Thomas M. Lietman, MD

Education: Yale College , BA, Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, MD National Eye Institute, HHMI-NIH, Bethesda, MD, Fellow Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Residency Ophthalmology F.I. Proctor Foundation, UCSF, Fellow, Cornea & External Diseases, and Uveitis Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, UCSF, Fellow, Modeling of Infectious Diseases Santa Fe Institute, Complex Systems, Summer School

Dr. Lietman is investigating what community treatment strategies are most effective in eliminating trachoma. He and Dr. Porco are constructing mathematical models to determine who within communities needs to be targeted, how often communities need to be treated, and whether the World Health Organization’s antibiotic treatment program is in danger of generating significant drug resistance. He and Dr. Keenan are conducting clinical trials that evaluate the long term effect of mass antibiotic treatment of trachoma to determine if infectious trachoma can, indeed, be eliminated with repeat community antibiotic treatment. Drs Lietman, Acharya, Keenan, and Rose-Nussbaumer are running corneal ulcer trials in collaboration with the Aravind Eye Care System in South India and corneal ulcer prevention trials in collaboration with Seva, Bharatpur Eye Hosptial, and Aravind.