Dr. Birch has revolutionized retinal disease research with groundbreaking achievements. He pioneered PC software for recording retinal electrical signals, advancing ERG use in measuring cone function and photoreceptor activity in macular disease. Dr. Birch enhanced perimetry devices to measure rod visual fields, now integral in clinical trial assessments. In collaboration with Dr. Gabriel Travis, he created the first model of Stargardt disease and embarked on a collaboration with Dr. Steven Daiger to identify genetic causes of inherited retinal degenerations.

Dr. Birch serves as an adjunct associate professor of ophthalmology and director of electrophysiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center and is the Foundation Fighting Blindness Southwest Regional Center Coordinator.

Professional Organizations

• Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
• American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Optical Society of America
• American Academy of Ophthalmology
• International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision
• Southern Retina Study Group
• International Society for Eye Research
• Foundation Fighting Blindness Clinical Consortium

Education and Training

Doctorate

• University of California, Santa Barbara

Fellowship

• University of Florida Medical School, Gainesville, FL
• Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA