Rate My Professor Joe Bonanno

Joseph A. Bonanno is Professor and Dean Emeritus in the School of Optometry at Indiana University Bloomington. He earned a B.A. in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1975, an M.S. in Molecular Biology from the University of California, Berkeley in 1977, a Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) from UC Berkeley in 1981, and a Ph.D. in Physiological Optics from UC Berkeley in 1987. After receiving his O.D., Bonanno completed a primary care residency at the Eye Institute of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry in 1982 and directed the Contact Lens Service at Wills Eye Hospital from 1982 to 1983. He conducted postdoctoral research at the Louisiana State University Department of Ophthalmology from 1987 to 1988 and at the UC Berkeley Department of Physiology-Anatomy from 1988 to 1989. Bonanno began his academic career as Assistant Professor at the UC Berkeley School of Optometry in 1989, achieving the rank of Professor in 1997. He joined Indiana University School of Optometry as Professor of Optometry in 1998.

At Indiana University, Bonanno served as Associate Dean for Research from 2005 to 2007, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Student Administration from 2007 to 2010, and Dean of the School of Optometry from 2010 to 2023. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and a member of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology and the American Physiological Society. Bonanno has received the Glenn Fry Award from the American Academy of Optometry and the Indiana University Trustees Teaching Award. His research focuses on corneal endothelial function, including the role of SLC4A11 in endothelial function, modulation of corneal endothelial mitochondrial activity and dysfunction by estrogen, and interactions of lactate:H+ co-transporters with bicarbonate and carbonic anhydrase. Notable publications include 'The H+ Transporter SLC4A11: Roles in Metabolism, Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial Uncoupling' (2022), 'Corneal Edema in Inducible Slc4a11 Knockout Is Initiated by Mitochondrial Superoxide Induced Src Kinase Activation' (2023), 'Regulation of Corneal Endothelial Function' (2024), and 'Mitochondrial ROS Induced Lysosomal Dysfunction and Autophagy Impairment in an Animal Model of Congenital Hereditary Endothelial Dystrophy' (2021). With over 3,000 citations across 86 publications, his contributions have advanced understanding of corneal physiology, edema, and endothelial dystrophies.