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Ian F. Pitha
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Ian F. Pitha, MD, PhD

Languages spoken: English

Clinical Locations

John A. Moran Eye Center

Pediatric Ophthalmology
Salt Lake City
801-581-2352

Midvalley Health Center

Murray
801-581-2955

Redwood Health Center

Ophthalmology
Salt Lake City
801-213-8841

  • Ian F. Pitha, MD, PhD, is a physician-scientist specializing in the care of cataracts and the medical and surgical management of routine and complex glaucoma patients.

    Dr. Pitha earned his MD and PhD from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. He completed his residency at Washington 㽶Ƶ in St. Louis and was selected for an additional year as chief resident. He then completed a clinical and surgical fellowship at The Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute Glaucoma Center of Excellence.

    He was a faculty member at Wilmer for 10 years, where he divided his time between patient care, teaching, and running a research lab as a core faculty member in the Center for Nanomedicine. He joined the John A. Moran Eye Center in 2024.

    Dr. Pitha sees patients at Moran’s 㽶Ƶ, Redwood, and Midvalley locations.

    Research Statement

    Dr. Pitha’s research focuses on improving care for glaucoma patients by developing effective and safe therapeutics that eliminate the need for using multiple prescription eye drops several times a day. He is associate director of the Alan S. Crandall Center for Glaucoma Innovation at Moran.

    Dr. Pitha has helped industry partners design and conduct foundational studies on novel approaches to glaucoma therapeutics and surgical implants. He has published extensively on ophthalmic drug delivery and glaucoma surgical implant design, and he has served as a reviewer for numerous journals and institutes.

    His lab studies the fundamental processes that underlie remodeling of the sclera — the white part of the eye — in glaucoma. Progress in this field could lead to therapies that create a protective barrier that shields the eye from high pressures in glaucoma. This novel therapeutic approach, called scleral neuroprotection, would be a paradigm shift in treatment because it could stop vision loss from glaucoma at its earliest stages.

    He is presently the co-principal investigator for a National Institutes of Health grant on improving glaucoma surgery: “Understanding and optimizing the influence of glaucoma drainage implant surface architecture and design to prevent post-operative fibrosis.” (R01EY035669)

    Specialties

    Board Certification

    American Board of Ophthalmology

  • Ian F. Pitha, MD, PhD, is a physician-scientist specializing in the care of cataracts and the medical and surgical management of routine and complex glaucoma patients.

    Dr. Pitha earned his MD and PhD from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. He completed his residency at Washington 㽶Ƶ in St. Louis and was selected for an additional year as chief resident. He then completed a clinical and surgical fellowship at The Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute Glaucoma Center of Excellence.

    He was a faculty member at Wilmer for 10 years, where he divided his time between patient care, teaching, and running a research lab as a core faculty member in the Center for Nanomedicine. He joined the John A. Moran Eye Center in 2024.

    Dr. Pitha sees patients at Moran’s 㽶Ƶ, Redwood, and Midvalley locations.

    Research Statement

    Dr. Pitha’s research focuses on improving care for glaucoma patients by developing effective and safe therapeutics that eliminate the need for using multiple prescription eye drops several times a day. He is associate director of the Alan S. Crandall Center for Glaucoma Innovation at Moran.

    Dr. Pitha has helped industry partners design and conduct foundational studies on novel approaches to glaucoma therapeutics and surgical implants. He has published extensively on ophthalmic drug delivery and glaucoma surgical implant design, and he has served as a reviewer for numerous journals and institutes.

    His lab studies the fundamental processes that underlie remodeling of the sclera — the white part of the eye — in glaucoma. Progress in this field could lead to therapies that create a protective barrier that shields the eye from high pressures in glaucoma. This novel therapeutic approach, called scleral neuroprotection, would be a paradigm shift in treatment because it could stop vision loss from glaucoma at its earliest stages.

    He is presently the co-principal investigator for a National Institutes of Health grant on improving glaucoma surgery: “Understanding and optimizing the influence of glaucoma drainage implant surface architecture and design to prevent post-operative fibrosis.” (R01EY035669)

    Board Certification and Academic Information

    Academic Departments Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences -Primary
    Board Certification
    American Board of Ophthalmology

    Education history

    Postdoctoral Fellowship Glaucoma - Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute Fellow
    Ophthalmology - Washington 㽶Ƶ School of Medicine in St. Louis Chief Resident
    Residency Ophthalmology - Washington 㽶Ƶ School of Medicine in St. Louis Resident
    Medicine - 㽶Ƶ of Maryland School of Medicine Intern
    Fellowship Dartmouth Medical School Research Fellow
    Pharmacology/Toxicology - Dartmouth Medical School M.D., Ph.D.
    Undergraduate Chemistry - Haverford College B.S.

