Ines and Frederick Yeatts Retina Research Lab Members
Dimitrios Ntentakis, M.D, Ph.D
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Dr. Dimitrios Ntentakis earned his M.D. from the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, graduating summa cum laude as the valedictorian of his class. He completed sub-internships in Cardiovascular Surgery at Johns Hopkins and Trauma Surgery at Harvard, earning honors for his clinical performance. Dr. Ntentakis went on to earn his Ph.D. from the School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the Technical University of Crete, focussing on the biomedical applications of nanobubble technology as an enabling intervention for enhancing tissue regeneration in vivo. In January 2019, Dr. Ntentakis joined the Innes and Frederick Yeats Retina Research Laboratory at Mass Eye and Ear, where he has contributed to research on macular degeneration and collaborated with the BROAD Institute, receiving multiple awards for his work. Beyond academia, Dr. Ntentakis has founded “Summer Medical Landing,” a national voluntary program that has provided critical healthcare services to refugees, locals, and visitors in Greece’s most remote islands for 12 consecutive years. He has also served in combat divisions of the Hellenic Air Force.
Yashar Adibnia , M.D
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
After earning his MD degree from Yeditepe University School of Medicine in Istanbul, Turkey, Dr. Yashar Adibnia worked in an ophthalmology clinic as a physician and surgeon-assistant for two years until moving to Boston. He has since worked with Demetrios Vavvas MD, PhD, Nimesh Patel, MD, and Sameen Meshkin, MD on research projects regarding steroid response, use of methotrexate in PVR, and imaging in Coats disease. His organizational skills earned him the role of arranging and organizing the computer and presentation systems in the Angiogenesis Lab, the birthplace of anti-VEGF treatments. He is also a creative and able video creator who, alongside his mentors, has produced videos for Harvard Ophthalmology Residents’ Instagram account as well as for complex surgical retina presentations for conferences and for retina surgery video library projects.
Toshio Narimatsu, M.D, Ph.D
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
(Alumni)
Dr. Toshio Narimatsu obtained his M.D. from Kansai Medical University and Ph.D. from Keio University in Japan. He had residency training in Ophthalmology at Keio University Hospital. Since Keio University Hospital is one of the most significant facilities for ophthalmology in Japan, and he has seen many complex retinal cases, his interest is in the surgical/medical retina. Skilled in developing therapies for neurological and ocular diseases, with extensive expertise in animal models, molecular biology, and collaborative research. He is now working with Dr. Vavvas to find new therapeutic targets, substances to treat the disease, and animal models of disease.
Gustavo Sakuno, M.D., Ph.D
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Dr. Gustavo Sakuno earned his M.D. from the Federal University of Paraná and his Ph.D. from the University of São Paulo, Brazil. He completed his ophthalmology residency at the University of São Paulo, where he served as chief resident for a year and also completed a fellowship in vitreoretinal diseases. Currently, Dr. Gustavo is collaborating with Dr. Demetrios Vavvas in the field of neuroprotection and neurodegeneration in retinal diseases, with a focus on utilizing prime editing to treat PRPH2-related retinal dystrophies.
Maria Emfietzoglou, M.D
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Dr. Maria Emfietzoglou graduated with distinction from Athens College in Greece before earning her medical degree from the University of Ioannina Medical School, where she ranked in the top 1% of her class. During her medical studies, she was honored with the Mikroulaki Scholarship. Dr.Emfietzoglou then worked as a Clinical Trials Fellow at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, while also obtaining a Postgraduate Certificate in Statistics and Epidemiology from the University of Oxford, supported by a scholarship. Following her time in Oxford, she served as an Ophthalmology Intern at the Athens Vision Eye Institute in Greece and successfully completed the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 and Step 2 exams. In addition to her clinical and research work, Dr Emfietzoglou has a strong interest in medical education, with six years of experience at Osmosis.org, one of the leading medical education platforms in the United States, now part of Elsevier. In 2024, Dr. Emfietzoglou joined the Ines and Frederick Yeatts Retina Research Laboratory at Mass Eye and Ear and was awarded the George and Marie Vergottis Postdoctoral Fellowship from Harvard Medical School to support her PhD studies on the pathophysiological mechanisms of age-related macular degeneration. While also collaborating with the KPro Lab, she contributes to a diverse range of basic science and clinical projects within the field of ophthalmology.
Konstantinos Baroutis, M.D
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Dr. Konstantinos Baroutis graduated from the Medical School of the University of Ioannina in Greece after passing the Panhellenic exams. He then served as a military doctor with the Presidential Guard in Athens, Greece. Subsequently, he worked for one year as a resident in Ophthalmology at an army hospital in Athens. He has completed USMLE Step 1 and Step 2. He is a research fellow in the Retinal Laboratory at Mass Eye and Ear Hospital, Harvard University, USA, where he participates in basic and clinical research protocols. His primary interest lies in uncovering mechanisms and addressing ophthalmological genetic disorders and retinal neuroprotection, which is also the focus of his doctoral dissertation (PhD).
Christine Roberge
Senior Lab Manager
Experienced Laboratory Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the hospital & health care industry. Skilled in Research Compliance for both Human and Animal Research, Protocol development and maintenance, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Cell Culture, and Healthcare. Prior experience in Quality Control and Analytical Research in Chemistry. Strong research professional with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) focused in Chemistry from Regis College.
David Defilippo
Research Technician II
Mr. David DeFilippo obtained his Masters Degree from Northeastern University in Analytical Chemistry. His previous research includes HPLC studies on endocannabinoids (Center for Drug Discovery) and MS studies to identify treatment targets for ALS using a mouse model (Agar Lab). He joined the Angiogenesis lab at Mass Eye and Ear under Dr. Vavvas in 2023 as a research technician. He is currently working to support the ongoing research in the lab, including with the various mouse models.
