Philip Ferrone, MD.

WALTHAM, Mass.—Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (APLS) has appointed leading retina specialist Philip Ferrone, MD, as chief medical retina advisor. “Phil is globally renowned for his leadership in retina, including as a past president of the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS), so we are delighted to welcome him to the Apellis team,” said Caroline Baumal, MD, chief medical officer, Apellis. “Phil has extensive expertise in retina research and patient care, which will be invaluable as we continue to bring Syfovre to patients with geographic atrophy (GA) and advance our retina pipeline.”

Dr. Ferrone will continue to serve as the director of clinical research at Vitreoretinal Consultants in New York. He is a past president of the ASRS and has been on its board of directors for 18 years. He is also a past president of The Foundation of the ASRS, which aims to raise patient awareness and education about retina health.

“It is an honor to join Apellis in its mission to deliver life-changing treatments for patients living with serious diseases,” said Dr. Ferrone. “I was an early adopter of Syfovre and have realized firsthand how impactful this treatment is for GA patients. I look forward to working closely with Caroline and this tremendously talented team to advance care for patients with this devastating disease.”

Dr. Ferrone has served as principal investigator in over 60 clinical trials investigating new treatments for retinal diseases, authored over 75 peer-reviewed medical manuscripts, six book chapters, and has given over 160 scientific presentations at national and international ophthalmology medical meetings. 

Dr. Ferrone earned his undergraduate degree from Union College and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. He completed a fellowship in vitreoretinal disease and surgery at Associated Retinal Consultants in Royal Oak, Mich., and was chief resident and on faculty at the Duke University Eye Center.