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Sarah Rodriguez

TitleAssociate Professor
InstitutionUniversity of Chicago
DepartmentOphthalmology and Visual Science
AddressChicago IL 60637
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    Collapse Overview 
    Collapse overview
    Sarah Rodriguez, MD, MPH, provides comprehensive, compassionate care to children with decreased vision in one or both eyes. Dr. Rodriguez has expertise in treating conditions caused by abnormal eye development, such as amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (misalignment of the eyes), pediatric cataracts, and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). She also specializes in adjustable sutures for adult strabismus / realignment surgery.  

    Dr. Rodriguez is not only passionate about delivering high-quality care to her patients, but she is also actively involved in clinical research. She received the prestigious Knights Templar Eye Foundation Career-Starter Grant to study neurodevelopmental outcomes among infants screened for ROP, and she is the Principle Investigator for the University of Chicago's involvement in the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group (PEDIG). Dr. Rodriguez's research has been published in a number of scientific journals, including Ophthalmology, Pediatrics, and the Journal of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (J AAPOS). She is currently an Editorial Board member for J AAPOS.

    Having completed several medical mission trips to Ghana and Nicaragua, she also has an interest in health disparities and global health. She participated in ROP workshops in Vietnam and South Africa, and she is a committee member for a program dedicated to preventing the next anticipated wave of ROP in Sub-Saharan Africa called SIBA (Stop Infant Blindness in Africa).

    Collapse Biography 
    Collapse education and training
    Northwestern Memorial / Lurie Children's Hospital, Chicago, ILFellowship06/2016Pediatric Ophthalmology
    The Ohio State University Havener Eye Institute, Columbus, OHResidency06/2015Ophthalmology
    Scripps Mercy Hospital, San Diego, CAInternship06/2012Transitional Year
    The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OHMD06/2011Medicine
    La Cayetana Hereredia, Lima, Peru04/2011Tropical Medicine Course
    Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MDMPH05/2010Public Health
    University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, INBA06/2006Phiosophy
    Collapse awards and honors
    2023Castle Connolly Top Doctor , Castle Connolly
    2023Women Surgeons Committee Honor Roll, The University of Chicago
    2023Signature Speaker Series, Association of Women Surgeons
    2022Top 40 Under 40, Association of Women Surgeons
    2022Resident Excellence in Teaching Award, The University of Chicago
    2022Finalist - Annual Pediatric Glaucoma and Cataract Family Association Award, Pediatric Glaucoma and Cataract Family Association
    2022Blind Children's Center Grant, Blind Children's Center, LA
    2022Comer Development Board Grant, The University of Chicago
    2020Best original paper in Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, AAO
    2020PEDIG - site PI, The University of Chicago
    2021Editorial Board Member, J AAPOS
    2018Knights Templar Eye Foundation Career Starter Grant, Knights Templar Eye Foundation
    2014Havener Eye Institute Free Clinic Certificate of Appreciation, Ohio State Havener Eye Institute
    2014Travel Grant Award for ARVO, National Eye Institute
    2013Consultant of the Month, Ohio State Havener Eye Institute
    2012Mercy Style of Care Award, Scripps Mercy Hospital
    2011Eli G. Alcon Award for Outstanding Senior Medical Student in Ophthalmology, The Ohio State University College of Medicine
    2010Capstone Award for Outstanding Achievement , Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
    2010Health Economics Certificate, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
    2010Alpha Omega Alpha, The Ohio State University, College of Medicine
    2009Gold Humanism and Honor Society, The Ohio State University, College of Medicine
    2007Excellence in Community Service Award, The Ohio State University, College of Medicine
    2006Summa cum laude, University of Notre Dame
    2006Phi Beta Kappa, University of Notre Dame

