Obituary: Anjali Bhorade, associate professor of ophthalmology, 51
Physician-scientist was highly regarded for research, compassionate patient care
Bhorade
Anjali Bhorade, MD, an associate professor of ophthalmology & visual sciences at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, died June 12, 2024, after battling metastatic breast cancer for nearly three years. She died in St. Louis, comfortably surrounded by family and friends. She was 51.
“Our community has lost an outstanding clinician-scientist dedicated to improving the lives of patients with glaucoma,” said Todd P. Margolis, MD, PhD, the Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor and head of the John F. Hardesty, MD, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences. “A sought-after physician, she provided the highest quality of medical and surgical care with compassion and empathetic advocacy. She brought her patients comfort with her ability to listen and understand their concerns, treating each patient with respect and dignity.”
Bhorade specialized in caring for patients with glaucoma, a group of eye diseases that affect the nerve in the back of the eye and can cause vision loss and blindness. Her research, supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was focused on the impact of visual field loss on driving in glaucoma patients and the potential for improvements in home lighting on visual function. She was involved in clinical research projects, including a study on how cataract removal affects eye pressure. She also was part of a multicenter clinical research network focused on diabetic retinopathy.
For her commitment to advancing the field of ophthalmology through research and clinical care, she received numerous accolades, including from the American Glaucoma Society and the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Bhorade also was a devoted educator who served as the director of Washington University’s one-year glaucoma fellowship. She inspired and mentored numerous medical students, ophthalmology residents, fellows and students in the university’s Program in Occupational Therapy.
She received her bachelor’s degree in biology from Cornell University and her medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago, where she also completed her residency training in ophthalmology. She then completed a fellowship in glaucoma at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami. Bhorade joined the Washington University faculty in 2004.
Bhorade is survived by her husband, Wesley Green, MD, a St. Louis ophthalmologist and glaucoma specialist; sons Kiren Nicholas Greuloch and Alexander Bhorade Greuloch; stepdaughters Harper and Mila Green; parents Maruti Bhorade and Suman Bhorade; siblings Sangeeta (Siddharth) Bhorade and Rajeev Bhorade; two nephews; and numerous friends, relatives and colleagues.
A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held in the fall in St. Louis.
Read more on the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences website.
