Beth Ann Benetz, MA, CRA

Professor, Case Western Reserve University
Scientific Director, Eye Image Analysis Reading Centers, UH Eye Institute

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Biography

Beth Ann Benetz is a professor in the Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences and Scientific Director of the University Hospitals Eye Image Analysis Reading Centers. These centers include the Retinal Image Analysis Reading Center (REDIARC) and the Corneal Image Analysis Reading Center (CIARC), which she helped develop into an internationally recognized leader. CIARC (formerly the SMRC) served as the reading center for the Specular Microscopy Ancillary Study (SMAS) and the subsequent Cornea Preservation Time Study (CPTS); both REDIARC and CIARC have served as reading centers for dozens of major clinical trials over the past two decades. Professor Benetz also developed the Imaging Core module on the P30 Core grant for vision research that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded to CWRU; she served as the Imaging Core’s co-director from 2002 - 2007.

Throughout her career, she has been dedicated to the training and certification of Ophthalmic Imagers both in the clinic, as imagers for clinical trials, or for technicians imaging the cornea in preparation for transplant.

Benetz is a Fellow of the Ophthalmic Photographers Society (OPS), and served on its Board of Certification for 20 years, including nine as its chair. She served as Editor in Chief for the Journal of Ophthalmic Photography from 2013 to 2017 and continues to serve on its Editorial Board.

Professor Benetz earned her BS in Biomedical Photographic Communications from Rochester Institute of Technology and her MA from Duke University. Prior to CWRU, she spent six years at Duke as an ophthalmic photographer for clinical trials and patient care. Professor Benetz joined CWRU in 1994.

Research Interests

Professor Benetz’s research interests focus on ophthalmic image analyses for multi-center clinical trials. More recently her work has extended to include the use of artificial intelligence in improving clinical research and clinical outcomes. Professor Benetz is one of the Multiple Principal Investigators (MPI) on a National Eye Institute grant to create specialized image analytics artificial intelligence software for prediction of keratoplasty failure.