    Collapse Research 
    Collapse research activities and funding
         (Rebecca Tanenbaum)Jul 1, 2023 - Jun 20, 2024
    ISPB
    Social factors associated with missed appointments in retinopathy of prematurity
    Role: Mentor
         Jan 31, 2022 - Jan 30, 2023
    Comer Development Board
    Biomineralization and Pediatric Cataracts
    Role: Co-PI
         (Saira Khanna)Jul 1, 2021 - Jun 30, 2022
    ISPB Research Grant
    Laser Prophylaxis in Patients with Stickler Syndrome.
    Role: Mentor for Ophthalmology Resident
         (Lindsay Chun)Jul 1, 2020 - Jun 30, 2021
    ISPB Research Grant
    Evaluating endophthalmitis after pediatric cataract surgery using an insurance claims database
    Role: Mentor for Ophthalmology Resident
         (Ema Avdagic)Jul 1, 2020 - Jun 30, 2021
    ISPB Research Grant
    Systemic hypertension after intravitreal bevacizumab therapy for type 1 ROP: is there evidence for concern?
    Role: Mentor for Ophthalmology Resident
         (Hilkert Rodriguez, Sarah)Jun 25, 2019

    PEDIG
    Role: PI for the University of Chicago
         (Elise Timtim)Jun 1, 2019 - Jun 30, 2020
    ISBP
    ROP Outcomes using the Medicaid Claims Database
    Role: Mentor for medical student, Elise Timtim
         (Elise Timtim)Jun 1, 2019 - Jun 30, 2020
    AOA Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship
    ROP Outcomes using the Medicaid Claims Database
    Role: Mentor for medical student, Elise Timtim
         (Hilkert-Rodriguez, Sarah)Oct 1, 2018

    ROP Hot Topics
    Role Description: Co-organizer for international ROP meeting, raised funding from sponsors for meeting support
    Role: Co-organizer
         (Hilkert-Rodriguez, Sarah)Jun 1, 2018 - Jun 1, 2019
    Knights Templar
    Evaluating the efficacy of a smartphone application (Baby Moves!) to detect developmental delays among a high risk population of infants screened for retinopathy of prematurity.
    Role: PI
         (Theophanous, Christos)Jun 1, 2018

    ISPB Research Grant: Proteomics in pediatric cataracts.
    Role: Mentor for ophthalmology resident, Christos Theophanous
         (Hilkert Rodriguez, Sarah)Jan 1, 2018

    Core Grant: Using a Commercial Claims Database to Evaluate Outcomes Related to Retinopathy of Prematurity
    Role: PI
         (Hilkert Rodriguez, Sarah)Aug 1, 2017 - Aug 1, 2018

    Core Grant: Using a Commercial Claims Database to Evaluate Outcomes Related to Retinopathy of Prematurity.
    Role: PI
         (Anand, Nandita)Jun 1, 2017 - Jun 1, 2018

    Role Description: ISPB Research Grant: To evaluate the long term safety and efficacy of antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) treatment compared to laser among patients who received treatment for retinopathy of prematurity.
    Role: Mentor of ophthalmology resident
         (Zhang, Michael)May 1, 2017 - Jun 30, 2017

    Diversity Grant: Assessing Socioeconomic Status as a Risk Factor for Severe Retinopathy of Prematurity
    Role: Mentor for medical student, Michael Zhang
         (Hilkert Rodriguez, Sarah)Jan 1, 2016 - Jun 30, 2017
    Novartis
    Rainbow Study
    Role Description: a randomized, controlled study evaluating the efficacy and safety of ranibizumab compared with laser therapy for the treatment of infants born prematurely with retinopathy of prematurity.
    Role: PI

