Dimitri Azar


Dimitri Azar M.D. is an Lebanese-American ophthalmologist, professor, and businessman who has held roles at Novartis and Verily, Alphabet's Life sciences research organisation. He served as dean of the College of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago from 2011 to 2018.

Education

Azar received his medical degree from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. Dr. Azar practiced at the Wilmer Eye Institute at the Johns Hopkins Hospital School of Medicine, and completed his fellowship and residency training at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School, where he was tenured.
Dr. Azar also holds an honorary master's degree from Harvard, as well as an Executive Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Academic positions

Azar has taught as a professor of ophthalmology, bioengineering and pharmacology at UIC, where he also served as head of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and B.A. Field Endowed Chair of Ophthalmologic Research. He is a member of the American Ophthalmological Society, former president of the Chicago Ophthalmological Society, and president-elect of the Chicago Medical Society. Azar also sits on the Board of Trustees of the Association of Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

Commercial roles

Azar was a non-executive member of Novartis' Board of Directors from 2012 till 2019. He is also a member of the Audit and Compliance Committee and the Research & Development Committee.
Dr. Azar is also a senior director of ophthalmological innovation at Verily, where ophthalmological projects include the development of smart contact lenses, including lenses designed to assist those with presbyopia and an intraocular lens. He holds positions on the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society board in the US, and on the board of Verb Surgical Inc.

Published works

Azar's awards include being regularly named as one of The Best Doctors in America and recognized in Castle Connolly's Regional Top Doctors in America. He has also received the 2009 Lans Distinguished Award from the International Society of Refractive Surgery, and the University of Illinois at Chicago Scholar Award.