Specialties
Inherited Retinal Diseases
Autoimmune Retinopathy
Education
Medical School
Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
Residency
Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
Fellowship
• Inherited Retinal Diseases, Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA)
• Pediatric Retinal and Optic Nerve Diseases, Hamilton Eye Institute, University of Tennessee Health Science Center (Memphis, TN)
• Master of Science in Epidemiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Graduate Health Sciences (Memphis, TN)
Dr. Alessandro Iannaccone is a Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He specializes in the care of complex and rare diseases and has expertise in treating Inherited Retinal Diseases (IRDs) and Autoimmune Retinopathy (AIR).
Dr. Iannaccone is a long-time physician scientist with a primary patient care, clinical trial, translational research and educational focus on IRDs and a secondary one on age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and AIR. After his Medical School and Ophthalmology training at the Sapienza University in Rome, Italy, Dr. Iannaccone pursued additional training in the U.S. in IRDs and Pediatric Retinal and Optic Nerve Diseases. Dr. Iannaccone subsequently directed clinical and research programs focused on IRDs, first at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, TN, and then at the Duke Eye Center. Since 2023, he has been serving as Global Medical Lead in Cell and Gene Therapy for Ophthalmology at Astellas Pharma US, helping develop and bring to the clinic stem cell- and gene therapy-based approaches for AMD and IRDs.
Dr. Iannaccone is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS), as well as a Fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). He serves as a scientific reviewer for numerous journals and as an Editorial Board Member of the ARVO journal Translational Vision Research and Technology. He serves on multiple scholarly and foundation boards, including the Scientific Advisory Board of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, the Choroideremia Research Foundation, the Blue Cone Monochromacy Families Foundation, and the BlueGen Therapeutics Foundation. Dr. Iannaccone has written more than 150 publications, over 30 book chapters, one edited book, over 200 presentations, and more than 90 invited talks at national and international venues.
Dr. Iannaccone is a native of Rome, Italy, and a dual Italian and U.S. citizen. He is fully fluent in both English and Italian and has a proficiency in both Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese. He enjoys cooking, photography, playing pickleball, road cycling, and following sporting events. Patients can schedule appointments with Dr. Iannaccone by calling the UNC Kittner Eye Center at 984-974-2020.
