Dr. Robert Hufnagel is a clinical fellow at the Ophthalmic Genetics and Visual Function Branch of the National Eye Institute. This branch of the National Institutes of Health plans and conducts clinical and laboratory research of gene expression, molecular genetics, cell biology, and molecular interactions important to the eye, and applies clinically relevant research findings to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases affecting the eye and the visual system. The goal of Dr. Hufnagel’s cutting edge research program applies the scientific approaches of developmental biology and molecular genetics to hereditary ophthalmic diseases to improve diagnosis and ultimately vision for these patients. As a physician-scientist, Dr. Hufnagel has developed a translational research program using genomic sequencing to identify disease etiologies to discover novel disease genes and molecular targets for therapeutic trials. His medical and research training has centered around clinical genetics, next-generation sequencing, bioinformatics, genome editing, induced pluripotent stem cells, and animal models including mouse, zebrafish, and lizard. Dr. Hufnagel received his Ph.D. in neuroscience and his M.D. from The University of Cincinnati. He has published numerous publications and received many accolades for his work including the Director’s Award from the National Eye Institute.

Gene expression, molecular genetics, cell biology, and molecular interactions important to the eye, and applies clinically relevant research findings to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases affecting the eye and the visual system.