Ala Moshiri, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor
To see if Ala Moshiri is accepting new patients, or for assistance finding a UC Davis doctor, please call 800-2-UCDAVIS (800-282-3284).
Locations and Contact
Lawrence J. Ellison Ambulatory Care Center
Ophthalmology Clinic-Eye Center
4860 Y St.
Sacramento, CA 95817
Phone: 916-734-6602
Additional Numbers
Clinic Fax
Clinic Referral Phone
Physician Referrals
Philosophy of Care
The practice of medicine has been moving toward an era of advanced diagnostic testing, cutting edge therapies, and comprehensive electronic record keeping. While this evolution in medicine has improved patient outcomes, the medical system has also resulted in extended clinic wait times and rising healthcare costs. Patient care can at times fall by the wayside. Like all physicians, Dr. Moshiri counteracts these external forces in order to elevate the patient's best interest as the top priority when guiding treatment decisions. Like so many of his teachers, colleagues, and mentees, he believes each patient visit, however lengthy or brief, is an opportunity to convey respect, humility, and humanity. True to the Hippocratic oath, he holds the fundamental equality of human life as a sacred principle. He recognizes the historical injustices endured by Native, Asian, Latin, and African American people, among others, in California and the United States in general. In Dr. Moshiri's clinical practice, and in his personal life, all lives matter and equally so. To the extent that he is capable, special cultural sensitivities are afforded to people who are underserved, disadvantaged, or vulnerable.
Clinical Interests
Dr. Moshiri is a retina specialist treating all forms of medical and surgical diseases of the retina. The scope of his practice includes eye injections for age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal vascular diseases, and several other rare retinal maladies. His surgical expertise includes treatment of routine and complex retinal detachment, macular hole, macular pucker, and other advanced techniques. Dr. Moshiri has a special interest and focus in the diagnosis and management of inherited retinal diseases.
Research/Academic Interests
Dr. Moshiri spends a substantial amount of his professional time in his basic science laboratory where his team seeks to advance novel treatments to the clinic for his patients. The majority of his research work centers on retinal cell replacement through transplantation of photoreceptors to the retina and gene therapy approaches for photoreceptor diseases. He also studies retinal embryology and genetics to understand the molecular underpinnings of macular development, survival, and function.
Division
Ophthalmology
Center/Program Affiliation
Undergraduate School
B.S., Chemistry, UC Berkeley, Berkeley CA 1997
Medical School
M.D., University of Washington, Seattle WA 2006
Other School
Ph.D., Neurobiology, University of Washington, Seattle WA 2004
Internship
Transitional Internship, University of Texas Medical School, Houston TX 2006-2007
Residency
Ophthalmology, The Johns Hopkins University Hospital, Baltimore MD 2007-2010
Fellowship
Retinal Diseases and Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University Hospital, Baltimore MD 2010-2012
The Mary Hutcheson Retina Fellow, 2010, 2011, 2012
The Arnall J. Patz Research Grant Award, 2011
The Ray Sjaarda Research Grant Award, 2009
The Susan Bressler Research Grant Award, 2007
Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation Scholar, 2002, 2003, 2004
To see a full list of Dr. Moshiri's publications, click here.
Mehta N, Fong RD, Wilson M, Moussa K, Emami-Naeini P, Moshiri A, Yiu G, Park SS. Real-World Experience Using Intravitreal Brolucizumab Alone or in Combination with Aflibercept in the Management of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Clin Ophthalmol. 2023 Feb 27;17:657-665. doi:10.2147/OPTH.S399590. PMID:36880020.
Maturi RK, Glassman AR, Josic K, Baker CW, Gerstenblith AT, Jampol LM, Meleth A, Martin DF, Melia M, Punjabi OS, Rofagha S, Salehi-Had H, Stockdale CR, Sun JK; DRCR Retina Network. Four-Year Visual Outcomes in the Protocol W Randomized Trial of Intravitreous Aflibercept for Prevention of Vision-Threatening Complications of Diabetic Retinopathy. JAMA. 2023 Feb 7;329(5):376-385. doi:10.1001/jama.2022.25029. Erratum in: JAMA. 2023 Mar 28;329(12):1034. PMID:36749332.
