Michael H Elliott, PhD

Dr. Elliott is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology in the Dean McGee Eye Institute of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Dr. Elliott received his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas and went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Dr. Elliott’s research focuses on the role(s) that membrane domains regulate cell function in physiological and pathological ocular diseases including retinal degenerations, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. The BrightFocus-supported project will test the hypothesis that membrane domains, called caveolae, provide mechanosensitive platforms to couple changes in eye pressure to fluid drainage. In addition to this BrightFocus award, Dr. Elliott has recently received a prestigious Young Investigator award from the Alcon Research Institute. Other projects in his laboratory are supported by the National Eye Institute, the American Diabetes Association, and the Oklahoma Center for Adult Stem Cell Research.