Manju L. Subramanian, MD

Associate Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Manju Subramanian is an Associate Professor at Boston University and Vice-Chair of Faculty Affairs in the Department of Ophthalmology. She is an ophthalmic surgeon specializing in vitreoretinal disease and surgery and is in academic practice at Boston Medical Center. Her primary areas of clinical interest include medical and surgical management of diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, retinal detachments, hereditary retinal diseases, ocular inflammation, and ocular trauma. Dr. Subramanian graduated from the University of Missouri School of Medicine and completed her residency at the University of Kansas Medical Center. She completed a fellowship in Vitreoretinal Disease and Surgery at Tufts University School of Medicine and Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston.

Dr. Subramanian's research interests include the study of eye fluid biomarkers as a potential diagnostic modality in Alzheimer's Disease (AD). She is also active in clinical outcomes research in eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and the role of anesthesia in eye surgery, with a particular emphasis on health disparities. She was Principal Investigator for a VA Boston sponsored head-to-head clinical trial comparing bevacizumab and ranibizumab in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration, and she was Principal Investigator for a study assessing the role of oral sedation in eye surgery. She is also a recipient of an R03 Grant Award by the National Institutes of Aging, in 2019, as the Principal Investigator of a study looking at protein biomarkers for AD in the eye.

In her leadership roles, she served as the Vice-Chair of Clinical Services within Ophthalmology for 8 years where she worked with hospital administrators in clinical operations, quality and compliance, and the creation of a new eye clinic. In 2017, she transitioned her role to Vice-Chair of Faculty Affairs where she currently supports the professional development and career engagement of the clinical faculty. She serves on several institutional committees, including the Boston University Medical Group (BUMG) Research Committee, the BU Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine Promotion Criteria Working Group, and she is the past Chair of the BUMG Professional Development Committee. She is also a voting member of the BUMG Board of Trustees. She additionally serves on national committees, such as RESOURCE Committe with the Retina Society and serves on several Special Emphasis Panel with the National Institutes of Health, and she is a past member of the International Meetings Committee for the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and the Diversity Initiatives Committee for Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

Publications

  • Published 9/22/2025

    Subramanian ML, Sampani K, Ness S, Tuz-Zahra F, Alluri S, Chen X, Siegel NH, Aytan N, Xia W, Tripodis Y, Alosco ML, Stein TD. Biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease are upregulated in patients with diabetic retinopathy. J Alzheimers Dis. 2025 Sep 22; 13872877251378759. PMID: 40982223.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 9/3/2025

    Shoushtari SI, Liaw E, Alluri S, Sheikh Z, Kumar S, Huynh C, Schmidt IM, Ness S, Chen X, Siegel NH, Waikar SS, Stein TD, Lu W, Subramanian ML. The association between SLIT2 in human vitreous humor and plasma and neurocognitive test scores. J Alzheimers Dis. 2025 Sep 03; 13872877251374287. PMID: 40899951.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 8/16/2025

    Gao A, Tuz-Zahra F, Vig V, Zeng R, Tripodis Y, Stein TD, Alosco ML, Ness S, Chen X, Siegel N, Subramanian ML. The Association between Retinal Vascular Occlusions and Dementia: A UK Biobank Retrospective Longitudinal Study. Ophthalmol Retina. 2025 Aug 16. PMID: 40825393.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 8/6/2025

    Ness S, Sampani K, Tuz-Zahra F, Aytan N, Alluri S, Fiorello MG, Chen X, Siegel NH, Alosco ML, Xia W, Tripodis Y, Stein TD, Subramanian ML. Glial fibrillary acidic protein in plasma and intraocular fluids and the correlation with cognitive function in patients with vitreoretinal disease. Sci Rep. 2025 Aug 06; 15(1):28720. PMID: 40770000.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 7/10/2025

    Goodman D, Prasad M, Sanjiv N, LaMattina KC, Ness S, Subramanian ML. Enrollment of race/ethnicity in ophthalmic clinical trials before and after the Final Rule. J Natl Med Assoc. 2025 Aug; 117(4):285-292. PMID: 40640051.

    Read at: PubMed