Dr. Matthew C. Brennan

James T. Handa, M.D., is Chief of the Retina Division and the Robert Bond Welch, M.D., Professor of Ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute. He specializes in medical and surgical management of complex vitreoretinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal detachment, retinopathy of prematurity and other pediatric retinal diseases. He also has expertise in intraocular oncology and manages patients with choroidal melanomas and metastatic tumors of the eye. Not only is he a highly skilled surgeon and clinician, but he also devotes significant effort to research related to the early causes of age-related macular degeneration using molecular pathological approaches to understand how the eye transforms from normal aging to early disease. He has been funded by the National Eye Institute for the last 19 years, and he currently holds two R01 awards for his work in AMD. He has also been funded by the Thome Foundation, Research to Prevent Blindness, Fight for Sight and the American Health Assistance Foundation. His other research focuses on surgical innovation using an integrated robotic surgical system. Dr. Handa is currently the Wilmer Eye Institute’s implanting surgeon for the Argus II retinal chip implant, which was recently approved by the FDA after Dr. Handa participated in the clinical trial leading to its approval. Dr. Handa is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Metastatic Uveal Melanoma. His top areas of expertise are Melanoma of the Eye, Late-Onset Retinal Degeneration, Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD), Metastatic Uveal Melanoma, and Vitrectomy.

Dr. Lipson is an internationally-recognized skin cancer and immunotherapy specialist at Johns Hopkins. He received his medical degree in 2005 from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, where he graduated with distinction in research. He completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and completed a Medical Oncology fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. Dr. Lipson leads cutting edge clinical trials for patients with melanoma and other skin cancers. As a member of the Johns Hopkins Melanoma and Cancer Immunology Programs, he focuses on evaluating novel therapies for patients with high-risk or advanced disease. Dr. Lipson’s publications include the first reports of organ transplant recipients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors for advanced cancer, and the first description of kidney retransplantation performed after immunotherapy–related organ rejection. Based on his published work, Dr. Lipson initiated a clinical trial testing a novel combination of immune-based therapies for kidney transplant recipients with advanced selected cancers. Results from this trial - the first of its kind - were reported in 2022 at an international oncology meeting. Dr. Lipson is a leader in the clinical development of relatlimab, an antibody blocking the LAG-3 immune checkpoint. He leads a phase 2 trial testing combination immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy—including anti-LAG-3—for patients with advanced basal cell carcinoma. In June 2021, Dr. Lipson presented findings from the first phase 3 study establishing the LAG-3 pathway as the third immune checkpoint pathway in history, after CTLA-4 and PD-1, for which blockade has clinical benefit. This trial supported the FDA's approval of a new therapy for patients with advanced melanoma. In addition to his research activities, Dr. Lipson is an educator in the field of cancer immunotherapy. Many of his lectures focus on the management of immune-mediated drug toxicities associated with novel cancer drugs. Dr. Lipson conducts regular clinical practices in Baltimore, Maryland and at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C. as part of the multidisciplinary Melanoma Program at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Lipson is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Metastatic Uveal Melanoma. His top areas of expertise are Melanoma, Merkel Cell Carcinoma, Metastatic Uveal Melanoma, Squamous Cell Skin Carcinoma, and Pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Philosophy of care | Personalized care starts during my first meeting with a patient and family. That's when I get to know the patient as completely as possible. I want to know about the patient's concerns, values and support system so I can provide care that is specific to him or her. | Also, I am a member of the skin and soft tissue cancer multidisciplinary consultation team. Together we review your diagnostic information and give you a written opinion reflecting the scope of your condition and recommendations for your best course of care. | Why I entered medicine | When I was young, I didn't like seeing doctors. It created a lot of anxiety for me. Now that I'm older, I can relate to the way people feel, especially when they're coping with the emotions caused by a serious condition like cancer. My grandmother died of uterine cancer in the 1960s. During her battle, I felt helpless. That is what attracted me to cancer research. Now I see the amazing progress we are making through cancer research. | Community involvement | I served on the state board of the American Cancer Society. Today, I take more of a grassroots approach to offer my support. I participate in events, such as 5K runs, that benefit charities. Dr. Nair is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Metastatic Uveal Melanoma. His top areas of expertise are Melanoma, Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma, Clear Cell Sarcoma, and WT1-Related Wilms Tumor Syndromes.