The Department of Medical Engineering at the °®ÎÛ´«Ã½ is delighted
to welcome Dr. Babak N. Safa as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Safa is an accomplished
researcher in the field of soft tissue biomechanics, with a particular focus on vision
and ocular diseases. He received a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from
Sharif University of Technology and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University
of Delaware. He completed his postdoctoral training at the Wallace H. Coulter Department
of Biomedical Engineering of the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University.
Dr. Safa's expertise lies in investigating the biomechanical and mechanobiological
aspects of ocular tissues, especially their role in the pathophysiology of glaucoma,
the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. His research aims to understand
the role of soft tissue biomechanics, such as the iris and optic nerve head, in glaucoma,
to reduce the societal burden of vision loss due to glaucoma through novel approaches
for risk stratification, early diagnosis, and treatment.
He is a recipient of the prestigious BrightFocus Foundation in National Glaucoma Research. Currently, Dr. Safa is leading an NIH-funded project that seeks to investigate the role of iris biomechanics and sex differences in angle-closure glaucoma, a common and aggressive form of glaucoma. Women are at a higher risk of angle-closure glaucoma; however, the underlying cause of this discrepancy is unknown. Through this project, Dr. Safa’s research group explores the sex differences in iris biomechanics that contribute to elevated risk of this blinding disease in women.
Sagittal cross section of the rabbit iris and cornea, depicting the interior structure of these tissues, including the muscles that are responsible for pupil constriction and dilation.
His innovative research combines advanced techniques from mechanical engineering, biology, and medicine, promising to yield groundbreaking insights into the mechanisms underlying glaucoma.
The department eagerly anticipates the innovative contributions Dr. Safa's research will make to our understanding of ocular biomechanics and its role in glaucoma. His interdisciplinary expertise and collaborations will undoubtedly foster new research avenues and provide invaluable training opportunities for future experts in the field of ocular and soft tissue biomechanics.