Chee JM, Lanoue L, Clary D, Higgins K, Bower L, Flenniken A, Guo R, Adams DJ, Bosch F, Braun RE, Brown SDM, Chin HG, Dickinson ME, Hsu CW, Dobbie M, Gao X, Galande S, Grobler A, Heaney JD, Herault Y, de Angelis MH, Mammano F, Nutter LMJ, Parkinson H, Qin C, Shiroishi T, Sedlacek R, Seong JK, Xu Y; International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium; Brooks B, McKerlie C, Lloyd KCK, Westerberg H, Moshiri A. Genome-wide screening reveals the genetic basis of mammalian embryonic eye development. BMC Biol. 2023 Feb 3;21(1):22. doi:10.1186/s12915-022-01475-0. PMID:36737727.
Sin TN, Kim S, Li Y, Wang J, Chen R, Chung SH, Kim S, Casanova MI, Park S, Smit-McBride Z, Sun N, Pomerantz O, Roberts JA, Guan B, Hufnagel RB, Moshiri A, Thomasy SM, Sieving PA, Yiu G. A Spontaneous Nonhuman Primate Model of Myopic Foveoschisis. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2023 Jan 3;64(1):18. doi:10.1167/iovs.64.1.18. PMID:36689233.
Lent-Schochet D, Avaylon J, Nguyen M, Hang A, Nava K, Lo T, Luu KY, Tran S, Naeini PE, Moshiri A, Park S, Yiu G. OCT Predictors of Treatment Discontinuation in Eyes with Retinal Vein Occlusion and Macular Edema. Ophthalmol Retina. 2022 Dec 26:S2468-6530(22)00637-6. doi:10.1016/j.oret.2022.12.011. Epub ahead of print. PMID:36581081.
Moshiri A, Fang F, Zhuang P, Huang H, Feng X, Li L, Dalal R, Hu Y. Silicone Oil-Induced Glaucomatous Neurodegeneration in Rhesus Macaques. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Dec 14;23(24):15896. doi:10.3390/ijms232415896. PMID:36555536.
Higgins K, Moore BA, Berberovic Z, Adissu HA, Eskandarian M, Flenniken AM, Shao A, Imai DM, Clary D, Lanoue L, Newbigging S, Nutter LMJ, Adams DJ, Bosch F, Braun RE, Brown SDM, Dickinson ME, Dobbie M, Flicek P, Gao X, Galande S, Grobler A, Heaney JD, Herault Y, de Angelis MH, Chin HG, Mammano F, Qin C, Shiroishi T, Sedlacek R, Seong JK, Xu Y; IMPC Consortium; Lloyd KCK, McKerlie C, Moshiri A. Analysis of genome-wide knockout mouse database identifies candidate ciliopathy genes. Sci Rep. 2022 Dec 1;12(1):20791. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-19710-7. PMID:36456625.
Boobalan E, Thompson AH, Alur RP, McGaughey DM, Dong L, Shih G, Vieta-Ferrer ER, Onojafe IF, Kalaskar VK, Arno G, Lotery AJ, Guan B, Bender C, Memon O, Brinster L, Soleilhavoup C, Panman L, Badea TC, Minella A, Lopez AJ, Thomasy SM, Moshiri A, Blain D, Hufnagel RB, Cogliati T, Bharti K, Brooks BP. Zfp503/Nlz2 Is Required for RPE Differentiation and Optic Fissure Closure. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2022 Nov 1;63(12):5. doi:10.1167/iovs.63.12.5. PMID:36326727.
Lee SC, Rusakevich AM, Amin A, Tran S, Emami-Naeini P, Moshiri A, Park SS, Yiu G. Long-Term Retinal Vascular Changes in Age-Related Macular Degeneration Measured Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography. Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2022 Oct;53(10):529-536. doi:10.3928/23258160-20220919-01. Epub 2022 Oct 1. PMID:36239679.