Members

Dr. D’Amore earned her PhD in Biology from Boston University, was a postdoctoral fellow in Biological Chemistry and Ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins Medical School, then moved to Boston Children’s Hospital as Assistant Professor where she remains Research Associate in Surgery. She earned an MBA in Finance from Northeastern University in Boston. In 1998, she became Charles L. Schepens Professor of Ophthalmology and Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School and a Senior Scientist at Mass. Eye and Ear. She is the Associate Chief of Basic and Translational Research for Ophthalmology at Mass. Eye and Ear and the Vice Chair of Basic and Translational Research for the Department of Ophthalmology.

Dr. D’Amore is an international expert in vascular growth and development and has been at the forefront of angiogenesis research for over three decades. In collaboration with a group from Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Mass. Eye and Ear (MEE), she contributed to the scientific foundation for anti-VEGF therapies for which she and her colleagues received the 2015 António Champalimaud Award. Her laboratory also developed a mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy, which is widely used for investigations of vascular development and preclinical studies of vascular-targeting agents. She has revealed important physiological roles of VEGF, yielding insight into the safe use of anti-angiogenic therapies. Her current interests are two-fold: (i) the endothelial glycocalyx in the regulation of endothelial- leukocyte interactions and angiogenesis and (ii) lipid handling by the retinal pigment epithelium in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration.

Dr. D’Amore has published more than 165 peer-reviewed papers, 75 reviews, and edited or co-edited two books. She is the recipient of the Alcon Research Award, Cogan Award from the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, the Rous-Whipple Award from the Society of Investigative Pathology, the Endre A. Balazs Award from the International Society for Eye Research, and the Protor Medal from the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. She was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2018.
Dr. D’Amore has won numerous awards for her role as a mentor and teacher, having trained over 70 undergraduate, graduate and medical students, and postdoctoral fellows including the A. Clifford Barger Excellence in Mentoring Award from HMS, Everett Mendelsohn Excellence in Mentoring Award from Harvard University and the 2016 William Silen Lifeteime Achievement in Mentoring Award from HMS.