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Mary Elizabeth “ME” Hartnett, MD ’83, Named 2026 ���Ĵ�ý Distinguished Alumna

The ���Ĵ�ý Alumni Association named Mary Elizabeth “ME” Hartnett, MD ’83, FACS, FARVO, its 2026 Distinguished Alumna, an award honoring an alumna who has earned national recognition for outstanding leadership in health care. She received the award and presented a lecture during the college’s reunion weekend in April.

Dr. Hartnett is the Michael F. Marmor, MD Professor, Retinal Science and Diseases, Professor of Ophthalmology, and Director of Pediatric Retina at Stanford University. She is the principal investigator of a retinal angiogenesis laboratory, in which she studies causes and treatments for diseases including retinopathy of prematurity and age-related macular degeneration.

Dr. Hartnett created the first-ever academic textbook on the subject, Pediatric Retina, in its third edition, which has proven to be an invaluable resource for residents and ophthalmologists internationally.

Her NIH-funded laboratory of vascular biology and angiogenesis has studied mechanisms causing pathology in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Dr. Hartnett’s work in AMD has been to understand the mechanisms involved in activation and invasion of choroidal endothelial cells anterior to the RPE in order to maintain vasculature that is physiologic and not damaging beneath the RPE. Her lab has elucidated environmental stressors that lead to scarring in the macula for which no vision improvement is currently possible. The goal is to find methods to prevent the scarring.

Dr. Hartnett’s lab’s work in ROP provided the proof of concept to regulate an angiogenic signaling pathway by inhibiting VEGF to facilitate intraretinal neovascularization as well as to inhibit abnormal extraretinal neovascularization and reduce retinal destruction used in previous treatments. Her work has been translated through clinical trials to lead to new treatments for severe ROP and has represented a paradigm shift in the understanding and treatment of severe ROP.

She has received numerous awards, including the Weisenfeld Award, the highest award for clinician-scientists given by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), in 2018, and is an ARVO Gold Fellow. She received the 2021 Suzanne Veronneau-Troutman Award, the most prestigious award from Women in Ophthalmology. In recognition of her lifetime contributions, she was inducted into the Retina Hall of Fame and was elected to the Association of American Physicians in 2025.

Dr. Hartnett's prolific publication record includes 295 articles in peer-reviewed journals and over 40 book chapters. She has delivered numerous national and international invited lectures. Her long list of professional committee work includes serving as chair of the Publications Committee of ARVO, as a mentor for the ARVO Leadership Development Program, and in leadership positions internationally as the Treasurer for The Macula Society and the Chair of the Jack McGovern Coats Disease Foundation as well as the Credentialing Committee for The Retina Society.