Research
The lab studies the molecular mechanisms that regulate the transition of angiogenesis to fibrovascular proliferation in ischemic retinopathies. Fibrovascular proliferation leads to scar tissue formation which is the main cause of blindness in ischemic retinopathies. With the use of preclinical mouse models of ischemic retinopathies including limited hyperoxia induced proliferative retinopathy (LHIPR) and oxygen induced retinopathy (OIR) and mouse genetic tools, we aim to identify potential therapeutic targets to pause and potentially reverse the processes critical to the transition from angiogenesis to fibrosis.
Biography
Dr. Fawzi finished her medical degree on a scholarship program at the Cairo University Medical School in Egypt. She had rotating internships at the Cairo University Hospital where she also took her residency program in Ophthalmology. In the US, she had her Research and Medical Retina Fellowship at the Jules Stein Eye Institute, UCLA and continued as a General Surgery intern and then moved on as an Ophthalmology resident. Then, she went into the Doheny Eye Institute at the USC as a fellow in Vitreoretinal disease and surgery. She was the Cyrus Tang and Lee Jampol endowed Professor at Northwestern University.
Dr. Fawzi joined Cleveland Clinic, Cole Eye Institute in 2026 where she is Director of Ocular Imaging Research in Oculomics and divides her time between her clinical/surgical practice and her NIH-funded research.
She has authored/coauthored over 200 peer-reviewed articles, has delivered six Named Lectureships and has been elected as a member of the Retina, Macula and American Ophthalmological Societies, the most prestigious in Ophthalmology. She has received the Honor Award of the American Society of Retina Specialists, the Young Investigator and the W. Richard Green Awards of the Macula Society, the Secretariat and the Achievement Awards of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and is a Gold Fellow of the Association of Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. She has been consistently funded by the NIH since 2011 and currently serves as Chair of the NEI PED1 study section. She is a founding member and President of the International Ocular Circulation Society, and Trustee of the Board of the Association of Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. She was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation in 2024.
Education & Professional Highlights
Appointed
2026
Education
- Fellowship: University of California Doheny Eye Institute, 2006
- Residency: UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, 2004
- Internship: UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, 2001
- Graduate School: cairo university medical school, 2000
- Graduate School: cairo university medical school, 1997
- Residency: Cairo University, 1997
- Medical Education: University of Cairo Faculty of Medicine, 1992
Board Certifications
- Ophthalmology: American Board of Ophthalmology, 2006
Professional Highlights
- Cyrus Tang and Lee Professor of Ophthalmology
- Tenured Professor of Ophthalmology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
- Internationally recognized retina specialist and clinician-scientist specializing in medical and surgical retina
- Board-certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology
- Fluent in Spanish, German, and Arabic
- Has served as editor and editorial board member for several leading ophthalmology journals, including Retina, Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, and Scientific Reports
- Principal Investigator on numerous NIH-funded research grants focused on retinal imaging, diabetic retinopathy, and retinal vascular disease
Professional Memberships
- American Academy of Ophthalmology
- Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)
- American Society of Retina Specialists
- American Ophthalmological Society
- American Society for Clinical Investigation (Elected Member)
- Retina Society
- Macula Society
- Women in Ophthalmology
- Chicago Ophthalmological Society
- Illinois Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons
- International Ocular Circulation Society (Founding Executive Board Member)
- International Retinal Imaging Society (Executive Board Member)
Research
Research
The lab studies the molecular mechanisms that regulate the transition of angiogenesis to fibrovascular proliferation ischemic retinopathies. Fibrovascular proliferation leads to scar tissue formation which is the main cause of blindness in ischemic retinopathies. With the use of preclinical mouse models of ischemic retinopathies including limited hyperoxia induced proliferative retinopathy (LHIPR) and oxygen induced retinopathy (OIR) and mouse genetic tools, we aim to identify potential therapeutic targets to pause and potentially reverse the processes critical to the transition from angiogenesis to fibrosis.
Our Team
Selected Publications
View publications for Amani Fawzi, MD
(Disclaimer: This search is powered by PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. PubMed is a third-party website with no affiliation with Cleveland Clinic.)
Scheri, K. C., Hsieh, Y.-W., Tedeschi, T., Hurley, J. B., & Fawzi, A. A. (2026). Müller cell glutamine metabolism links photoreceptor and endothelial injury in diabetic retinopathy [Article]. Life Science Alliance, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.26508/lsa.202503434
Greenwood, J. I., Fadakar, K., Hsieh, Y.-W., & Fawzi, A. A. (2025). Characterizing pericytes and the vascular transition zones of the human macula in postmortem eyes [Article]. Fluids and Barriers of the CNS, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12987-025-00730-0
Bhakuni, T., Norden, P. R., Ujiie, N., Tan, C., Lee, S. K., Tedeschi, T., Hsieh, Y.-W., Wang, Y., Liu, T., Fawzi, A. A., & Kume, T. (2024). FOXC1 regulates endothelial CD98 (lat1/4f2hc) expression in retinal angiogenesis and blood-retina barrier formation [Article]. Nature Communications, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-48134-2
Corano Scheri, K., & Fawzi, A. A. (2024). Single-cell transcriptomics reveals novel role of microglia in fibrovascular membrane of proliferative diabetic retinopathy. diabetes 2022;71:762–773 [Letter]. Diabetes, 73(7), e6–e8. https://doi.org/10.2337/db24-0041
Fadakar, K., Rahmani, S., Tedeschi, T., Lavine, J. A., & Fawzi, A. A. (2024). Short term effect of pre-operative anti-vegf on angiogenic and fibrotic profile of fibrovascular membranes of proliferative diabetic retinopathy [Article]. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, 65(4). https://doi.org/10.1167/IOVS.65.4.37
Scheri, K. C., Tedeschi, T., & Fawzi, A. A. (2024). Single cell isolation from human diabetic fibrovascular membranes for single-cell RNA sequencing [Article]. Bio-Protocol, 14(20). https://doi.org/10.21769/BioProtoc.5096
Corano Scheri, K., Hsieh, Y.-W., Jeong, E., & Fawzi, A. A. (2023). Limited hyperoxia-induced proliferative retinopathy (LHIPR) as a model of retinal fibrosis, angiogenesis, and inflammation [Article]. Cells, 12(20). https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12202468
Scheri, K. C., Lavine, J. A., Tedeschi, T., Thomson, B. R., & Fawzi, A. A. (2023). Single-cell transcriptomics analysis of proliferative diabetic retinopathy fibrovascular membranes reveals AEBP1 as fibrogenesis modulator [Article]. JCI Insight, 8(23). https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.172062
Tedeschi, T., Lee, K., Zhu, W., & Fawzi, A. A. (2022). Limited hyperoxia-induced proliferative retinopathy: A model of persistent retinal vascular dysfunction, preretinal fibrosis and hyaloidal vascular reprogramming for retinal rescue [Article]. PLoS ONE, 17(4 April). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267576
Careers
We are looking for motivated individuals who share our enthusiasm for science and discovery. Individuals of all backgrounds are welcome to apply, but especially those who will thrive in a cohesive and collaborative collegial environment that fosters scientific curiosity, rigor and growth.
Prospective postdocs should email Dr. Amani Fawzi ([email protected]) their CV, a brief description (<one page) of their research interests and career goals, and contact information for three references.
Interested graduate students should email Dr. Amani Fawzi ([email protected]) to discuss potential projects.
Come join our team and enjoy all that the Cole Eye Institute, Lerner Research Institute, and Cleveland Clinic Foundation has to offer!