    Collapse Featured Content 
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    Collapse Bibliographic 
    Collapse selected publications
    Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.
    Newest   |   Oldest   |   Most Cited   |   Most Discussed   |   Timeline   |   Field Summary   |   Plain Text
    PMC Citations indicate the number of times the publication was cited by articles in PubMed Central, and the Altmetric score represents citations in news articles and social media. (Note that publications are often cited in additional ways that are not shown here.) Fields are based on how the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies the publication's journal and might not represent the specific topic of the publication. Translation tags are based on the publication type and the MeSH terms NLM assigns to the publication. Some publications (especially newer ones and publications not in PubMed) might not yet be assigned Field or Translation tags.) Click a Field or Translation tag to filter the publications.
    1. Xie EF, Hilkert Rodriguez S, Xie B, D'Souza M, Reem G, Sulakhe D, Skondra D. Identifying novel candidate compounds for therapeutic strategies in retinopathy of prematurity via computational drug-gene association analysis. Front Pediatr. 2023; 11:1151239. PMID: 37492605; PMCID: PMC10365641.
      Citations:    
    2. Minogue PJ, Rodriguez SH, Berthoud VM, Beyer EC. Pediatric cataracts of different etiologies contain insoluble, calcified particles. Front Ophthalmol (Lausanne). 2023; 3. PMID: 37441058; PMCID: PMC10338002.
      Citations:    
    3. Theophanous CN, Wolfgeher DJ, Farooq AV, Hilkert Rodriguez S. Biomarkers of Pediatric Cataracts: A Proteomics Analysis of Aqueous Fluid. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 May 20; 24(10). PMID: 37240389; PMCID: PMC10219433.
      Citations:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    4. Moir J, Rodriguez SH, Chun LY, Massamba N, Skondra D. Racial differences in quantitative optical coherence tomography angiography findings between older non-diabetics with co-morbidities. PLoS One. 2023; 18(5):e0285360. PMID: 37146056; PMCID: PMC10162566.
      Citations:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    5. Zhang JY, Greenwald MJ, Rodriguez SH. Gut Microbiome and Retinopathy of Prematurity. Am J Pathol. 2023 Feb 11. PMID: 36780985.
      Citations: 1     Fields:    
    6. Rodriguez SH, Ells AL, Blair MP, Shah PK, Harper CA, Prakalapakorn SG, Denis E, Lusobya RC, Greenwald MJ, Isenberg SJ, Lambert SR, Vaucher YE, Carroll A, Namakula L, Martinez-Castellanos MA. Retinopathy of Prematurity in the 21st Century and the Complex Impact of Supplemental Oxygen. J Clin Med. 2023 Feb 03; 12(3). PMID: 36769876; PMCID: PMC9918247.
      Citations:    
    7. Rodriguez SH, Chun LY, Skondra D, Liao C. Association between Aphakia and Endophthalmitis after Pediatric Cataract Surgery. Ophthalmology. 2023 05; 130(5):551-553. PMID: 36646582.
      Citations:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    8. Rodriguez SH, Blair MP, Timtim E, Millman R, Si Z, Wroblewski K, Andrews B, Msall ME, Peyton C. Smartphone application links severity of retinopathy of prematurity to early motor behavior in a cohort of high-risk preterm infants. J AAPOS. 2023 02; 27(1):12.e1-12.e7. PMID: 36642242; PMCID: PMC10243477.
      Citations: 1     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    9. Peyton C, Millman R, Rodriguez S, Boswell L, Naber M, Spittle A, de Regnier R, Barbosa VM, Sukal-Moulton T. Motor Optimality Scores are significantly lower in a population of high-risk infants than in infants born moderate-late preterm. Early Hum Dev. 2022 11; 174:105684. PMID: 36209602; PMCID: PMC10243476.
      Citations: 1     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    10. Shin YJ, Mohanty A, Kang A, Baroody F, Shogan A, Rodriguez S, Reid R, Frim D, Chokshi N, Mak G, Slidell M, Lee T, Kandel J, Truehart A, Gundeti M . Telehealth - a new paradigm shift? Pediatric surgical subspecialty telemedicine survey in the COVID-19 pandemic at a tertiary care center. Journal of Clinical Urology. 2022.
