Brian Ballios, MD, PhD

I received my undergraduate degree in engineering chemistry, with a focus on bioengineering and materials science. I have always been interested in the potential real-life applications of my engineering work, and this led me to undertake the MD/PhD Program at the University of Toronto. During my PhD studies, I worked to develop new approaches to the transplantation of stem cells and their progeny for the treatment of retinal degeneration. I continued this work in a post-doctoral capacity following the end of my PhD. I also completed my MD training, and am currently a resident physician in ophthalmology at the University of Toronto. My goal is to continue to develop my research program as an ophthalmologist-scientist with a strong basic/translational research program, using clinical problems to inform my research. My interests lie at the intersection of retinal neurobiology and applied science, as related to stem cell biology and bioengineering.