Fellow awards for ophthalmologists

Three professors from the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology are to become fellows of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) in its first honours list. Professors Gary Rubin, Sue Lightman and Fred Fitzke have been commended for their individual accomplishments, leadership and contributions to ARVO.

Professor Rubin has been confirmed as a gold fellow for his long-standing contribution while Professors Lightman and Fitzke have been confirmed as silver fellows. The association uses a point system to determine the eligibility for designating fellows; members are awarded points for each year of participation in activities such as submitting papers for publication, editing refereed journals, and serving on the ARVO committee board.

Robin Ali, Professor of Human Molecular Genetics at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, has also won an Alcon Research Institute Award for his outstanding contribution to advancing eye health.

The award was made in recognition of Professor Ali's work in the development of gene and stem cell therapies for the treatment of retinal disorders. He demonstrated improvement in vision in a patient with an inherited retinal degeneration following gene therapy in a clinical trial in 2008.

Professor Ali was nominated by previous winners of the award. He will receive $200,000 in unrestricted grant money to continue his research into the underlying causes of eye disease and has been invited to present his research at the 2011 Alcon Researcch Institute symposium.

Professor Ali said: “I am honoured to have been recognised by this illustrious group of ophthalmic researchers.”

The Alcon Research Institute supports global advancements in eye health by honoring those who make outstanding research contributions to the vision sciences and providing grants to fund ongoing research. This year six awards were made. The institute is part of Alcon, an international eye care company founded in the USA that produces pharmaceutical and consumer products.Congratulations to all.