John G. Flanagan, PhD, DSc, FCOptom
Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of California, Berkeley.
Dr. Flanagan was previously Professor at the School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Waterloo and in the Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Toronto. He was Director of the Glaucoma Research Unit, Toronto Western Research Institute and a Senior Scientist at the Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network. He graduated in Optometry and Vision Sciences from Aston University, Birmingham, UK in 1980, where he later earned his PhD in 1985.
He has held continuous federal research funding for over 30 years with additional research funding from the BrightFocus Foundation, the Glaucoma Research Society of Canada, and the Glaucoma Research Foundation. He has supervised 47 graduate students and has authored over 182 peer-reviewed publications. In addition, he has 14 book chapters, 3 books, and given numerous invited lectures to both professional and academic audiences around the world. His research interests are inspired by retinal ganglion cell loss in glaucoma and include mechanisms of neurodegeneration, neuroprotection, glial cell responses, neuro-immune responses, specifically the role of lipoxins in neuroprotection, animal models of retinal insult, biomechanics of the lamina cribrosa, ocular hemodynamics, and clinical psychophysics and imaging.
Dr. Flanagan was a founding member of the Optometric Glaucoma Society; Program Chair from 2002 to 2007, and President from 2007 to 2012. He is also a member of the American Glaucoma Society, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry. In 2015 he was awarded a life fellowship of the British College of Optometrists. In 2016 he received a DSc honoris causa from alma mater, and fellowship of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (FARVO). In 2020, he received the President’s Award for services to the profession of optometry, by the American Optometric Association. He served as President of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry, in 2020/21.
He joined the Glaucoma Research Foundation Board of Directors in 2017, where he is currently Chair of the Research Committee and serves on the Strategic Planning Committee.