    11. Khanna S, Rodriguez SH, Blair MA, Wroblewski K, Shapiro MJ, Blair MP. Laser Prophylaxis in Patients with Stickler Syndrome. Ophthalmol Retina. 2022 04; 6(4):263-267. PMID: 34774838.
      Citations: 3     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    12. Massamba N, Mackin AG, Chun LY, Rodriguez S, Dimitroyannis RC, Bodaghi B, Hariprasad SM, Skondra D. Evaluation of flow of chorioretinal capillaries in healthy black and white subjects using optical coherence tomography angiography. Sci Rep. 2021 11 08; 11(1):21886. PMID: 34750481; PMCID: PMC8575995.
      Citations: 1     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    13. Rodriguez SH, Blair MP, Shapiro MJ, Berrocal AM, Ells AL, Hubbard GB, Martinez-Castellanos MA, Murray TG, Wu WC. Neurodevelopmental outcomes following bevacizumab treatment for retinopathy of prematurity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Perinatol. 2021 09; 41(9):2377-2378. PMID: 34193960.
      Citations: 1     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    14. Shaw LT, Khanna S, Chun LY, Dimitroyannis RC, Rodriguez SH, Massamba N, Hariprasad SM, Skondra D. Quantitative Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA) Parameters in a Black Diabetic Population and Correlations with Systemic Diseases. Cells. 2021 03 04; 10(3). PMID: 33806492; PMCID: PMC7998203.
      Citations: 5     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    15. Prasanna P, Sriram CS, Rodriguez SH, Kohli U. Cardiovascular involvement in alpha-n-acetyl neuraminidase deficiency syndromes (sialidosis type I and II). Cardiol Young. 2021 May; 31(5):862-864. PMID: 33507140.
      Citations:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    16. Zhang DL, Shapiro MJ, Schechet SA, Rabiah PK, Rodriguez SH, Blair MP. Macular Sequelae Following Exudative Retinal Detachment After Laser Photocoagulation for Retinopathy of Prematurity. Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2020 Dec 01; 51(12):698-705. PMID: 33339051.
      Citations:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    17. Blair MP, Rodriguez SH, Shapiro MJ. A Potential Solution to Plus Disease Variability. Ophthalmol Retina. 2020 10; 4(10):1022-1023. PMID: 33019986.
      Citations:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    18. Zhang MH, Blair MP, Ham SA, Rodriguez SH. Two-Year Outcomes Comparing Anti-VEGF Injections to Laser for ROP Using a Commercial Claims Database. Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2020 09 01; 51(9):486-493. PMID: 32955587.
      Citations: 5     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    19. Skondra D, Rodriguez SH, Sharma A, Gilbert J, Andrews B, Claud EC. The early gut microbiome could protect against severe retinopathy of prematurity. J AAPOS. 2020 08; 24(4):236-238. PMID: 32707176; PMCID: PMC7680397.
      Citations: 9     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    20. Rodriguez SH, Schechet SA, Shapiro MJ, Blair MP. Late visual outcomes in infants treated with primary bevacizumab for type 1 retinopathy of prematurity. J AAPOS. 2020 06; 24(3):149.e1-149.e5. PMID: 32461148.
      Citations: 5     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    21. Rodriguez SH, Blair MP, Shapiro MJ, Berrocal AM, Murray TG, Hubbard GB, Martinez-Castellanos MA. Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Preterm Infants With Retinopathy of Prematurity by Treatment. Pediatrics. 2020 Apr 01; 145(4). PMID: 32234794.
      Citations: 4     Fields:    
    22. Rodriguez SH, Peyton C, Lewis K, Andrews B, Greenwald MJ, Schreiber MD, Msall ME, Blair MP. Neurodevelopmental Outcomes Comparing Bevacizumab to Laser for Type 1 ROP. Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2019 06 01; 50(6):337-343. PMID: 31233150.
