Robert Avery, M.D.
Robert L. Avery, MD is the founder and CEO of California Retina Consultants, Santa Barbara CA. He received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University and took his ophthalmology training there at the Wilmer Eye Institute. He completed a vitreoretinal fellowship at Duke University under Dr. Robert Machemer, the father of modern vitreous surgery. Dr. Avery returned to Johns Hopkins as Assistant Chief of Service and head of the trauma unit. He later went on to found California Retina Consultants, which grew into one of the largest retina practices in California, and recently merged with several other national practices to form Retina Consultants of America. During the growth and expansion of CRC, Dr. Avery continued clinical and basic science research, especially in the field of angiogenesis and VEGF. He and his colleagues at CRC had a role in pioneering the clinical use of anti-VEGF agents for retinal diseases. He co-founded the California Retina Research Foundation, which currently has over 30 active clinical research trials ongoing.
Dr. Avery has received numerous honors and awards, including Senior honor awards from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Retina Specialists, where he served on the board of directors. He was the first recipient of the Ronald G. Michels Fellowship Award. He is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Retina Society, the Macula Society, the American Society of Retinal Specialists, the Vit-Buckle Society, and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. He is a member of the Medical Leadership Board of Retina Consultants of America.
Dr. Avery is the co-editor of Retina Today, and he has published roughly 100 peer-reviewed articles or book chapters on retinal diseases. His interests include the development of improved retinal drugs and their delivery, and he holds patents in retinal drug delivery. He lectures nationally and internationally and consults for dozens of pharmaceutical companies. He is a partner in two ophthalmology venture capital companies, and he is on the board of several start-up companies developing ocular drugs and improving their delivery.
