Doheny Eye Institute Welcomes Emma Lessieur-Contreras, MD, PhD, as Principal Investigator

Dr. Lessieur-Contreras will continue her groundbreaking research on understanding the early stages of diabetic retinopathy

PASADENA, CA – JUNE 12, 2025 – Doheny Eye Institute, one of the nation’s leading vision research institutions for more than 75 years, is adding to its panel of remarkable vision scientists with the appointment of Emma Lessieur-Contreras, MD, PhD, as Principal Investigator. Dr. Lessieur-Contreras also will be a faculty member in the UCLA Department of Ophthalmology as an Assistant Professor-in-Residence.

“Dr. Lessieur-Contreras is pursuing compelling research that will complement and help propel Doheny Eye Institute’s work on diabetic retinopathy even further,” said Deborah Ferrington, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Doheny Eye Institute. “Doheny’s commitment to groundbreaking vision research is second to none, and we look forward to seeing what Dr. Lessieur-Contreras will achieve as part of our team.”

Dr. Lessieur-Contreras earned her medical degree from the Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas in Mexico and completed her PhD in Molecular Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. Her research journey spans from exploring retinal genetics and photoreceptor function in zebrafish models to impactful work in diabetic retinopathy. Most recently, during her postdoctoral training at the University of California, Irvine under Dr. Timothy Kern, she investigated how extracellular vesicles mediate immune signaling in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy.

“Doheny Eye Institute is a highly respected beacon of research excellence, and I am eager to continue my research on diabetic retinopathy alongside experts in this field,” said Dr. Lessieur-Contreras. “The state-of-the-art research facilities at Doheny’s Pasadena campus, coupled with its visionary leaders, create the setting and opportunities to think bigger, collaborate and push forward innovative new approaches to vision science.”

The pioneering work conducted by Dr. Lessieur-Contreras is supported by a prestigious K99/R00 MOSAIC Career Transition Award from the National Eye Institute.