      Citations: 12     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    23. Schechet SA, Rodriguez SH, Shapiro MJ, Blair MP. Reply to comment on: "Advantages of bevacizumab for aggressive posterior retinopathy of prematurity". Taiwan J Ophthalmol. 2019 Apr-Jun; 9(2):136-137. PMID: 31198676; PMCID: PMC6557064.
      Citations:    
    24. Anand N, Blair MP, Greenwald MJ, Rodriguez SH. Refractive outcomes comparing primary laser to primary bevacizumab with delayed laser for type 1 ROP. J AAPOS. 2019 04; 23(2):88.e1-88.e6. PMID: 30797978.
      Citations: 4     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    25. Theophanous C, Schechet S, Rodriguez SH, Blair M. Bilateral Vitreous Hemorrhage Following Bilateral Intravitreal Injections of Bevacizumab in an Infant With Retinopathy of Prematurity. Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2018 11 01; 49(11):893-896. PMID: 30457649.
      Citations: 1     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    26. Blair M, Gonzalez JMG, Snyder L, Schechet S, Greenwald M, Shapiro M, Rodriguez SH. Bevacizumab or laser for aggressive posterior retinopathy of prematurity. Taiwan J Ophthalmol. 2018 Oct-Dec; 8(4):243-248. PMID: 30637196; PMCID: PMC6302568.
      Citations: 7     
    27. Blair MP, Hilkert Rodriguez S, Chan RVP, Shapiro MJ. Re: Lepore et al.: Follow-up to age 4 years of treatment of type 1 retinopathy of prematurity intravitreal bevacizumab injection versus laser: fluorescein angiographic findings (Ophthalmology. 2018;125:218-226). Ophthalmology. 2018 10; 125(10):e70-e71. PMID: 30243341.
      Citations: 1     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    28. . Availability of Resources for After-Hours Surgical Management of Eye Injuries. J Acad Ophthalm. 2018; 1(10):e92-e97. View Publication.
    29. Hilkert SM, Parness-Yossifon R, Mets-Halgrimson R, Mets MB. Response to Galvis et al.'s "Myopia rates in a genetically isolated population". Ophthalmic Genet. 2018 04; 39(2):295. PMID: 29172911.
      Citations:    Fields:    Translation:Humans
    30. Silas MR, Hilkert SM, Reidy JJ, Farooq AV. Posterior keratoconus. Br J Ophthalmol. 2018 07; 102(7):863-867. PMID: 29122822.
      Citations: 4     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    31. Hilkert SM, Parness-Yossifon R, Mets-Halgrimson R, Mets MB. Ocular biometry and determinants of refractive error in a founder population of European ancestry. Ophthalmic Genet. 2018 Jan-Feb; 39(1):11-16. PMID: 28569566.
      Citations: 1     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    32. . Retinoblastoma: a global perspective. Curr Ophthalmol Rep. 2017; (5):119-127.
    33. Hilkert SM, Koreishi AF, Pyatetsky D. Poststreptococcal syndrome presenting as posterior scleritis in a child. J AAPOS. 2017 Apr; 21(2):163-165. PMID: 28007653.
      Citations: 2     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    34. Hilkert SM, Cebulla CM, Jain SG, Pfeil SA, Benes SC, Robbins SL. Breaking bad news: A communication competency for ophthalmology training programs. Surv Ophthalmol. 2016 Nov - Dec; 61(6):791-798. PMID: 27134009; PMCID: PMC5086298.
      Citations: 3     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    35. . Use of complementary and alternative medicine among pediatric ophthalmology patients in San Diego, CA. European Journal for Person Centered Healthcare. 2014; 3(2).
    36. DiVittorio KM, Leevy WM, O'Neil EJ, Johnson JR, Vakulenko S, Morris JD, Rosek KD, Serazin N, Hilkert S, Hurley S, Marquez M, Smith BD. Zinc(II) coordination complexes as membrane-active fluorescent probes and antibiotics. Chembiochem. 2008 Jan 25; 9(2):286-93. PMID: 18076009; PMCID: PMC2849105.
      Citations: 17     Fields:    Translation:Cells
    37. . An indicator displacement system for fluorescent detection of phosphate oxyanions under physiological conditions. Tetrahedron Lett. 2004; 47(45):89721-4.
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