Carmen A. Puliafito joins Ophthotech as chief of strategic development

Carmen A. Puliafito , MD, MBA, has been appointed as chief of strategic development at Ophthotech, according to a company press release.

“Throughout his career, Carmen has been at the forefront of revolutionary and groundbreaking technology for retinal disorders. I am confident that his legacy of innovation, bold ideas, and creative business models will prove to be huge assets for patients and our stakeholders," Samir Patel, MD, president and vice chairman of the board at Ophthotech, said in the release.

Most recently, Puliafito served as the Dean of the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California where he oversaw fundraising initiatives that resulted in more than $1 billion in gifts and pledges to the institution and integration of 19 disparate practices into a single faculty practice under USC’s ownership, according to the release.

Puliafito has also served as chair and professor of the Department of Ophthalmology at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and was founding director of the New England Eye Center, as well as chair and professor of the Department of Ophthalmology at Tufts University.

"Wet AMD is a growing epidemic with major unmet need. Throughout my career I have dedicated myself to foster a productive relationship with industry and academia to introduce effective solutions for patients. I am particularly pleased to become part of this dynamic and driven team with shared values," Puliafito said in the release.

Puliafito’s accomplishments further include co-invention of optical coherence tomography, for which he and other co-inventors were awarded the Rank Prize for optoelectronics and the Champalimaud Vision Award.