Dr. Lama A. Al-Aswad is an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at CUMC. In addition to her clinical work, she currently serves as the Institute’s glaucoma fellowship director, and is responsible for training both national and international glaucoma fellows.

She received her medical degree from Damascus University, Syria, and completed a research fellowship at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School. She went on to finish her ophthalmology residency at State University of New York, Downstate at Brooklyn where, in her last year of residency, she served as Chief Resident. She completed her Glaucoma Fellowship at University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. 

In 2015, Dr. Al-Aswad was also conferred the degree Master of Public Health from Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health for her work in healthcare policy and management.

Dr. Al-Aswad served on the Medical Advisory Board for the USA ANIRIDIA NETWORK from 2004 to 2009. In addition to being a POC and Self-Assessment Panel Member (Comprehensive Ophthalmology and Pediatric Ophthalmology/Strabismus) American Academy of Ophthalmology from 2004 to 2006, she also served on the Provision Development committee of the AAO from 2005 to 2006. Dr. Al-Aswad has been the director of the glaucoma screening program at Columbia University and served on the Columbia BSCS committee since 2006. She has served on a multitude of other committees as well, including the Columbia University Implementation of the Academic Tracks committee, Woman in Ophthalmology committee and Glaucoma 360 Program committee.

Dr. Al-Aswad has received multiple awards, the most recent of which is Achievement Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology in 2012 and the Visionary Award for Hospital Based Screening Programs from the Friends of the Congressional Caucus Foundation in 2011.

In addition, Dr. Al-Aswad is involved in multiple clinical trials as a principle investigator or co-investigator, and has published in major peer-reviewed journals. She has published book chapters and teaching surgical videos in glaucoma as well.