Deborah K. VanderVeen, MD, an international expert and leader in pediatric cataract and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), was promoted to Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School (HMS), effective March 1, 2022.
An accomplished clinician scientist and Director of the Pediatric Cataract Service at Boston Children’s Hospital, Dr. VanderVeen is nationally known for her expertise in complex pediatric cataracts, as well as the treatment of ROP, attracting referrals from across the country. Cataract surgery in infants is an entirely different procedure than in adults, and she played a critical role in defining and advancing the use of intraocular lenses in infants and young children.
A faculty member at Boston Children’s Hospital for 22 years, Dr. VanderVeen also helped to establish the hospital’s Retinoblastoma Program, currently serves as Treasurer of the Children’s Hospital Ophthalmology Foundation, and previously served as the hospital’s Director of Ophthalmology Fellowship training. She has also led efforts at Boston Children’s Hospital to create the first telemedicine retinopathy of prematurity program in the country that allows clinicians to provide care via a remote reading center.
An exceptional researcher and scholar, Dr. VanderVeen has lectured nationally and internationally on pediatric cataracts and ROP and has co-led a number of National Eye Institute (NIH)-sponsored clinical trials. Recently, she was the site principal investigator for an NIH-supported Infant Aphakia Treatment Study that has set the standard for care of infants with cataracts.
Dr. VanderVeen is also a dedicated teacher, training dozens of emerging leaders in pediatric ophthalmology and organizing numerous educational workshops on pediatric cataracts and ROP. The quality of her teaching at these conferences has led to invited named lectureships at academic institutions around the country, including the 2019 Lorand Johnson Invited Lectureship at the Cleveland Ophthalmological Society University Hospitals Grand Rounds. She has received numerous awards and honors, including Senior Achievement Awards from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, and was recently elected to the prestigious American Ophthalmological Society.