ARVO announces 2011 award recipients in retinal research

The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) is pleased to announce its 2011 ARVO Award recipients. These award recipients will be acknowledged at the ARVO 2011 Annual Meeting, May 1 - 5, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Proctor Medal: Robert E. Anderson, MD, PhD, FARVO
Mildred Weisenfeld Award for Excellence in Ophthalmology: Paulus TVM de Jong, MD, PhD, FEBOpht, FARVO
Friedenwald Award: James T. Rosenbaum, MD, FARVO
Cogan Award: Andrew J. Fischer, PhD
Kupfer Award: Gullapalli N. Rao, MD

Proctor Medal

ARVO is awarding Robert E. Anderson, MD, PhD, FARVO, of the Oklahoma Health Sciences Center with the Proctor Medal for more than 40 years of research on the advancement of our understanding of the biochemistry and cell biology of photoreceptors. His recent studies show the insulin receptor is present in rod and cone outer segments, is activated by light and protects against stress-induced retinal degeneration; and that mutation in AD Stargardt's Disease is a gene that encodes a fatty acid elongase. Anderson's Proctor Award Lecture has been postponed until the 2012 ARVO Annual Meeting.

Weisenfeld Award and Lecture

ARVO is presenting the 2011 Weisenfeld Award to Paulus TVM de Jong, MD, PhD, FEBOpht, FARVO, of the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience for his global leadership in retinal diseases over the last 25 years, focusing on the genetic and epidemiologic aspects of retinal diseases and glaucoma. De Jong combined his clinical excellence with proper genetics testing that led him to the identification of several new genes. He will present the Weisenfeld Award Lecture, "Blind spots: Lessons from research in aging macula disorder and glaucoma," at the Annual Meeting on Monday, May 2.

Friedenwald Award and Lecture

ARVO is recognizing James T. Rosenbaum, MD, FARVO, of the Oregon Health and Science University with the Friedenwald Award for his primary responsibility in the initial description of endotoxin-induced uveitis in a rodent model that is standard to study innate immunity and intraocular inflammation. Rosenbaum and his collaborators have combined contributions to understanding the pathophysiology of intraocular inflammation with advances in the characterization of many clinical forms of uveitis. Rosenbaum will present the Friedenwald Award Lecture, "Why HLA-B27? A Three-decade Quest," at the Annual Meeting on Tuesday, May 3.

Cogan Award and Lecture

ARVO is recognizing Andrew J. Fischer, PhD, of The Ohio State University with the Cogan Award for his important contributions to the fields of myopia and vision-guided ocular growth, retinal stem cells and retinal regeneration. Fischer has demonstrated that Muller glial cells are the source for retinal regeneration in birds, a finding that motivated research in both the zebrafish and mouse, leading to a better understanding of the regenerative potential for these species. Fischer is delivering the Cogan Award Lecture, Retina-guided Ocular Growth, Muller Glia, Stem Cells and Little Serendipity, on Tuesday, May 3, at the Annual Meeting.

Kupfer Award

ARVO is honoring Gullapalli N. Rao, MD, of LV Prasad Eye Institute with the 2011 Kupfer Award for his outstanding accomplishments as a researcher, ophthalmologist and humanitarian. He is the former president of the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness, an organization founded by Carl Kupfer, MD, for whom the award is named, and is committed to moving forward with the agenda to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020.