Hani Salehi-Had, M.D

Vitreoretinal Surgeon, Founder and CEO
Retina Associates of Southern California
Salehi Retina Institute
January 2020-Present
Huntington Beach, CA
Torrance, CA

Director of Retina Service
Atlantis Eyecare
August 2011-December 2019
Huntington Beach, CA
Torrance, CA

Optum Surgery Center
Surgery Center of South Bay
Los Alamitos Medical Center
Long Beach Memorial Medical Center
Torrance Memorial Medical Center
LAC-USC Medical Center

Vitreoretinal Fellowship
July 2009-July 2011

• Doheny Eye Institute
• LAC-USC Medical Center
• Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California
• Los Angeles, California

Ophthalmology Residency
July 2006-July 2009

• Harvard Medical School, Department of Ophthalmology
• Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
• Boston, Massachusetts

Internship
June 2005-June 2006

• St. Mary’s Medical Center, Department of Internal Medicine
• San Francisco, California

Medical School
September 2001-June 2005

• M.D., University of California, Davis School of Medicine
• Davis, California

Undergraduate Education
August 1996-December 2000

• B.A., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Minor, Chemistry
• University of California, Berkeley
• Berkeley, California

California License for Physicians and Surgeons, May 2009-Present Board Certified Diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology

AOA

Phi Beta Kappa

National Eye Institute Travel Grant, ARVO 2009

Academic merit award for scholastic excellence in ophthalmic research, University of California, Davis, June 2005

Clifford C. Lardinois, SR. Award: Recipient of top honors for best paper presentation in the Western Student Medical Research forum (WSMRF), January 2004

Lillian M Rapp Research Fellowship: Predoctoral Research Fellowship Program grant recipient, 2002 & 2003

Plaque of Appreciation for Dedicated Service and Outstanding Commitment to Shifa Community Clinic, May 2003

Kazuo Gerald Yanaba & Ting Jung Memorial Fund Prize: Top Honors Thesis in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of California, Berkeley, May 2000

Howard Hughes Medical Institute Fellow: Biology Fellows Program, University of California, Berkeley, May 2000

Departmental Honors in Molecular and Cell Biology, Class of 2000, University of California, Berkeley, May 2000

Dean’s Honor List, University of California, Berkeley, 1999 & 2000

Outstanding Tutor Award, Academic Program for Student Athletes, University of California, Berkeley, May 1999

Click here to see full List of Publications.

1. Roh M, Giani A, Vavvas D, Miller JW, Guccione S, Salehi-Had H. Treatment of Choroidal Neovascularization Using Nanoparticle Coupled to Integrin αvβ3-Targeted Gene Delivery System. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010; 477 ARVO E-Abstract 4948.

2. Salehi-Had H, Sohrab MH, Smith RT, Sadda SR, Fawzi AA. Characterizing the Lesions of Reticular Pseudodrusen Utilizing Multimodality Imaging with Image Registration. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010; 112 ARVO E-Abstract 319.

3. Salehi-Had H, Hisatomi T, Miller JW, Guccione S. Targeting Choroidal Neovascular Membranes with Nanoparticles Binding Alpha V Beta 3. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2009; 329: ARVO E-Abstract 2962.

4. Salehi-Had H, Caruso P, Papaliodis G. Utility of MRI as an Imaging Modality in Posterior Scleritis. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2008; 418: ARVO E-Abstract 3901.

5. Salehi-Had H, Andreoli CM, Andreoli MT, Kloek CE, Mukai S. Visual Outcomes of Vitreoretinal Surgery in Eyes with Severe Open-Globe Injury Presenting with No-Light-Perception Vision. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2007; 07: ARVO E-Abstract 3287.

6. Salehi-Had H, Alvarenga L, Schwab IR, and Isseroff R. Expression of p63 in Cultured Corneal Epithelium is a Function of Cell Confluence. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2004; 45: ARVO E-Abstract 3771.

7. Salehi-Had H, Brandt JD, Rosas AJ, and Rogers KK. Evidence of Shaken Baby Syndrome in Older Children with Fatal Abusive Head Injury. National Student Research Forum. Paper presentation session E and I, April 2004.

8. Salehi-Had H, Brandt JD, Rosas AJ, and Rogers KK. Ocular Findings of Older Children with Abusive Head Injury: Is This Evidence of Shaken Baby Syndrome? Western Student Medical Research Forum. Paper presentation; Journal of Investigative Medicine, 52(1): Abstract 24 (2004), January, 2004.

9. Salehi-Had H and Niederstrasser H. Effects of XKCM1 on Zinc-induced Tubulin Polymers and GDP-tubulin Rings. American Society of Cell Biology. Poster, December 2000.