    Selected Publications

    Journal Article

    1. Kannan RM, Pitha I, Parikh KS (2023). A new era in posterior segment ocular drug delivery: Translation of systemic, cell-targeted, dendrimer-based therapies. Adv Drug Deliv Rev, 200, 115005. ()
    2. Hsueh HT, Chou RT, Rai U, Liyanage W, Kim YC, Appell MB, Pejavar J, Leo KT, Davison C, Kolodziejski P, Mozzer A, Kwon H, Sista M, Anders NM, Hemingway A, Rompicharla SVK, Edwards M, Pitha I, Hanes J, Cummings MP, Ensign LM (2023). Machine learning-driven multifunctional peptide engineering for sustained ocular drug delivery. Nat Commun, 14(1), 2509. ()
    3. Pitha I, Kambhampati S, Sharma A, Sharma R, McCrea L, Mozzer A, Kannan RM (2023). Targeted Microglial Attenuation through Dendrimer-Drug Conjugates Improves Glaucoma Neuroprotection. Biomacromolecules, 24(3), 1355-1365. ()
    4. Josyula A, Mozzer A, Szeto J, Ha Y, Richmond N, Chung SW, Rompicharla SVK, Narayan J, Ramesh S, Hanes J, Ensign L, Parikh K, Pitha I (2023). Nanofiber-based glaucoma drainage implant improves surgical outcomes by modulating fibroblast behavior. Bioeng Transl Med, 8(3), e10487. ()
    5. Geyman LS, Pitha I, Yohannan J (2022). Reduced Intraocular Pressure Variability after Gonioscopy-Assisted Transluminal Trabeculotomy Procedure. Ophthalmol Glaucoma, 5(3), 336. ()
    6. Kim YC, Hsueh HT, Shin MD, Berlinicke CA, Han H, Anders NM, Hemingway A, Leo KT, Chou RT, Kwon H, Appell MB, Rai U, Kolodziejski P, Eberhart C, Pitha I, Zack DJ, Hanes J, Ensign LM (2021). A hypotonic gel-forming eye drop provides enhanced intraocular delivery of a kinase inhibitor with melanin-binding properties for sustained protection of retinal ganglion cells. Drug Deliv Transl Res, 12(4), 826-837. ()
    7. Khan S, Kirubarajan A, Lee M, Pitha I, Buckey JC Jr (2021). The Correlation Between Body Weight and Intraocular Pressure. Aerosp Med Hum Perform, 92(11), 886-897. ()
    8. Khan S, Kirubarajan A, Lee M, Pitha I, Buckey JC Jr (2021). The Correlation Between Body Weight and Intraocular Pressure. Aerosp Med Hum Perform, 92(11), 886-897. ()
    9. Hsueh HT, Kim YC, Pitha I, Shin MD, Berlinicke CA, Chou RT, Kimball E, Schaub J, Quillen S, Leo KT, Han H, Xiao A, Kim Y, Appell M, Rai U, Kwon H, Kolodziejski P, Ogunnaike L, Anders NM, Hemingway A, Jefferys JL, Date AA, Eberhart C, Johnson TV, Quigley HA, Zack DJ, Hanes J, Ensign LM (2021). Ion-Complex Microcrystal Formulation Provides Sustained Delivery of a Multimodal Kinase Inhibitor from the Subconjunctival Space for Protection of Retinal Ganglion Cells. Pharmaceutics, 13(5). ()
    10. Szeto J, Chow A, McCrea L, Mozzer A, Nguyen TD, Quigley HA, Pitha I (2021). Regional Differences and Physiologic Behaviors in Peripapillary Scleral Fibroblasts. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 62(1), 27. ()
    11. Kim YC, Shin MD, Hackett SF, Hsueh HT, Lima E Silva R, Date A, Han H, Kim BJ, Xiao A, Kim Y, Ogunnaike L, Anders NM, Hemingway A, He P, Jun AS, McDonnell PJ, Eberhart C, Pitha I, Zack DJ, Campochiaro PA, Hanes J, Ensign LM (2020). Gelling hypotonic polymer solution for extended topical drug delivery to the eye. Nat Biomed Eng, 4(11), 1053-1062. ()
    12. Bicket AK, Szeto J, Roeber P, Towler J, Troutman M, Craven ER, Khatana A, Ahmed I, Quigley H, Ramulu P, Pitha IF (2020). A novel bilayered expanded polytetrafluoroethylene glaucoma implant creates a permeable thin capsule independent of aqueous humor exposure. Bioeng Transl Med, 6(1), e10179. ()
    13. Parikh KS, Josyula A, Omiadze R, Ahn JY, Ha Y, Ensign LM, Hanes J, Pitha I (2020). Nano-structured glaucoma drainage implant safely and significantly reduces intraocular pressure in rabbits via post-operative outflow modulation. Sci Rep, 10(1), 12911. ()
    14. Korneva A, Schaub J, Jefferys J, Kimball E, Pease ME, Nawathe M, Johnson TV, Pitha I, Quigley H (2020). A method to quantify regional axonal transport blockade at the optic nerve head after short term intraocular pressure elevation in mice. Exp Eye Res, 196, 108035. ()
    15. Chow A, McCrea L, Kimball E, Schaub J, Quigley H, Pitha I (2020). Dasatinib inhibits peripapillary scleral myofibroblast differentiation. Exp Eye Res, 194, 107999. ()
    16. Iyer JV, Pitha I, Jampel HD, Boland MV (2019). Management of Tube-Related Hypotony Using Ab Interno Placement of Multifilament Nylon Suture to Reduce Flow. Ophthalmol Glaucoma, 2(4), 275-276. ()
    17. Pitha I, Oglesby E, Chow A, Kimball E, Pease ME, Schaub J, Quigley H (2018). Rho-Kinase Inhibition Reduces Myofibroblast Differentiation and Proliferation of Scleral Fibroblasts Induced by Transforming Growth Factor β and Experimental Glaucoma. Transl Vis Sci Technol, 7(6), 6. ()
    18. Kimball EC, Jefferys JL, Pease ME, Oglesby EN, Nguyen C, Schaub J, Pitha I, Quigley HA (2018). The effects of age on mitochondria, axonal transport, and axonal degeneration after chronic IOP elevation using a murine ocular explant model. Exp Eye Res, 172, 78-85. ()
