Faculty

Daniel E. Maidana, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Dr. Maidana serves as an attending physician at the Pediatric Ophthalmology Service, and Pediatric Retina and Retinopathy of Prematurity Service.

Dr. Maidana is a fellowship-trained ophthalmologist and surgeon specializing in pediatric ocular diseases. He joined the Department of Ophthalmology at UIC to advance his career as a physician-scientist in the UIC-NEI K12/Independent Clinician Vision Scientist Development Program. His clinical practice focuses on diverse pediatric eye conditions, including cataracts, strabismus, and retinopathy of prematurity. He is actively committed to research in pediatric retinal diseases, focusing on photoreceptor neuroprotection and retinal angiogenesis.

Dr. Maidana has studied the molecular mechanisms of photoreceptor cell death under the mentorship of Prof. Demetrios G. Vavvas at Harvard Medical School. In addition to his translational work, Dr. Maidana has developed several computer image processing algorithms which automate cell death diagnosis in retinal diseases. At UIC, he is further investigating photoreceptor cell death mechanisms in basic science and clinical research projects.