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John Kempen, MD, Ophthalmology, Boston, MA, Massachusetts Eye and Ear

JohnHKempenMD

Ophthalmology • Boston, MA

Uveitis

Director of Epidemiology for Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School

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  • Office

    Massachusetts Eye and Ear, 243 Charles Street
    and MCM Eye Unit, MyungSung Christian Medical Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
    Boston, MA 02114
    Phone+1 617-573-4494
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Summary

  • Dr. John H Kempen is dually trained as a clinical ophthalmologist subspecializing in ocular inflammatory and infectious diseases and as a PhD-trained investigator in clinical epidemiology (especially clinical trials). He has pursued a clinician-investigator's career aggressively at Johns Hopkins University for seven years, at the University of Pennsylvania for 11.5 years, and currently at Massachusetts Eye and Ear since 2017. Typically, 80% of his effort is on investigation, focusing on research program development regarding his clinical specialty area of ocular inflammatory diseases, which was an underserved area at the beginning of his career.

    In 2014 Dr. Kempen and his colleagues founded the eye care development charity Sight for Souls and as of August 2015, he began hands-on development work in Ethiopia to establish a self-sustaining eye institute in partnership with the Myunsung Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (MCM) with startup funding provided by Sight for Souls while continuing his clinical epidemiology research projects. He became an affiliate of the Harvard School of Medicine Global Health and Social Medicine in 2021, bridging beyond his clinical focus on ophthalmology to broader global health. He currently divides his time between Ethiopia and Boston.

    He has more than 200 publications and over 26,000 citations.

Education & Training

  • Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene & Public Health
    Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene & Public HealthPhD, Epidemiology, 1997 - 2001
  • Johns Hopkins University
    Johns Hopkins UniversityPh.D., Epidemiology, 2001
  • Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene & Public Health
    Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene & Public HealthMHS, Biostatistics, 1997 - 1999
  • Johns Hopkins University
    Johns Hopkins UniversityM.H.S., Biostatistics, 1999
  • Johns Hopkins University
    Johns Hopkins UniversityFellowship, Ocular Immunology/Uveitis, 1997 - 1998
  • Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene & Public Health
    Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene & Public HealthMPH, International Health, 1996 - 1997
  • Johns Hopkins University
    Johns Hopkins UniversityM.P.H., International Health, 1997
  • University of Washington
    University of WashingtonResidency, Ophthalmology, 1993 - 1996
  • Santa Clara Valley Medical Center
    Santa Clara Valley Medical CenterInternship, Transitional Year, 1992 - 1993
  • University of California San Diego School of Medicine
    University of California San Diego School of MedicineClass of 1992
  • Stanford University
    Stanford UniversityB.S., Biological Sciences, With departmental honors, 1988

Certifications & Licensure

  • MA State Medical License
    MA State Medical License 2017 - 2026
  • PA State Medical License
    PA State Medical License 2005 - 2018
  • MD State Medical License
    MD State Medical License 1997 - 2006
  • WA State Medical License
    WA State Medical License 1997 - 1998
  • American Board of Ophthalmology Ophthalmology

Awards, Honors, & Recognition

  • Best Free-Paper Award, Uveitis Section American Academy of Ophthalmology, 2022
  • Senior Achievement Award American Academy of Ophthalmology, 2021
  • Outstanding Humanitarian Service Aware Harvard Medical School, 2020
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Clinical Trials

Publications & Presentations

PubMed

Journal Articles

  • Chatbots vs. Human Experts: Evaluating Diagnostic Performance of Chatbots in Uveitis and the Perspectives on AI Adoption in Ophthalmology  
    Rojas-Carabali W, Sen A, Agarwal A, Tan G, Cheung CY, Rousselot A, Agrawal R, Liu R, Cifuentes-González C, Elze T, Kempen JH, Sobrin L, Nguyen QD, de-la-Torre A, Lee B..., Ocul Immunol Inflamm, 10/13/2023
  • Antiviral treatment for acute retinal necrosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis  
    Putera I, Ridwan AS, Dewi M, Cifuentes-González C, Rojas-Carabali W, Sitompul R, Edwar L, Susiyanti M, Aziza Y, Pavesio C, Chee SP, Mahendradas P, Biswas J, Kempen JH,..., Surv Ophthalmol, 9/27/2023
  • Quality of life and risks associated with systemic anti-inflammatory therapy versus fluocinolone acetonide intraocular implant for intermediate, posterior or panuveiti...  
    The Multicenter Uveitis Steroid Treatment (MUST) Trial and Follow-up Study Research Group.(Writing Committee: Kempen JH (Chair), Altaweel MM, Drye LT, Holbrook JT, Jab..., Ophthalmology, 1/1/2015
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Books/Book Chapters

