Danielle Robertson, O.D., Ph.D. Titles and Appointments Professor School Medical School Department Ophthalmology Graduate Programs Cell and Molecular Biology, Immunology You have reached the Academic Profile. For more information on the doctor and patient care, please visit the clinical profile. Biography 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 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. Education Undergraduate School Washington State University (1996) Other Post Graduate Training University of Houston College of Optometry (2002) Medical School University of Houston College of Optometry (2002) Graduate School University of Houston College of Optometry (2002) Other Post Graduate Training University of Houston College of Optometry (2007) Graduate School University of Houston College of Optometry (2007), Vision Science Research Interest Contact Lenses Corneal Cell Biology Corneal imaging Diabetes Exosomes and microvesicles Sjögren's Syndrome Publications Mass spectrometric detection of keratins in tear fluid Ahmed S, Altman J, Jones G, Lee TJ, Robertson DM, Zhi W, Sharma S, Sharma A Experimental Eye Research 2025 Feb 251 Inhibition of Unc-51-like-kinase is mitoprotective during Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in corneal epithelial cells Ramachandran RA, Titone R, Abdallah JT, Rehman M, Cao M, Baniasadi H, Robertson DM mSphere 2025 Feb 10 Serum-derived extracellular vesicles for the treatment of severe ocular surface disease Saraf N, Ramachandran RA, Cao M, Lemoff A, Baniasadi H, Robertson DM Ocular Surface 2024 Oct 34 317-325 Extracellular vesicles released by host epithelial cells during Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection function as homing beacons for neutrophils Ayilam Ramachandran R, Lemoff A, Robertson DM Cell Communication and Signaling 2024 Jun 22 Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 mediates hyperosmolar stress–induced mitophagy through the mechanistic target of rapamycin Stuard Sambhariya W, Trautmann IJ, Robertson DM Journal of Biological Chemistry 2023 Nov 299 Pseudomonas aeruginosa-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Modulate Corneal Inflammation: Role in Microbial Keratitis? Ramachandran RA, Lemoff A, Robertson DM Infection and immunity 2023 Apr 91 Loss of Corneal Nerves and Corneal Haze in Patients with Fuchs’ Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy with the Transcription Factor 4 Gene Trinucleotide Repeat Expansion Gillings M, Mastro A, Zhang X, Kiser K, Gu J, Xing C, Robertson DM, Petroll WM, Mootha VV Ophthalmology Science 2023 Mar 3 The roles of autophagy and mitophagy in corneal pathology: current knowledge and future perspectives Ayilam Ramachandran R, Sanches JM, Robertson DM Frontiers in Medicine 2023 10 Chronic Hyperglycemia Compromises Mitochondrial Function in Corneal Epithelial Cells: Implications for the Diabetic Cornea Mussi N, Stuard WL, Sanches JM, Robertson DM Cells 2022 Aug 11 Temporal and Spatial Assessment of the Corneal Response to UV Cross-Linking Using 3-Dimensional In Vivo Confocal Microscopy Parsa S, Rodriguez A, Robertson DM, Bowman RW, Petroll WM Eye and Contact Lens 2022 Jul 48 308-312 Results 1-10 of 67 1 2 3 4 5 Next Last Honors & Awards Diplomate, Cornea and Contact Lens Section, American Academy of Optometry (2010) Career Development AwardResearch to Prevent Blindness (2008) Scientific Research AwardCLAO ERF (2007) Scientific Research AwardEye Bank Association of America (2005) W. C. Ezell FellowshipAmerican Optometric Foundation (2005) Clinical Scientist Career Developmental AwardNational Eye Institute (2004) Professional Associations/Affiliations American Academy of Optometry (2000) American Society for Cell Biology (2005) American Society for Exosomes and Microvesicles (2017) American Society for Microbiology (2015) Association for Research and Vision in Ophthalmology (2001) International Society for Contact Lens Research (2009) International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (2017)
