Dr. Avakian has resided and practiced as a retinal specialist in Seattle since 1998. She holds privileges with several of the region’s several premier hospitals including Northwest Hospital, Swedish Hospital, Overlake Hospital, Veterans Affairs Hospital, Stevens Hospital and Virginia Mason Hospital.

Dr. Avakian earned her clinical PhD and received her medical education and specialization in ophthalmology at the Medical Academy in Moscow, Russia. In 1989 she became an Assistant Professor at Columbia University in New York and was at the forefront of research in new therapies for macular degeneration and retinal diseases. As an accomplished clinician, in 1996 she became a Chief Resident in Ophthalmology at Southern Illinois University and subsequently completed her two-year Fellowship in Surgical and Medical Treatment of Vitreoretinal Diseases at the University of Washington.