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Akintomide (Tommy) Apara, MD, PhD

Dr. Akintomide (Tommy) Apara, is a board-certified ophthalmologist specializing in the medical and surgical treatment of retinal diseases.  He attended Duke University where he received his B.S. in biology with a concentration in neuroscience.  After college, he was the recipient of the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute Exceptional Research Opportunities Program. He then received his M.D./Ph.D. degrees at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.  Dr. Apara attended the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) where he completed his residency in ophthalmology at The Shiley Eye Institute. He completed his fellowship in vitreoretinal surgery at Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans, LA.

Dr. Apara’s interests include neuroscience research and has spent time studying retinal ganglion cells.  He has co-authored manuscripts published in the Journal of Immunology and the Journal of Neuroscience.  He has presented his work at various meetings, including the Society for Neuroscience, FASEB Keystone conferences, and the HHMI Headquarters EXROP Scholars annual meetings.  He is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. 

In his spare time, Dr. Apara enjoys spending time with his wife and 2 daughters, and their dog, Jax, a golden doodle.  He was raised and lives in South Florida.

Education

• Duke University
  • Durham, North Carolina
  • Bachelor of Science in Biology/Neuroscience
• University of Miami
  • Miami, Florida
  • Doctor of Medicine
  • Ph.D. in Neuroscience

Post-Doctoral Training

• Ophthalmology Residency
  • University of California San Diego
  • Shiley Eye Institute
  • San Diego, California
• Fellowship: Vitreoretinal Surgery
  • Louisiana State University
  • LSU Eye Center, Department of Ophthalmology
  • New Orleans, Louisiana

Hospital Affiliate

• Memorial Hospital West

Publications and Presentations

• Tang X, Narayanan S, Peruzzi G, Apara A, Natarajan K, Margulies DH, Coligan JE, Borrego F.  A single residue, arginine 65, is critical for the functional interaction of leukocyte-associated inhibitory receptor-1 with collagens. J Immunol 2009 May
• Moore D, Apara A, Goldbery JL, Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors in the Nervous System: Novel players in neurite growth and axon regeneration. Mol Cell Neurosci 2011 Aug
• Apara A, Goldberg JL, Molecular mechanisms of the suppression of axon regeneration by KLF transcription factors, Neural Regen Res. 2014 Aug
• Apara A, Galvao J, Wang Y, Blackmore M, Trillo A, Iwao K, Brown DP Jr, Fernandes KA, Huang A, Nguyen T, Ashouri M, Zhang X, Shaw PX, Kunzevitzky NJ, Moore DL, Libby RT, Goldberg JL. KLF9 and JNK3 Interact to Suppress Axon Regeneration in the Adult CNS. J Neurosci. 2017 Oct 4;37(40):9632-9644. 2017 Sept
• Galvao J, Iwao K, Apara A, Wang Y, Ashouri M, Shah TN, Blackmore M, Kunzevitzky NJ, Moore DL, Goldberg JL. The Krüppel-Like Factor Gene Target Dusp14 Regulates Axon Growth and Regeneration. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2018 June.
• Apara A, Arheart K, Chen K, Bartsch D, Freeman W. Heads-up digital 3D visualization system vs. standard optical microscopy: A controlled in-vitro study examining surgical preference in an academic eye center. Retina (Under Review, 03/2020).

Memberships and Appointments                                                            

• Society for Neuroscience                               2010 – 2015
• American Academy of Ophthalmology         2016 – 2020
• Young Ophthalmologists                                2016 – 2020
• Midyear Forum Academy Ambassador         2016 – 2019
• American Board of Ophthalmology               2020 – Present