, Khanna, and Hinkle Promoted to become Associate Professors

Three of the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences faculty were recently promoted to Associated Professor rank. This decision involved a comprehensive review by department members, the chair of the department, the Personnel Action Committee for the T.H. Chan School of Medicine, and the Dean.

Dr. Claudio Punzo who has received his Ph.D. from the University of Basel Switzerland and continued for a post-doctoral fellowship in retinal degeneration research under the mentorship of Dr. Constance L. Cepko in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Punzo joined UMass in 2010 as a principal investigator who runs his own laboratory. His lab focuses on Retinitis Pigmentosa and Age-related Macular Degeneration research. Dr. Punzo also serves as the Coordinator of the department’s Vision Seminar Series. 

Dr. Hemant Khanna who has obtained his Ph.D. from University of Delhi, India and continued as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan in the Department of Ophthalmology, Kellogg Eye Center. Dr. Khanna manages his own lab at UMass Chan Medical School since 2010. His research focuses on understanding the pathogenesis of inherited blindness disorders and developing treatment strategies using animal models and patient-derived stem cells. Dr. Khanna also serves as the department coordinator for collaborative research projects.

Dr. David Hinkle is a graduate of West Virginia University medical school. He did his ophthalmology residency at Tulane University and continued to pursue a fellowship in vitreo-retinal diseases and surgery at Albany Medical College and another fellowship in Ocular Immunology and Uveitis at the Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Hinkle is an American Board certified ophthalmologist who cares for patients with medical and surgical retina conditions including diabetic retinopathy, age related macular degeneration, retinal vascular occlusions, macular problems and retinal detachments. Dr. Hinkle serves as an ambulatory physician leader in the department, as well as the quality champion and the physician engagement champion.

Dr. Shlomit Schaal, chair of the department said: “Being promoted to the Associate Professor rank is a significant academic achievement. I feel lucky and proud to have such excellent physicians and vision scientists on our team. I applaud our faculty for this impressive accomplishment!”

(Left to Right) Dr. Claudio Punzo, Dr. Hemant Khanna, and Dr. David Hinkle