Dean wins award from Research to Prevent Blindness

Douglas C. Dean, PhD, Rounsavall Professor of Ocular Molecular Oncology in the University of Louisville Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences and the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, has been granted a $60,000 RPB Lew R. Wasserman Merit Award by Research to Prevent Blindness, the world’s leading voluntary organization supporting eye research. Established in 1995, the RPB Lew R. Wasserman Merit Awards provide unrestricted support to mid-career MD and PhD scientists who hold primary positions within departments of ophthalmology and who are electively engaged in eye research at medical institutions in the United States. Dean is one of 112 scientists at 44 institutions who have been honored with this award.

“We are truly grateful for the support of this wonderful organization, Research to Prevent Blindness, which does such important work,” Dean said. “The award monies will go toward funding studies designed to test the effectiveness of stem cell transplantation in a pig model of retinal degeneration.”

Since it was founded in 1960, Research to Prevent Blindness has channeled hundreds of millions of dollars to medical institutions throughout the United States for research into all blinding eye diseases.

Chief resident Lana Rifkin honored...

Chief Resident Lana Rifkin, MD, received the Kentucky Academy of Eye Physicians and Surgeons (KAEPS) President's Award at the department’s Fall Meeting in September, 2011. Dr. Rifkin is the first recipient of the KAEPS President's Award. She was presented with the award for her outstanding work during the legislative session, representing Kentucky ophthalmologists in Washington, DC with the Kentucky members of Congress, and her work with the Kentucky Medical Association’s MD ID program, for which she was selected as a spokesperson www.mdidky.com

Dr. Rifkin was also selected as a spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology Dangers of Decorative Contact Lenses campaign www.geteyesmart.com

Special thanks to Surgical Acuity for providing a set of HiRes Class 2 loupes to our residency training program. These loupes are providing enhanced visual acuity and ergonomic support to our residents in the operating room and we are sincerely thankful to the company.

Qiutang Li, PhD, receives four-year grant of over $370,000 annually

Qiutang Li, PhD, assistant professor, has received a four-year grant of over $370,000 annually from the National Institutes of Health for a study aimed at elucidating the role of a family of proteins, known as 14-3-3σ, in the regenerative nature of the corneal epithelium, which serves as a barrier between the eye and the outside world.

Hui Shao, MD, PhD receives $60,000 Lew R. Wasserman Merit Award

Hui Shao, MD, PhD, associate professor, has received a $60,000 Lew R. Wasserman Merit Award from Research to Prevent Blindness to help fund her research of Sjögren's Syndrome, a chronic autoimmune disease that targets the salivary and lacrimal glands resulting in dry mouth and dry eye symptoms.

Vice President of Ghana visits Louisville

Department Chair Henry Kaplan, MD, met with Vice President John Mahama of Ghana and his guests during a November, 2010 visit to the University of Louisville hosted by the pan-African studies department. Mahama and his associates were in town for four days of events highlighting various aspects of Africa and its connection to the Western world.

DOVS researcher publishes paper describing important finding that could have implications for night blindness

Ronald Gregg, Chairman of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, Director of the UofL Center for Genetics and Molecular Medicine, and professor in the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, is the senior author on a recently published study describing a cellular process required for the proper signaling that leads to light responses and, ultimately, vision. The paper was published in the July 6, 2011 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. Vision is dependent on the normal function of the cells in the retina that transmit signals from photoreceptors, which convert light into an electrical signal. This signal is transmitted through special neurons called bipolar cells, then to ganglion cells, which send the signals to the brain, to be interpreted as the visual image.
Gregg and his co-investigators described the expression of a cellular protein called nyctalopin and the nyctalopin-dependence of an ion channel, called TRPM1, located on the plasma membrane of the retinal bipolar cells. This represents an important new piece of knowledge that could lead to better treatments for some forms of night blindness.
Click here to see the paper.

First-year resident Jeremy Clark receives Excellence in Clinical Education Award.

First-year resident Jeremy Clark was selected by the fourth-year University of Louisville medical students to receive an Excellence in Clinical Education Award. The winners are chosen because of the positive contribution they made to the students during their third-year clinical rotations. Dr. Clark is one of 14 total residents to receive the distinction.The awards were recently announced during the Fall Honors Convocation.

Charles Barr, MD named KAEPS Ophthalmologist of the Year

Charles Barr, MD, professor, was named Kentucky Academy of Eye Physicians and Surgeons (KAEPS) Ophthalmologist of the Year for 2010. He was also appointed Chairman of the Board of American Printing House for the Blind in 2010.

One of the Country’s Preeminent Academic Eye Centers

For decades, University of Louisville Ophthalmology has been at the forefront of research, clinical care, and the education of the next generation of leaders in the field. We are one of the only multi-specialty ophthalmologic care centers in the region offering enrollment in clinical trials and the latest treatment options for diseases and conditions including age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, strabismus, low vision, dry eye syndrome and many others. Our LASIK and refractive surgery program is one of the most comprehensive in the region.

A Shared Mission of Excellence

With a continued commitment to innovation and the invaluable assistance of the Lions of Kentucky, we are poised for exciting breakthroughs to match those we’ve already made. From the development of a leading glaucoma medication that preserved the vision of millions for over 20 years, to our current groundbreaking research in stem cell treatment for retinitis pigmentosa, the University of Louisville continues to have a true impact on the field of ophthalmology.