10. Salehi-Had H, Walczak W, and Nogales E. XKCM1 Depolymerization of Macrotubes. Howard Hughes Medical Institute Biology Fellows Program Research Symposium. Paper presentation, August 2000.

11. Salehi-Had H, Walczak C, and Nogales E. Exploring the Mechanism of Action of XKCM1. The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Symposium of Undergraduate Honors Theses. Paper presentation, May 2000.

Retina Associates of Southern California
February 2014-Present
Principal Investigator in multiple Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials
Principal Investigator in the diabetic retinopathy clinical research network (DRCR), involved in a multiple clinical trials.

Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California
Doheny Eye Institute, Ophthalmic Imaging Unit
November 2009-February 2011
Evaluating the lesions in reticular pseudodrusen based on blue-light, green-light, and near-infrared autofluorescence patterns as well as image registration with infrared reflectance and optical coherence tomography. This research was supervised by Drs. Amani Fawzi, and Srinivas Sadda.

Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California
Los Angeles County LAC-USC Medical Center
August 2009-July 2011
Co-investigator in a clinical trial studying the clinical and basic response of growth factors to VEGF-inhibition in patients with diabetic retinopathy and tractional retinal detachment undergoing vitreoretinal surgery at LAC-USC Medical Center.

Harvard Medical School, Department of Ophthalmology
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Angiogenesis Laboratory
November 2007-January 2011
Research involving specific targeting of choroidal neovascular membranes (CNV) for imaging and therapeutic purposes using nanoparticles harboring alpha v beta 3 binding sites in the laser trauma induced model of CNV in rats. This research was supervised by Drs. Joan Miller and Samira Guccione.

University of California, Davis
Department of Ophthalmology and the Tissue Bioengineering Laboratory
May 2002-May 2005
Research involving corneal epithelial bioengineering and stem cell biology. Supervised by Drs. Ivan Schwab and Rivkah Isseroff. Studied factors modulating the expression of a putative stem cell marker, p63, in cultured corneal epithelial cells.

University of California, Davis
Department of Ophthalmology and the Child and Adolescent Abuse Resource and Evaluation (CAARE) Diagnostic and Treatment Center
September 2002-June 2004
Reviewed cases of child abuse in children over the age of 2 with ophthalmic and CNS findings of Shaken Baby Syndrome. Supervised by Drs. James Brandt and Angela Rosas.

Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California
Doheny Eye Institute
September 2004
Worked with Dr. Samuel Yiu on a project aimed at harvesting and characterizing putative corneal epithelial stem cells using laser capture microdissection utilizing various putative stem cell markers.

University of California, Berkeley
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
September 1998-June 2001
Research associate under the supervision of Dr. Eva Nogales studying microtubule dynamics using transmission electron microscopy, molecular biology, and spectrophotometry techniques. Completed honors thesis on the mechanism of action of XKCM1 dependent depolymerization of microtubules.

Washington University, St. Louis, MO
Department of Neurosurgery
June 1997-September 1997
Research assistant to Dr. Samira Guccione working on developing a novel technique in detecting real-time invasion of labeled malignant tumor cells in brain sections using time-lapsed confocal microscopy.

American Academy of Ophthalmology
July 2006-Present

American Society of Retina Specialists
March 2010-Present

The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
November 2006-December 2011

Joint Operating Room Committee
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA
November 2007-November 2008
Appointed resident representative.

Surgical Curriculum Committee
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA
November 2006-June 2007
Resident member, involved in implementing a surgical mentorship program.

School of Medicine Admissions Policy Committee
University of California, Davis
June 2004-June 2005
Appointed student member.  Participating in committee meetings aimed at improving the admission and recruitment processes of the school of medicine.

Shifa Community Clinic
University of California, Davis
March 2002-April 2003
Co-director of the student-run Shifa Community Clinic serving the uninsured population of Sacramento. 

AMA Medical Student Section Course Coordinator
University of California, Davis
November 2001-May 2002
Initiated and coordinated a course, “Nuts and Bolts of Being a Physician,” for the Spring 2002 quarter.  The purpose of the lecture series was to raise awareness about the business, political, and legal aspects of medicine.

Residence Hall Assembly
University of California, Berkeley
January 1997-May 1997
Elected representative of dormitory.

Kaplan Inc.
Berkeley, CA
October 1999-April 2001
Instructor and private tutor for MCAT.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Berkeley, California
September 1998-June 2001
Research Associate in the Nogales laboratory studying microtubule dynamics.

Disabled Student Services
University of California, Berkeley
September 1999-December 1999
Note taker for disabled students.

Academic Program for Student Athletes
University of California, Berkeley
September 1997-December 1998
Math tutor and Organic Chemistry study group leader.

Hiking
Skiing
Playing tennis
Playing the piano
Attending classical music performances
Playing soccer