Honors

Excellence in Imaging Research: Amitha Domalpally, MD

Dr. Amitha Domalpally, research director for the Fundus Photograph Reading Center, was recognized with the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Foundation Pfizer Ophthalmics Carl Camras Award for translational research at the annual meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii on April 30, 2018.

“Dr. Domalpally is a young researcher with a stellar track record of highly productive translational research. As the research director of the University of Wisconsin Fundus Photograph Reading Center, she has significantly furthered the progress of translational research in retinal imaging. Dr. Domalpally is well deserving of this award,” stated Dr. Frederick L. Ferris, director of the Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications and former clinical director at the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health. Dr. Domalpally was nominated for this award by Dr. Ferris, in addition to receiving several letters of support from an international group of retina specialists.

“Dr. Domalpally is a young researcher with a stellar track record of highly productive translational research.”

Dr. Frederick L. Ferris

The Pfizer Ophthalmics Carl Camras Translational Research Award is bestowed upon young investigators working in areas of translational research. The award honors Dr. Carl Camras, who is highly respected for his work as a glaucoma specialist and a research scientist. He is most widely recognized for developing prostaglandin analogs for the treatment of elevated IOP in patients with glaucoma. During his distinguished career, he took a personal interest in developing the next generation of eye and vision researchers. Up to three awards of $12,000 each are presented annually. This award, which was established in 2010, is supported by Pfizer Ophthalmics through the ARVO Foundation.

Kaufman Recognized for Significant Progress In Experimental Eye Research

Paul L. Kaufman, MD, Ernst H. Bárány Professor of Ocular Pharmacology and Chair Emeritus received the Endre A. Balazs Prize from the Council of the International Society for Eye Research (ISER) on September 12, 2018, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. ISER awards this international prize to a distinguished scientist whose outstanding contributions provide significant progress in the field of experimental eye research. Dr. Kaufman’s pioneering glaucoma research was highlighted in his plenary lecture at the meeting entitled, “Deconstructing Aqueous Humor Outflow – The Last 50 Years”.

This award honors its namesake, Endre A. Balazs, for his distinguished work in eye research and his contributions to the founding of ISER. The mission of ISER is to provide a unique international platform for discussion and exchange of ideas on contemporary topics in eye and vision research among its members and the broader eye and vision research community. The Endre A. Balazs Prize is awarded at every biennial meeting.

Dr. Kaufman is a physician-scientist, specializing in glaucoma. His research laboratory studies the mechanisms of aqueous humor (internal eye fluid) formation and its drainage out of the eye, and the age-related loss of near vision (presbyopia). In open-angle glaucoma, the fluid does not flow freely through the trabecular meshwork (filtering tissue), causing an increase in intraocular pressure, damage to the optic nerve and ultimately leads to vision loss. Glaucoma is the second most common cause of irreversible vision loss in American adults and the most common among African Americans. Presbyopia is an unavoidable ocular affliction of aging.

Among his many accolades, Dr. Kaufman has had continuous research funding from the National Eye Institute for 40 years, has authored over 350 original scientific articles and 75 book chapters, received the 2017 Jonas S. Friedenwald Award from ARVO and was presented with the 2015 Research to Prevent Blindness Stein Innovation Award. Dr. Kaufman served as chair of the UW–Madison Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences from 2004-2014.