Meet the PI
Danielle M. Robertson, O.D., Ph.D.
Danielle M. Robertson, O.D., Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at UT Southwestern Medical Center and member of the Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine (CRSM). She is part of the Immunology and Cell and Molecular Biology graduate programs and directs the Advanced Dry Eye Specialty Clinic at UT Southwestern.
Dr. Robertson completed her clinical training at the University of Houston College of Optometry, where she later earned a Ph.D. in physiological optics and vision science. She joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2007.
She is a Diplomate in the Cornea, Contact Lenses, and Refractive Technologies section of the American Academy of Optometry; a Fellow of the British Contact Lens Association; a Fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology; and a council member for the International Society of Contact Lens Research. She serves on the editorial board of The Ocular Surface and several other journals.
Dr. Robertson is an IF/THEN Ambassador for the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a program designed to inspire young girls to pursue careers in STEM fields. Additionally, she is a member of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, the American Society for Cell Biology, the American Society for Microbiology, the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles, and the International Society for IGF Research.
Dr. Robertson’s laboratory is funded by two major research grants from the National Eye Institute. She also directs a training grant for medical student research that is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Her laboratory is focused on investigating the impact of systemic and infectious diseases on the cornea and ocular surface. This includes clinical, translational, and basic studies aimed at elucidating the cellular and molecular signaling pathways that are altered during disease. She was a two-time Ezell Fellow and the only optometrist in the nation ever to receive a prestigious Scientific Career Development Award from Research to Prevent Blindness.