Rockville, MD — The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) is pleased to announce its 2017 ARVO Achievement Award recipients. These award recipients will be acknowledged at the ARVO 2017 Annual Meeting, May 7 – 11, in Baltimore, MD.
Proctor Medal: Gustavo D. Aguirre, VMD, PhD, FARVO
Mildred Weisenfeld Award for Excellence in Ophthalmology: Johanna Seddon, MD, ScM, FARVO
Friedenwald Award: Paul Kaufman, MD, FARVO
Cogan Award: Andrew Huberman, PhD
Kupfer Award: Donald Everett, MA
Joanne G. Angle Award: Robert Ritch, MD, FARVO
Proctor Medal
ARVO is presenting the Proctor Medal to Gustavo D. Aguirre, VMD, PhD, FARVO, of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine for his development of unique canine models of retinal degeneration, which provides basic information about their counterpart human diseases. This preclinical work has established safety and efficacy for most of the clinical trial work in progress on neurotrophic factors as well as gene therapy. Aguirre will present the 2017 Proctor Medal Lecture, “From the Cage to the Bedside - Concepts and Strategies in Retinal Gene Therapy,” at the Annual Meeting on Monday, May 8, 5:45 – 6:30pm.
Weisenfeld Award and Lecture
ARVO is recognizing Johanna Seddon, MD, ScM, FARVO, of the Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center for her pioneering work in ophthalmic epidemiology, particularly the study of nutritional, environmental and genetic risk factors for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Her studies of lifestyle factors have influenced clinical practice worldwide. Her discoveries of common and rare AMD genetic variants have provided targets for therapies. Her predictive modeling insights have laid the groundwork for personalized medicine. Seddon will present the 2017 Weisenfeld Award Lecture, “Macular Degeneration Epidemiology: Nature-Nurture, Lifestyle Factors, Genetic Risk and Gene-Environment Interactions,” at the Annual Meeting on Monday, May 8, 6:45 – 7:30pm.
Friedenwald Award and Lecture
ARVO is recognizing Paul Kaufman, MD, FARVO, of the University of Wisconsin with the Friedenwald Award for his long, distinguished career and pioneering work. Much of the current understanding of the aqueous humor outflow system in the eye and the mechanisms of many known and novel drug have been the direct result of his work. His extensive studies of the pathogenesis and treatment of glaucoma, as well as the mechanisms of accommodation, have changed the way medicine is practices and laid the groundwork for future generations of investigators. Kaufman will present the Friedenwald Award Lecture, “Presbyopia and Glaucoma - The Missing Link?” at the Annual Meeting on Wednesday, May 10, 6:45 - 7:30pm.
Cogan Award and Lecture
ARVO is recognizing Andrew Huberman, PhD of the Stanford University School of Medicine with the Cogan Award for his important contributions to understanding the development, function and repair of mammalian visual circuits. He made fundamental discoveries regarding the mechanisms of binocular circuit development and pioneered the use of genetic and viral tools for labeling and probing specific retinal cells and their associated brain circuits. He is forging new paths in retinal disease research by bringing modern genetic tools to the study of glaucoma and optic nerve repair. Huberman is delivering the Cogan Award Lecture, “Visual Restoration and Function: From Genetics to Virtual Reality,” on Wednesday, May 10, 5:45 - 6:30pm, at the Annual Meeting.
Kupfer Award
ARVO is honoring Donald Everett, MA, of the National Eye Institute with the 2017 Kupfer Award for his almost 30 years of dedicated service as project officer in the Collaborative Clinical Trials branch of the National Eye Institute. During that time, he has served as the facilitator of and government representative and general supporter to many clinical trials that have changed the future of eye care for patients with glaucoma, retinopathy of prematurity, congenital cataract, keratoconus, myopia and many other ocular diseases.
Joanne G. Angle Award
ARVO is recognizing Robert Ritch, MD, FARVO, of the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, for his record of continuous service to ARVO since late 1991, including leading the ARVO “Host-a-Researcher Program” initiative to enable researchers from low-income countries to attend the ARVO Annual Meeting. He has served in numerous leadership roles including a member of the Board of Trustees, Annual Meeting Program Committee, Continuing Medical Education Committee, Global Members Committee and the TVST journal editorial board.
About the Awards
Proctor Medal: Established in 1949 as a memorial to Francis I. Proctor, MD, this award honors outstanding scientific research as applied to ophthalmology. It was the first ophthalmology-related award to honor non-clinicians in the field.
Friedenwald Award: Named for Jonas S. Friedenwald, MD, and established in 1957, the award recognizes exceptional scientific research as applied to ophthalmology. His pioneer studies on the pathogenesis of glaucoma, corneal wound healing and diseases of the retina laid the groundwork for future generations of investigators.
Mildred Weisenfeld Award for Excellence in Ophthalmology: As a tribute to Mildred Weisenfeld’s contributions to the field, including the founding of Fight for Sight in 1946, the Weisenfeld Award was established in 1986. The award is presented to an individual in recognition of distinguished scholarly contributions to the clinical practice of ophthalmology.
Cogan Award: Established in 1988 to commemorate David G. Cogan, MD, for his outstanding leadership and commitment to advancing the understanding of human eye disease, this award recognizes a researcher who is 40 years of age or younger, and who has made important contributions to research in ophthalmology or visual science.
Kupfer Award: The Kupfer Award was first presented in 1993 to Carl Kupfer, MD, who served as Director of the National Eye Institute, U.S. National Institutes of Health, for 30 years. This award is honors those who have demonstrated distinguished public service on behalf of eye and vision research.
Joanne G. Angle Award: Established in 2012 to commemorate Joanne G. Angle, ARVO’s profoundly influential Executive Director from 1990- 2012, the award is the highest honor bestowed by ARVO to recognize outstanding leaders and members who show significant personal involvement and commitment to ARVO and the eye and vision research community.
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The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) is the largest eye and vision research organization in the world. Members include nearly 12,000 eye and vision researchers from over 75 countries. ARVO advances research worldwide into understanding the visual system and preventing, treating and curing its disorders.