Dr. Birch is the Scientific Director of the Retina Foundation of the Southwest, where he is also the Director of the Rose-Silverthorne Retinal Degenerations Laboratory. Dr. Birch has authored or co-authored over 300 scientific articles and is a recipient of the Visionary Award and the Board of Directors Award from the Foundation Fighting Blindness.
Dr. Birch is on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Foundation Fighting Blindness and has involvement in clinical trials across multiple inherited retinal diseases. He earned his BA from the University of California, Riverside, and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Florida Medical School and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School.