J. Crawford Downs, PhD

J. Crawford Downs, PhD, is a professor of Ophthalmology, Biomedical Engineering and Computer and Information Sciences, and vice chair of Research for the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Ophthalmology. Dr. Downs joined the UAB faculty in 2012 as the founding director of the Ocular Biomechanics and Biotransport Program. This program is a multidisciplinary effort to study the underlying disease pathophysiologies of blinding eye conditions through an engineering-based framework of biomechanics, mechanobiology, and biostransport. As part of the program, Dr. Downs’ current research focuses specifically on the impact of IOP, OPP, CSFP, aging, and African heritage on the development and progression of glaucoma. He uses experimental and computational approaches in both  human donor eyes and unique animal models of glaucoma equipped with IOP and OPP radiotelemetry to investigate how ocular biomechanics influences glaucoma pathogenesis and progression from the organ scale down to the cellular scale. Dr. Downs is widely published and serves as principal investigator on two active NIH R01 grants and as a co-investigator on several others.