Positions

Associate Professor

Ophthalmology and Neuroscience
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX US

Member

Center for Space Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX US

Co-Director

Medical Scientist Training Program
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas

Addresses

Jamail Specialty Care Center - Alkek Eye Center (Clinic)

1977 Butler Blvd.
3rd Floor
Houston, TX 77030
United States
Phone: (713) 798-6100
https://www.bcm.edu/healthcare/care-centers/eye/

Education

MD from Baylor College Of Medicine

05/2005 - Houston, TX United States

PhD from Baylor College Of Medicine

12/2003 - Houston, TX United States

Fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine

07/2010 - Houston, Texas United States

Glaucoma

Residency at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

06/2009 - Baltimore, Maryland United States

Ophthalmology

BA from Duke University

05/1996 - Durham, North Carolina United States

Certifications

American Board of Ophthalmology

Professional Interests

• Translational research
• Basic research
• Medical and surgical management of adult glaucoma

Professional Statement

My clinical practice is dedicated to the care of patients with glaucoma, including medical, laser and surgical approaches. As a clinician scientist, I am committed to improving our understanding of glaucoma, which will hopefully lead to the development of new diagnostics and therapeutics. Accordingly, my primary research objective is to understand the earliest events that occur in human and experimental glaucoma, which includes the identification of potential risk factors and susceptible retinal cell types. My research attempts to achieve this goal by working to understand the fundamental changes in retinal sensitivity that occur during glaucoma. In mice, we use experimental models of intracranial pressure and intraocular pressure change in wild type and transgenic strains to achieve this objective. We study visual function and changes in retinal light sensitivity through a variety of techniques. In humans, we study this through the development of new psychophysical tests administered under both light and dark conditions in patients with and without glaucoma.

Websites

Selected Publications

• Frankfort BJ1, Nolo R, Zhang Z, Bellen H, Mardon G. "Senseless repression of rough is required for R8 photoreceptor differentiation in the developing Drosophila eye.." Neuron. 2001 Nov 8;32(3):403-14. Pubmed PMID: 11709152
• Frankfort BJ1, Mardon G. "Development in the Drosophila Eye: A Paradigm for Neural Selection and Differentiation.." Development. 2002 Mar;129(6):1295-306. Pubmed PMID: 11880339
• Frankfort BJ1, Mardon G. "Senseless represses nuclear transduction of Egfr pathway activation.." Development. 2014 Feb;131(3):563-70. Pubmed PMID: 14711872
• Pepple KL1, Atkins M, Venken K, Wellnitz K, Harding M, Frankfort B, Mardon G. "Two-Step Selection of a Single R8 Photoreceptor: A Bistable Loop Between senseless and rough Locks in the R8 Fate.." Development. 2008 Dec;135(24):4071-9. Pubmed PMID: 19004852

Memberships

American Glaucoma Society

Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology

American Academy of Ophthalmology

Funding

Brain and eye-pressure induced optic nerve and retinal degeneration - #R01-EY025601

(08/01/2015 - 07/31/2020) Grant funding from National Eye Institute

Early Detection and Treatment of Glaucoma

(05/01/2015 - 12/31/2019) Grant funding from Clayton Foundation for Research