Welcome to our lab.
We are dedicated to finding new treatments for glaucoma.
The lab attending the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) 2026 Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado.
Qi Cui, MD PhD
Scientist and glaucoma clinician at the University of Pennsylvania. Qi (pronounced “chi”) is the F.M. Kirby Association Professor of Ophthalmology and serves as Associate Residency Director for Research at the Scheie Eye Institute. Qi enjoys traveling, gardening, baking, and most of all, time with her family.
Jie Wu, MD MS
Research specialist at University of Pennsylvania for more than 20 years. Jie completed her medical training in China. In addition to research, Jie enjoys gardening, Zumba, and traveling.
Tianyuan “Ben” Yao, BS
Ben is a medical student at the University of Arkansas, and is taking time away from school to conduct research in the Cui lab. Outside of medicine, Ben enjoys spending time with his homing pigeons, some of which he has trained to return home from hundreds of miles away!
Jusung (Peter) Kim, BA
Peter is a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania currently on a research year. He enjoys playing racket sports such as badminton or table tennis, occasional hikes with friends and family, and discovering good food or coffee in town.
Emily Su
Emily is an undergraduate student studying Biology at Penn, and is exploring her interests in medicine and research. She enjoys baking and going on walks - especially when they involve spotting cats!
Brent Bell, AAS, BS
Project Manager and Director of Animal Imaging. Resident in vivo ocular imaging and retina functional testing aficionado with a biomedical/laser electro-optics background and experience in academic research for 30 years. In his spare time, Brent enjoys globetrotting with his family, and occasional fishing trips with friends both old and new.
Cui Lab Alumni
Ariana Boorboor, BS
Ariana completed her undergraduate degree in Biology at the University of Nevada. After taking time to work in the lab, she is now attending medical school at the University of California, San Diego.
Khaled Safadi, MD
Khaled is an ophthalmologist and glaucoma specialist from Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel. He completed a two-year research fellowship in the Cui lab and is pursuing a clinical glaucoma fellowship in Montreal.
Anny Zhong, MD
Anny is a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania who completed a research year in the Cui lab. She is interested in a career in academic medicine where research might play a role and will be completing her ophthalmology residency at the University of Michigan!
Turner Schwartz, MD
As a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania, Turner worked on multiple scholarly pursuit projects in the lab. He is an ophthalmology resident at the University of Michigan. Turner competed in an Ironman triathlon while raising funds for glaucoma research, or as he called it: Ironman to Prevent Blindness!
Gifty Sawhney, PhD
Gifty is post-doctoral researcher who has transitioned to another UPenn laboratory and has continued to conduct eye research.
Sahit Reddi, BS
Sahit was a BS student at Pennsylvania State University, and has since started medical school at Sidney Kimmel Medical College. Sahit is also an avid sports fan and in his free time enjoys working out and spending time outdoors.
Emily Lawrence, MD, MEd
Emily was a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania, and took a year out of the traditional curriculum to pursue research projects in the Cui lab. She is pursuing residency training in ophthalmology at the University of Michigan and is passionate about preserving and restoring sight.
Modupe Adetunji, MD
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania school of medicine who spent a year-out in the lab. Modupe has since completed her ophthalmology residency at Duke University.
Jacob Sterling, MD PhD
MD-PhD graduate from U Penn pursuing a residency in Cardiology at Northwestern. Jacob studied innate immune dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases, and successfully defended his PhD thesis in May 2021. Co-mentored by Dr. Qi Cui and Dr. Joshua Dunaief.
Albert Bargoud, MD
A graduate of the Rutgers school of medicine who spent a year in the lab conducting basic science research, Albert has since completed an ophthalmology residency at Rutgers NJMS followed by a clinical glaucoma fellowship at NYU.
Keyshla Negron Rios, MS
Keyshla completed her Master’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania through the Cui lab.
Kailey Bae, BS
Kailey completed her Pre-Health Post-Baccalaureate studies at the University of Pennsylvania while working in the lab.
Jingwen (Nikita) Lu, MS
After receiving her Master’s in Biotechnology at the University of Pennsylvania while working in the lab, Nikita is pursuing a career in drug development.
Michelle Guo, MD
Michelle is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine who took a year-out to conduct research in the lab. She is pursuing a psychiatric residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.