Michael Risner, PhD

Dr. Risner is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. He completed his PhD training in Vision Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Risner then moved to Vanderbilt University for post-doctoral training in retinal neurobiology. Afterwards, he was a staff scientist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, studying the pathophysiology of glaucoma. Now, the goal of Dr. Risner's lab is to understand mechanisms regulating intercellular signaling and cargoes during health and disease. His lab models neuron and glial networks using cells derived from human embryonic stem cells. These studies will inform novel targets and therapeutics for the treatment of age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as glaucoma.