Lopez, Pedro

Positions

Professor, Ophthalmology , Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

pflopez@fiu.edu

biography

Dr. Pedro Francisco Lopez has joined Florida International University College of Medicine as Professor and Founding Chair of Ophthalmology.

Dr. Lopez is the Director for Retina and Vitreous Diseases at the Center For Excellence In Eye Care. Born in Havana, Cuba, and raised in Miami, Dr. Pedro Lopez graduated Valedictorian at Christopher Columbus High School in 1978. His high school honors and achievements were just the beginning of the many accolades he received on both professional and personal levels.

In 1982, Dr. Pedro Lopez graduated Cum Laude from Harvard University, with a degree in A. B. Biochemical Science. He then returned to Miami to attend the University of Miami School Of Medicine and focused on the many facets of Macular Surgery. He graduated in 1986 with Distinction in Research. While at the University of Miami School of Medicine, Dr. Pedro Lopez became the first student to graduate with a perfect academic record. He completed his Internship in Internal Medicine at Brigham & Women's Hospital at Harvard Medical School, and then completed his Ophthalmology Residency at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Dr. Pedro Lopez has had several teaching and administrative responsibilities at Harvard University, John's Hopkins University, University of Miami, Emory University, University of Southern California and Harvard Medical School. Other academic appointments include: Fellow of Heed Ophthalmic Foundation, Clinical Associate in Ophthalmology at Emory University School of Medicine and Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California.

Dr. Pedro Lopez is both Board Certified and an examiner for the American Board of Ophthalmology. He is an active member of several Professional Societies, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Society of Heed Fellows, Vitreous and Retina Societies and the American Medical Association. Dr. Lopez has been an author of many articles and book chapters in macula, vitreous and retinal diseases. He also serves as a Scientific Referee for various ophthalmology journals, such as the American Journal of Ophthalmology, Archives of Ophthalmology, International Ophthalmology and The British Journal of Ophthalmology.

research interests

I am a virtual retinal specialist with a specific interest in macular diseases, particularly age-related macular degeneration. My research has encompassed basic biological, pathophysiological, and pathoatomic mechanisms in macular and retinal diseases. I have a very strong interest, particularly in age-related macular degeneration, both the exudative or choroidal neovascular membrane form as well as the non-exudative, geographic atrophy form.

Additionally, I have research interests in bio-optical engineering applications to macular and retinal diseases, including in vivo confocal microscopy and ocular coherence tomography, and the potential development of real-time in vivo contrast agents for these modalities.