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Jessica Shantha

  • Department of Ophthalmology
    Adjunct Assistant Professor
Head shot of Jessica Shantha

Overview

Jessica Shantha, MD, joined Emory Eye Centers faculty in September 2017. She graduated with a bachelor of science degree in biology, magna cum laude, from the University of Georgia. She earned her medical degree, summa cum laude, from Morehouse School of Medicine, then completed a transitional year program at Presbyterian/St. Lukes Medical Center, and an ophthalmology residency at Emory. She followed residency with a clinical and research fellowship in medical retina disease at Retina Consultants of Hawaii. In addition, she spent a year as the Heed Ophthalmic Foundation clinical uveitis fellow with the Francis I. Proctor Foundation.

During her residency at Emory, Dr. Shantha became involved with research related to how Ebola virus disease can affect survivors vision and the eye itself. She has published on the topic in scientific journals such as Ophthalmology, Current Opinions in Ophthalmology, and the New England Journal of Medicine and continues to be involved in on-going efforts in West Africa.

In January 2018, Dr. Shantha was selected to participate as a scholar in the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) Program at Emory University.

The BIRCWH program gives you the tools and resources to develop into a clinician scientist, including enrollment into the MSCR program, mentorship, and the time to successfully complete a research study. It is these tools that will lay the ground work for future clinical research, says Shantha. I am committed to a career in academic medicine as an educator and clinician-scientist.

Her academic and clinical interests include infectious and non-infectious uveitis, emerging pathogen discovery, and addressing clinical and research gaps within uveitis and retinal disease in international health care settings.

National Recognition
Dr. Shantha holds memberships in the Georgia Society of Ophthalmology, American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Uveitis Society, and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. She also is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.

Areas of Clinical Interest
Noninfectious and infectious uveitis
Diabetic retinopathy
Age-related macular degeneration

Academic Appointment

  • Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory Eye Center

Education

Degrees

  • BS, Biology from University of Georgia
  • MD from Morehouse School of Medicine

Research

Publications

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