  • Immune Modulation and Anti-Inflammatory Therapy in Ocular Disorders 
    Chapter: Safety of Immunosuppressive Therapy for Eye Diseases 
    Hornbeak DM, Kempen JHEditors: Pleyer U.Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg2014
  • Curbside Consultations in Uveitis 
    Chapter: How Do the Results of the Systemic Immunosuppressive Therapy for Eye Diseases Cohort Study Apply to the Care of My Patients With Uveitis? 
    Page 163 - 166Kempen JHEditors: Foster CS.Slack, Inc,, Thorofare, NJ2012
  • The Epidemiology of Eye Disease 
    Chapter: Ocular complications of human immunodeficiency virus infection 
    Page 318 - 340Kempen JH, Jabs DAEditors: Johnson GJ, Minassian DC, Weale R, West SK.2003
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Abstracts/Posters

  • Health utility in the Multicenter Uveitis Steroid Treatment Trial Session Number: 525 Session Title: Clinical and Translational Studies in Ocular Inflammation
    Kempen, JH, ARVO Annual Meeting, Life-Changing Research, Seattle, WA, 1/1/2013
  • The Prevalence, Incidence and Risk Factors for Exudative Retinal Detachment in Uveitis
    Deepika Shah, Craig Newcomb, Grace Levy-Clarke, Robert Nussenblatt, James Rosenbaum, Eric Suhler, Jennifer Thorne, C. Stephen Foster, Douglas Jabs, and John Kempen, ARVO Meeting, 1/1/2013
  • Health utility in the Multicenter Uveitis Steroid Treatment Trial
    Elizabeth Sugar, Alyce Burke, Lea Drye, Janet Holbrook, John Kempen, Jennifer Thorne, Kevin Frick, and Multicenter Uveitis Steroid Treatment (MUST) Trial Research Group, ARVO Meeting, 1/1/2013
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Lectures

  • Academic Ophthalmology and Global Blindness Alleviation: Who is Going to Lead? 
    Philadelphia, PA, 2014; Baltimore, MD, 2015 - 1/1/2015
  • Review of Treatment for Inflammatory Eye Diseases 
    Bethesda, MD - 1/1/2015
  • Classic Public Health Ophthalmology Diseases 
    Bethesda, MD - 1/1/2015
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Other

  • Primary Results of the Multicenter Uveitis Steroid Treatment Trial 
    Kempen JH, American Academy of Ophthalmology, Uveitis Subspecialty Day
    San Francisco, CA - 1/1/2010
  • Understanding the Safety of Immunomodulatory Therapy 
    Kempen JH, American Academy of Ophthalmology, Uveitis Subspecialty Day
    San Francisco, CA - 1/1/2010
  • Long-term Use of Antimetabolites and Biologics 
    Kempen JH, American Academy of Ophthalmology, Retina Subspecialty Day
    San Francisco, CA - 1/1/2009
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Press Mentions

  • May 21, 2017
    May 21, 2017May 21st, 2017
  • NIH-Funded Clinical Trial Shows Systemic Therapy Outperforms Intraocular Implant for Uveitis
    NIH-Funded Clinical Trial Shows Systemic Therapy Outperforms Intraocular Implant for UveitisMay 7th, 2017
  • Short-Term Use of Immunosuppressants Not Linked to Cancer Risk
    Short-Term Use of Immunosuppressants Not Linked to Cancer RiskAugust 23rd, 2023

Professional Memberships

Hospital Affiliations

External Links

  • LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kempen-713b6336/

Dr. John Kempen, Dr. John Kempen, MD, Dr. J Kempen, Dr. John H Kempen