Divya Srikumaran, M.D., an associate professor of ophthalmology and the vice chair for education at Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Medicine, has been named the chief of the institute’s Division of Cornea, Cataract and External Diseases.

After completing her residency and fellowship at Wilmer, Srikumaran joined the Wilmer faculty in 2011. From 2011-21 she was the medical director of the institute’s Odenton satellite clinic. She also served as associate residency program director from 2012-13 and residency program director from 2013-16. In 2017, she was named Wilmer’s vice chair for education.

Srikumaran has a track record of academic and clinical accomplishments. She has 100 peer-reviewed publications, serves on the editorial board of the journal Cornea, is a member of the board of directors of the Cornea Society and is currently co-chair of the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Cornea Subspecialty Day.

“I think it’s a really exciting opportunity to have an impact on our specialty and our division,” Srikumaran says of her new role. “It’s a privilege to be in this type of leadership role because it’s a chance to give back. We have a great team, and I’m looking forward to supporting our faculty to help them achieve their goals and advancing our overall mission of advancing the care for our patients with corneal and anterior segment disorders.”

As division chief, Srikumaran succeeds Albert Jun, M.D., Ph.D., who she describes as a mentor since her residency days. She says she hopes to carry on his legacy and leave her own mark on Wilmer as well.

Srikumaran wants to expand the capabilities of the cornea team by recruiting new faculty members to fill open roles and specialties, such as adding a pediatric cornea specialist. She hopes to continue making the cornea fellowship one of the top programs in the country to train the next generation of cornea specialists.

From a research perspective, Srikumaran wants to expand the number of clinical trials the team offers. “We’d like to be the lead center for new studies that bring treatments to patients that they can’t get elsewhere, especially with translational studies that will help bridge the gap between basic science research and patient care,” she says.

Peter J. McDonnell, M.D., the William Holland Wilmer Professor of Ophthalmology and director of the Wilmer Eye Institute, reflected upon Srikumaran’s appointment. “A former Wilmer resident and fellow, Divya embodies the qualities to which Wilmer aspires in its trainees. She is a gifted and caring clinician, an excellent surgeon, a remarkable teacher and a productive, highly published academician,” he says. “She has completed not one, but two prestigious leadership development programs and those experiences will stand her in good stead as she assumes the role of chief of a division that itself is larger than most departments of ophthalmology in our country. Wilmer will soon celebrate its centennial, and the next century will get off to an exciting start thanks to leaders like Divya Srikumaran.”

Srikumaran will continue to provide patient care at Wilmer’s East Baltimore and Odenton locations.