Mark S. Blumenkranz, M.D., is Professor and Chairman of the Byers Eye Institute and the Department of Ophthalmology at Stanford University. He received his Baccalaureate, Master of Medical Science in Biochemical Pharmacology, and M.D. degrees at Brown, a Residency in Ophthalmology at Stanford, and a fellowship in vitreoretinal diseases at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute of the University of Miami. He completed the Executive Program at the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2004 Dr. Blumenkranz is the author of more than 140 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, and multiple patents in the area of vitreoretinal diseases, with special interests in ocular pharmacology and new microsurgical and laser techniques. He is currently, President of the Macula Society, and Immediate Past President of the Retina Society. a past President of the American University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO) and a Fellow of the Corporation of Brown University, where he serves as chairman of the Medical School Committee.

Dr. Blumenkranz has a longstanding interest and expertise in university corporate technology transfer and early stage biomedical company development having either founded or served on the Boards of Directors of a number of successful medical drug and device companies including Peak Surgical, OIS, Midlabs and Oculex Pharmaceuticals over the past sixteen years in addition to being a co-founder and Director of OptiMedica Corporation, Avalanche Biotechnologies, Digisight Technologies and Vantage Surgical.