Carmen Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A.

An executive officer from a California University
Appointed by the Governor

Prior to assuming the deanship of the Keck School of Medicine on November l, 2007, Dr. Puliafito served as director of the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and chair of the Department of Ophthalmology of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Before joining Bascom Palmer, Dr. Puliafito served as founding director of the New England Eye Center and chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Tufts University from 1991 to 2001.

Dr. Puliafito started his career at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School, where he was founder of the Laser Research Laboratory, director of the Morse Laser Center, a member of the Retina Service, and associate professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. He is recognized as co-inventor of the technology of optical coherence tomography (OCT), and was the first ophthalmologist to use this technology to study the human macula in health and disease. For his work on OCT, Dr. Puliafito was awarded (along with James Fujimoto and Eric Swanson) the 2002 Rank Prize -- the world’s most prestigious award in optoelectronics.

Throughout his career, Dr. Puliafito has been an innovator, most recently participating in the introduction of bevacizumab (Avastin) for the treatment of retinal disorders. He was the first to describe the use of a semiconductor diode laser for retinal photocoagulation, and pioneered basic science research in excimer laser photoablation and optical breakdown and photodisruption.

Dr. Puliafito has a BS from Harvard University, a Doctor of Medicine, magna cum laude from Harvard Medical School and an MBS from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.