Dr. Shindler joined the University of Pennsylvania Faculty in 2004, where he has risen to the position of tenured Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Neurology and serves as a Faculty member of the Neuroscience Graduate Group and the Institute for Immunology.  The main focus of Ken’s research is to understand mechanisms of neuronal damage during optic neuritis, an inflammatory disease of the optic nerve that occurs in the central nervous system demyelinating disease multiple sclerosis. His studies include identification of novel neuroprotective therapies to reduce neuronal loss in multiple sclerosis.  Ken is also an active investigator in clinical trials in neuro-ophthalmology and retinal degenerative diseases.  Clinically, he sees patients with neuro-ophthalmologic problems at the Scheie Eye Institute and directs the neuro-ophthalmology clinic at the Philadelphia Veteran’s Administration Medical Center.  Ken has authored or co-authored more than 60 peer-reviewed papers, including over 30 papers in the field of experimental optic neuritis/optic nerve injury and central nervous system demyelinating disease, a major focus of his laboratory.  Ken has served on the Annual Meeting Program Committee for the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, the Research Committee of the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society, and the Annual Meeting Program Committee for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and is an active member of the Society for Neuroscience, Society of Heed Fellows, and Research to Prevent Blindness.  Ken was honored with the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society Young Investigator Award in 2008, the American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award in 2014, and the Research to Prevent Blindness Physician-Scientist Award in 2015.