Cynthia Steel has had an extensive and diverse career spanning over two decades in both academia and industry. After receiving her PhD in Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Anatomy from Loyola University Chicago, she received post-doctoral funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs and researched mechanisms underlying elevated intraocular pressure in glaucoma. During her post-doc years, Cynthia also gained experience teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses, where she came to realize her enthusiasm for education and mentorship.

In 2016, Cynthia made the transition to industry and joined Bausch + Lomb as a Medical Science Liaison. Her time at B+L piqued her interest in understanding the business of pharmaceuticals, so she enrolled in the Executive MBA program at the University of South Florida in 2019. By 2020, Cynthia was able to combine her interests in Medical Affairs and laboratory research by joining the startup company Qlaris Bio as their Director of Translational Research and Medical Affairs. Most recently, Cynthia is serving as the Director of Global Medical Affairs (Glaucoma) at Glaukos Corporation.

Cynthia’s collective work and educational experience highlights her ability to both conduct research as well as communicate scientific findings to a wide-ranging audience. She is the first author of eight peer-reviewed manuscripts and a number of scientific abstracts, and she received research grants from the Department of Veterans Affairs as well as a Shaffer Grant for Innovative Research from the Glaucoma Research Foundation. Cynthia has also been the recipient of the National Sale’s Director award at B+L for her ability to educate on the mechanisms of nitric oxide in the eye. She currently serves on the Commercial Relationships Committee of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), on the grants review committee of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), and on the virtual programs committee of Ophthalmic World Leaders (OWL)

In her spare time, Cynthia enjoys spending time with her her awesome husband and co-producer of this podcast, Mike Steel, playing with her menagerie of pets, working out, cooking, and starting books but not finishing them.