About Us
Our mission is to be the premiere, world-leading, academic-based center for artificial intelligence in ophthalmology.
Our Team
T. Y. Alvin Liu, M.D.
James P. Gills, Jr. M.D., and Heather Gills Rising Professor of AI
Inaugural Director of the Gills AI Innovation Center
Retina Division
Internal Advisory Committee
Jiang Qian, M.S., Ph.D.
Karl H. Hagen Professor of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute
Ocular Molecular Biology
I am particularly enthusiastic about the potential of integrating genomic data with clinical imaging data to develop innovative diagnostic tools and identify therapeutic targets for retinal diseases.
Laura Ensign, Ph.D.
Marcella E. Woll Professor of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute
Nanomedicine Division
As the Vice Chair for research, I am highly motivated to support Wilmer’s research efforts, including this exciting endeavor into AI.
Nakul S Shekhawat, M.D., M.P.H.
Stephen F Raab and Mariellen Brickley-Raab Rising Professor of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute
Division of Cornea, Cataract and External Diseases
I’d like to play a key role in advancing Wilmer's training dataset assembly, algorithm training, clinical deployment, and real-world validation for anterior segment indications.
Jithin Yohannan, M.D., M.P.H.
Boone Pickens Rising Professor of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute
Glaucoma Division
Given my extensive experience in AI model development, clinical and surgical patient care, and strong cross-disciplinary collaborations with the Department of Computer Science, I can substantially contribute to the Gills Wilmer AI Center.
Ji Yi, Ph.D.
Boone Pickens Rising Professor of Ophthalmology and Biomedical Engineering, Wilmer Eye Institute
Ophthalmology and Biomedical Engineering
My research centers on imaging signals, and we intend to enhance our ML/AI-based diagnostic methods in the coming years.
Neil Bressler, M.D.
James P. Gills Professor of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute
Retina Division
My research interests include pursuits of clinically relevant, novel investigations into methods of AI as they apply to ophthalmology.
Nicholas Mahoney, M.D.
Chief, Oculoplastics Division
As Vice Chair of Information Technology & Data Science, I will provide critical Wilmer IT and Data Science support.
Morton Goldberg, M.D.
Joseph Green Professor of Ophthalmology & Director Emeritus, Wilmer Eye Institute
Amir H. Kashani, M,D,, Ph,D.
Boone Pickens Professor of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute
Retina Division
Cindy Xinji Cai, M.D.
Jonathan and Marcia Javitt Rising Professor of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute
Retina Division
As someone who does big data research, I have a vested and personal interest in helping to guide the development of these communal resources.
Boris I. Gramatikov, Ph.D.
Division of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus
Shameema Sikder, M.D.
L. Douglas Lee and Barbara Levinson-Lee Professorship of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute
Director, Center of Excellence for Ophthalmic Surgical Education and Training
Division of Cornea, Cataract and External Diseases
As a fellow faculty member at the Malone Center, I have been the beneficiary of a multi-disciplinary approach in advance AI methods in the objective assessment of surgical skill.
Elia J. Duh, M.D.
G. Edward and G. Britton Durell Professor of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute
Retina Division
As a retina specialist, I am very interested in the development of AI for diagnosis and prediction of retinal conditions including DR and AMD, including response to treatment.
Mandeep Singh, M.D.
Andreas C. Dracopoulos Professorship in Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute
Retina Division
Core Values
- Open to all Wilmer faculty members
- Focus on scientific sustainability and fiscal responsibility
- Achieve real-world impact through translation of AI products into clinical practice
- Proactively collaborate with academic centers, foundations and industries
- Think outside the box
- Move fast without sacrificing core values
- Always ready to pivot in response to the evolving landscape
Long-Term Goals
Ongoing
- Generate extramural research funding that total more than $ 1 million in direct costs
- Create a core of staff members (partial or full FTE) who support the operations of the AI center, such as an administrator, computer scientists, research fellows and research assistants
- Create a newsletter that initially gets published once a year
- Train at least one foundational AI model that will be made available to all Wilmer faculty members for further finetuning and adaptation
- Deploy at least one AI-based clinical decision support tool (such as an assistive diagnostic or triaging algorithm) within the Wilmer/JHU clinical environment, for example under the auspices of an IRB-approved prospective research study.
- Create a constantly updated image and/or video database that is AI ready
- Establish long-term collaboration agreements with at least two external partners, such industry partners
- Secure additional donations that total more than $ 1 million
Completed
- Establish an innovator award given out annually in the format of a seed grant, which aims to produce enough pilot data for an extramural grant application
- Establish an external advisory committee that initially meets quarterly to review progress and provides strategic directions
- Establish an internal advisory committee that initially meets quarterly to review progress and provides advice on operational matters
- Create a curated list of AI publications and grant awards
- Establish a centralized compute resource for both data storage and analysis that will be made free of charge to all Wilmer faculty members