James Anthony Stefater, MD, PhD

Education

Bio

Dr. Stefater is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Retinal Specialists and is an Assistant in Ophthalmology, Active Staff, at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.

Dr. Stefater was born in Louisville, Kentucky where he graduated from Centre College Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He then completed M.D. and Ph.D. degrees in the Medical Scientist Training Program and the University of Cincinnati. His Ph.D. work was conducted at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and focused on the developmental biology of retinal blood vessels. His thesis work was published in Nature. He then completed his intern year in internal medicine at the University of Cincinnati followed by his Ophthalmology residency and vitreoretinal surgery fellowship at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Stefater has also co-founded a venture-backed biotech startup (Pykus Therapeutics) that is developing a new way of performing retina surgery that will eliminate the post-operative burden currently placed on patients after surgery.

Dr. Stefater has over 20 publications, 6 patent applications, and has given podium presentations at over 25 national meetings including the 2019 meetings of the American Society of Retina Specialists, Vail Vectrectomy, Vit-Buckle Society, the Atlantic Coast Retina Club and Nantucket Retina.

Dr. Stefater’s clinical interests include disease of the vitreous and retina with a special interest in complex retinal surgical cases.

Certifications

• American Board of Ophthalmology – Board Certified
• American Academy of Ophthalmology – Member
• Massachusetts Medical Society – Member
• Massachusetts Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons – Member
• American Society of Retina Specialists – Member