    19. Varadaraj V, Kahook MY, Ramulu PY, Pitha IF (2018). Patient Acceptance of Sustained Glaucoma Treatment Strategies. J Glaucoma, 27(4), 328-335. ()
    20. Pitha I, Kimball EC, Oglesby EN, Pease ME, Fu J, Schaub J, Kim YC, Hu Q, Hanes J, Quigley HA (2018). Sustained Dorzolamide Release Prevents Axonal and Retinal Ganglion Cell Loss in a Rat Model of IOP-Glaucoma. Transl Vis Sci Technol, 7(2), 13. ()
    21. Miller SE, Thapa S, Robin AL, Niziol LM, Ramulu PY, Woodward MA, Paudyal I, Pitha I, Kim TN, Newman-Casey PA (2017). Glaucoma Screening in Nepal: Cup-to-Disc Estimate With Standard Mydriatic Fundus Camera Compared to Portable Nonmydriatic Camera. Am J Ophthalmol, 182, 99-106. ()
    22. Kimball EC, Pease ME, Steinhart MR, Oglesby EN, Pitha I, Nguyen C, Quigley HA (2017). A mouse ocular explant model that enables the study of living optic nerve head events after acute and chronic intraocular pressure elevation: Focusing on retinal ganglion cell axons and mitochondria. Exp Eye Res, 160, 106-115. ()
    23. Fu J, Sun F, Liu W, Liu Y, Gedam M, Hu Q, Fridley C, Quigley HA, Hanes J, Pitha I (2016). Subconjunctival Delivery of Dorzolamide-Loaded Poly(ether-anhydride) Microparticles Produces Sustained Lowering of Intraocular Pressure in Rabbits. Mol Pharm, 13(9), 2987-95. ()
    24. Park C, Lee TJ, Bhang SH, Liu F, Nakamura R, Oladipupo SS, Pitha-Rowe I, Capoccia B, Choi HS, Kim TM, Urao N, Ushio-Fukai M, Lee DJ, Miyoshi H, Kim BS, Lim DS, Apte RS, Ornitz DM, Choi K (2015). Injury-Mediated Vascular Regeneration Requires Endothelial ER71/ETV2. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, 36(1), 86-96. ()
    25. Quigley HA, Pitha IF, Welsbie DS, Nguyen C, Steinhart MR, Nguyen TD, Pease ME, Oglesby EN, Berlinicke CA, Mitchell KL, Kim J, Jefferys JJ, Kimball EC (2015). Losartan Treatment Protects Retinal Ganglion Cells and Alters Scleral Remodeling in Experimental Glaucoma. PLoS One, 10(10), e0141137. ()
    26. Marshall BK, Goel M, Pitha IF, Van Stavern GP, McClelland CM (2014). Sequential episodes of perioperative ischemic optic neuropathy after hip surgery. J Neuroophthalmol, 34(2), 165-8. ()
    27. Pitha-Rowe I, Liby K, Royce D, Sporn M (2009). Synthetic triterpenoids attenuate cytotoxic retinal injury: cross-talk between Nrf2 and PI3K/AKT signaling through inhibition of the lipid phosphatase PTEN. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 50(11), 5339-47. ()
    28. Shah SJ, Blumen S, Pitha-Rowe I, Kitareewan S, Freemantle SJ, Feng Q, Dmitrovsky E (2008). UBE1L represses PML/RAR{alpha} by targeting the PML domain for ISG15ylation. Mol Cancer Ther, 7(4), 905-14. ()
    29. Lu G, Reinert JT, Pitha-Rowe I, Okumura A, Kellum M, Knobeloch KP, Hassel B, Pitha PM (2006). ISG15 enhances the innate antiviral response by inhibition of IRF-3 degradation. Cell Mol Biol (Noisy-le-grand), 52(1), 29-41. ()
    30. Okumura A, Lu G, Pitha-Rowe I, Pitha PM (2006). Innate antiviral response targets HIV-1 release by the induction of ubiquitin-like protein ISG15. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 103(5), 1440-5. ()
    31. Pitha-Rowe I, Petty WJ, Feng Q, Koza-Taylor PH, Dimattia DA, Pinder L, Dragnev KH, Memoli N, Memoli V, Turi T, Beebe J, Kitareewan S, Dmitrovsky E (2004). Microarray analyses uncover UBE1L as a candidate target gene for lung cancer chemoprevention. Cancer Res, 64(21), 8109-15. ()
    32. Pitha-Rowe I, Hassel BA, Dmitrovsky E (2004). Involvement of UBE1L in ISG15 conjugation during retinoid-induced differentiation of acute promyelocytic leukemia. J Biol Chem, 279(18), 18178-87. ()
    33. Dragnev KH, Pitha-Rowe I, Ma Y, Petty WJ, Sekula D, Murphy B, Rendi M, Suh N, Desai NB, Sporn MB, Freemantle SJ, Dmitrovsky E (2004). Specific chemopreventive agents trigger proteasomal degradation of G1 cyclins: implications for combination therapy. Clin Cancer Res, 10(7), 2570-7. ()
    34. Sempere LF, Freemantle S, Pitha-Rowe I, Moss E, Dmitrovsky E, Ambros V (2004). Expression profiling of mammalian microRNAs uncovers a subset of brain-expressed microRNAs with possible roles in murine and human neuronal differentiation. Genome Biol, 5(3), R13. ()
    35. Kitareewan S, Pitha-Rowe I, Sekula D, Lowrey CH, Nemeth MJ, Golub TR, Freemantle SJ, Dmitrovsky E (2002). UBE1L is a retinoid target that triggers PML/RARalpha degradation and apoptosis in acute promyelocytic leukemia. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 99(6), 3806-11. ()
    36. Holland SM, Dorman SE, Kwon A, Pitha-Rowe IF, Frucht DM, Gerstberger SM, Noel GJ, Vesterhus P, Brown MR, Fleisher TA (1998). Abnormal regulation of interferon-gamma, interleukin-12, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in human interferon-gamma receptor 1 deficiency. J Infect Dis, 178(4), 1095-104. ()

