Dr. Chakravarthy is professor of ophthalmology and vision sciences at the Queen’s University of Belfast. She was promoted to professor in 1999 with a joint consultant appointment to the Royal Victoria Hospital. Her clinical interests lie in the management of retinal disorders and she has been the lead clinician for medical retina since her appointment. She was appointed clinical director for Ophthalmology Services in the Belfast Trust in 2010, leading a group of 50 clinical medical staff. She relinquished this post in 2014, but maintained her lead clinical role in the macular service.

Dr. Chakravarthy has a varied portfolio of research interests and has worked on the cell and molecular biology of vasoactive retinal peptides and profiled the alterations in gene expression in the retina under conditions of simulated hyperglycemia in experimental in vitro and in vivo studies. Her current research involves studies on understanding of retinal and choroidal vascular diseases as well as degenerative aging changes contributing to sight loss in older adults.

Dr. Chakravarthy is recognized internationally for her work on age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Her interests lie in the pathogenesis and key risk factors including gene and environment interactions and clinical management of these disorders.

Dr. Chakravarthy has written in excess of 300 publications and many book chapters. She was chairperson of the ophthalmology specialty group for the UK Clinical Research Network and is a member of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists Academic Group.

On an international level, she is on the advisory panel for the AMD alliance, Lasker Foundation; the credentials and scientific committee of the macula society; and the awards committee member for the Association for Research and Vision in Ophthalmology. She has been on the editorial board of national and international journals and remains a member of the oversight committee for JAMA Ophthalmology. She is a member of the scientific panel for the German Medical Research Council and the Australian Health Foundation.

Dr. Chakravarthy has delivered many eponymous and other invited lectures in the UK and abroad and currently serves on the advisory boards of several national and international governmental organizations. She was honoured recently in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List with the award of Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for her services to ophthalmology and voluntary service to managing eye conditions.

Financial Disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
 

1. Novartis
2. Bayer
3. Ophthotech
4. Allergan
5. Alimera Sciences
6. Heidelberg Engineering
7. Zeiss