Robert Avery, MD, CEO of California Retina Consultants, balances roles as physician and researcher with a lucrative additional career: advising life sciences companies and ophthalmology focused venture capital funds.

With colleague and podcast host Firas Rahhal, MD, Dr. Avery talks about how he got into the business side of medicine. He also looks back over 30 years of retina, which includes pioneering the use of anti-VEGF agents for retinal disease.

Looking forward, Dr. Avery shares his views on what’s on the horizon for drug delivery platforms. And for the drug and device developers in the audience, he discusses how to leverage scientific advisory boards to gain valuable, practical insight.

Listen to the podcast today to discover:

• How Dr. Avery built his clinical research practice in Santa Barbara, California. It’s home to University of California Santa Barbara, a Tier 1 research university, but otherwise not a primary center for clinical trials.
• Tales from the early days of Avastin, including how Dr. Avery helped get the drug approved for off-label use to treat age-related macular degeneration. That it was approved for off-label use before Lucentis received FDA approval helped it become part of the standard of care.
• How Dr. Avery balances clinical practice with advisory roles and how these dual careers benefit one another.
• His prediction on emerging drug delivery platforms.
• What it takes to advise an investment group on drugs and devices as they relate to clinical practice. In other words, will doctors use this?

Hit “Play” to Listen.