    Review

    1. Pitha I, Du L, Nguyen TD, Quigley H (2023). IOP and glaucoma damage: The essential role of optic nerve head and retinal mechanosensors. [Review]. Prog Retin Eye Res, 99, 101232. ()
    2. Hsueh HT, Chou RT, Rai U, Kolodziejski P, Liyanage W, Pejavar J, Mozzer A, Davison C, Appell MB, Kim YC, Leo KT, Kwon H, Sista M, Anders NM, Hemingway A, Rompicharla SVK, Pitha I, Zack DJ, Hanes J, Cummings MP, Ensign LM (2023). Engineered peptide-drug conjugate provides sustained protection of retinal ganglion cells with topical administration in rats. [Review]. J Control Release, 362, 371-380. ()
    3. Josyula A, Parikh KS, Pitha I, Ensign LM (2021). Engineering biomaterials to prevent post-operative infection and fibrosis. [Review]. Drug Deliv Transl Res, 11(4), 1675-1688. ()
    4. Pitha-Rowe IF, Pitha PM (2007). Viral defense, carcinogenesis and ISG15: novel roles for an old ISG. [Review]. Cytokine Growth Factor Rev, 18(5-6), 409-17. ()
    5. Ma Y, Feng Q, Pitha-Rowe I, Kitareewan S, Dmitrovsky E (2008). Gene profiling uncovers retinoid target genes. [Review]. Methods Mol Biol, 383, 101-21. ()
    6. Pitha-Rowe I, Petty WJ, Kitareewan S, Dmitrovsky E (2003). Retinoid target genes in acute promyelocytic leukemia. [Review]. Leukemia, 17(9), 1723-30. ()

    Letter

    1. Pepin S, Pitha-Rowe I (2008). Stepwise decline in visual field after serial sildenafil use. [Letter to the editor]. J Neuroophthalmol, 28(1), 76-7. ()