Community-Based Trials for Trachoma, Corneal Ulcer, and Vision Screening
About
Dr. Keenan leads NIH-funded community-randomized trials aimed at preventing blindness in low-resource settings. His trachoma work spans the water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions of the SWIFT trials in Ethiopia and the development of new monitoring methods — including metagenomic deep sequencing and conjunctival photography — for programs approaching the elimination endgame.
Through the Village-Integrated Eye Worker Trials in Nepal and India, he has tested whether training community health workers to treat corneal abrasions can prevent corneal ulcers at population scale. He also leads the Parasitic Ulcer Treatment Trial, addressing Acanthamoeba keratitis.
A parallel line of work brings screening technology to underserved populations closer to home: smartphone photography for trachoma grading, mobile visual acuity and autorefraction, and telehealth approaches to detecting glaucoma and other vision-threatening disease among high-risk Californians — along with the harder question of how to keep people connected to care after a screening finds something.
Education & Training
MD, 2003 — Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
MPH —
Key Collaborators
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UCSF Profile & Full Publication List
Research Areas: Trachoma, Corneal Ulcer, Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vision Screening, Telehealth, Epidemiology & Surveillance
Field Sites: Ethiopia, Nepal
Clinical Trials
Recruiting
Glaucoma Screening to Enhance At-Risk Californians' Health
Conditions: Glaucoma
Period: Feb 2026 – Sep 2029 (est.)
Strategies for Improving Linkage-to-Care After Eye Disease Screening
Conditions: Macular degeneration; Diabetes; Glaucoma; Treatment adherence
Period: Feb 2026 – Jun 2028 (est.)
Parasitic Ulcer Treatment Trial
Conditions: Acanthamoeba keratitis
Period: Jul 2024 – Jul 2029 (est.)
Village-Integrated Eye Worker Trial II
Conditions: Macular degeneration; Diabetes; Glaucoma
Period: Apr 2019 – Aug 2029 (est.)
Research Funding
Active
Novel telehealth technologies to detect and manage glaucoma and vision-threatening eye diseases in high-risk populations
Award: NIH U01 DP006820
Role: Principal Investigator
Period: Sep 2024 – Sep 2029
Village-Integrated Eye Worker Trial II (VIEW II) Extension
Award: NIH UG1 EY036346
Role: Principal Investigator
Period: Sep 2024 – Aug 2029
Parasitic Ulcer Treatment Trial
Award: NIH UG1 EY033284
Role: Principal Investigator
Period: Sep 2023 – Mar 2028
Exploring the role of metagenomic deep sequencing for trachoma
Award: NIH R21 EY036443
Role: Principal Investigator
Period: Sep 2024 – Aug 2026
Integrating smartphone photography for trachoma, smartphone visual acuity assessment, and mobile autorefraction to enhance community-based public health monitoring
Award: NIH R33 EY033690
Role: Principal Investigator
Period: Sep 2023 – Aug 2026 (R33 phase; R21 phase Sep 2021 – Aug 2023)
Completed
Developing methods for the use of conjunctival photographs for trachoma monitoring
Award: NIH R21 EY036022
Role: Principal Investigator
Period: Jul 2024 – Jun 2026
Village-Integrated Eye Worker Trial II (VIEW II)
Award: NIH UG1 EY028097
Role: Principal Investigator
Period: Sep 2018 – Jun 2024
Sanitation, Water, and Instruction in Face-washing for Trachoma II (SWIFT II)
Award: NIH UG1 EY023939
Role: Principal Investigator
Period: Sep 2014 – Aug 2024
Sanitation, Water, and Instruction in Face-washing for Trachoma (SWIFT)
Award: NIH U10 EY023939
Role: Principal Investigator
Period: Sep 2014 – Sep 2019
Planning Grant for Parasitic Ulcer Treatment Trial
Award: NIH R34 EY022368
Role: Principal Investigator
Period: May 2012 – Oct 2014
Optimal trachoma control after mass antibiotic distributions
Award: NIH K23 EY019071
Role: Principal Investigator
Period: Aug 2008 – Sep 2013
Trial and award details from UCSF Profiles. Last reviewed August 2026.