CONTACT INFORMATIONBIOGRAPHYCREDENTIALSPUBLICATIONSWilliam H. Merigan, Jr., Ph.D.Contact InformationPhone NumbersOffice: (585) 275-4872Research LabsMerigan LabVisit Merigan Lab Lab WebsiteLocationsUniversity of RochesterSchool of Medicine and Dentistry601 Elmwood AveBox 314Rochester, NY 14642Additional LinksAdvanced Retinal Imaging AllianceFaculty AppointmentsProfessor - Department of Ophthalmology (SMD) Professor - Department of Brain/Cognitive Sciences RC (RC) - JointProfessor - Center for Visual Science A&S (RC) - JointBiographyProfessional BackgroundDr. Merigan's research examines the role of retinal ganglion cells in visual perception in the primate (human and macaque). The primate retina contains at least 14 different types of retinal ganglion cells, and each type forms a complete network across the retina. Because the size, shape and projections of each of the cell types is distinctive, it is thought that they may play quite different and possibly independent roles invisual function,but at present relatively little is known about this question. Some clues about possible functions of different ganglion cell classes comes from their structure (some extend across large swaths of retina, while others get input from tiny regions of retina), their physiology (some ganglion cells respond to color, while others are color blind), and their projections into the brain (some ganglion cells project to visual cortex while others reach the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which is thought to be important in diurnal rhythms).CredentialsEducation1967BA | Boston CollegePsychology1972MS | Univ of MarylandPsychology1975PhD | Univ of MarylandPsychology, All OtherPublicationsJournal Articles2022Godat T, Cottaris NP, Patterson S, Kohout K, Parkins K, Yang Q, Strazzeri JM, McGregor JE, Brainard DH, Merigan WH, Williams DR. "In vivo chromatic and spatial tuning of foveolar retinal ganglion cells in Macaca fascicularis." PloS one.. 2022 17(11):e0278261. Epub 2022 Nov 29. 9/18/2021McGregor JE, Kunala K, Xu Z, Murphy PJ, Godat T, Strazzeri JM, Bateman BA, Fischer WS, Parkins K, Chu CJ, Puthussery T, Williams DR, Merigan WH. "Optogenetic therapy restores retinal activity in primate for at least a year following photoreceptor ablation." Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy.. 2021 Sep 18; Epub 2021 Sep 18. 7/21/2020Aboualizadeh E, Phillips MJ, McGregor JE, DiLoreto DA, Strazzeri JM, Dhakal KR, Bateman B, Jager LD, Nilles KL, Stuedemann SA, Ludwig AL, Hunter JJ, Merigan WH, Gamm DM, Williams DR. "Imaging Transplanted Photoreceptors in Living Nonhuman Primates with Single-Cell Resolution." Stem cell reports.. 2020 Jul 21; Epub 2020 Jul 21. VIEW ALL PUBLICATIONSClose WindowSchedule an appointment with William H. Merigan, Jr., Ph.D.Please answer the following questions to help us find the right appointment for you.Important: If you believe that you have a medical or psychiatric emergency, please call 911 or go to the nearest hospital. This website is not intended for emergency care.Have you seen this provider in the last 2 years?YesNoExisting Patient Schedule or request a follow up appointment online through MyChart. If you do not have a MyChart account, please close this window and call the appointment phone number. William H. Merigan, Jr., Ph.D. is currently scheduling for the following appointment type(s): Our policy does not permit patients to establish care with multiple providers within the same practice or specialty without prior approval. If you choose a new provider in the same office, we will cancel the appointment. Please contact the office directly with questions on this policy.