400 SURGERIES AND 700 EXAMS IN NEPAL
Drs. Alan Crandall and Geoff Tabin traveled to Nepal during December where they performed live surgery in Katmandu at the Tilganga Eye Center for the Nepalese Ophthalmic Society. Dr. Crandall demonstrated phacoemulsification and introduced topical anesthesia, iris hooks, capsular tension rings, and segments. Dr Tabin introduced DSEK and performed corneal transplants. They also visited Hutada, in southern Nepal, to perform the first cataract surgeries at a new outreach eye hospital. Moran Adjunct Professor, Dr. Sanduk Ruit joined in this effort. The doctors performed over 400 cataract surgeries in two and a half days using both phacoemulsification and extracapsular cataract surgery.
DR. DIGRE SELECTED TO RECEIVE DISTINGUISHED HONOR
The University of Utah Office for Diversity, the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women, and the Women's Week Committee, announced recently that Kathleen Digre, M.D., Professor of Neurology and Ophthalmology, has been selected as the recipient of the 2008 Linda K. Amos Award. This is the eighth Linda K. Amos award, which is arguably the highest honor that can be bestowed specifically on a woman at the University of Utah. It recognizes a female staff or faculty member who has selflessly given time and energy to improve the educational and/or working environment for women at the University.
To be eligible for this award, candidates must represent the ideals and actions of Dr. Linda K. Amos, for whom the award was named. Dr. Amos was the founding chair of the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women, was a professor of Nursing, served for many years as dean for the College of Nursing, and as associate vice president for Health Sciences. Throughout her career, she was the champion for improving the status and experience of women on campus. Nominations from across campus highlighted Professor Digre's distinguished service to women, and clearly demonstrated that she represents the ideals and actions of Linda K. Amos, for whom the award was named.
Moran CEO and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Dr. Randal J Olson said this about the award: "Dr. Digre is a world-renowned neuron-ophthalmologist who has worked tirelessly for women in many areas. Most recently she was the lead in securing a $1.5 million grant to further The Utah Women's Health Information Network (UWIN), a program of the University of Utah's Center of Excellence in Women's Health to improve health care for Utah women. I can think of no person I'm acquainted with who is more deserving of this wonderful honor."
This award is presented annually during the University's Women's Week Celebration. This year's celebration will be held March 3 through 14. The award will be presented immediately prior to the 2008 Women's Week keynote address on Wednesday, March 12, at 4:00 p.m. in the Olpin Union Ballroom.
Past recipients include Linda K. Amos (1999), Fern Gardner (2000), Victoria Judd (2001), JoAnn S. Lighty (2002), Kirtly Parker Jones (2003), M. Denise Dearing (2004), Carole Sansone (2005), Elizabeth Tashjian (2006) and Kathy Brooks (2007).
DR. YINGBIN FU RECEIVES KIRCHGESSNER AWARD
Moran researcher Dr. Yingbin Fu recently received a Karl Kirchgessner Foundation award for his work on cone phototransduction. The Kirchgessner Foundation supports institutions actively engaged in providing services principally to disadvantaged persons. While the Foundation supports a limited amount of eye research, its emphasis is to support activities in the area of eye care.
Dr. Robert Marc, Moran Director of Research, had this to say about the award: "It is rare that "pure" vision science is recognized in this fashion and the scientific directors saw in Yingbin's plans the kernel of powerful new ideas for how to explore eye disease."
MEET DR. KRIZAJ
One of the Moran Eye Center’s newest researchers, Dr. David Krizaj, is studying intracellular signaling pathways that make retinal cells alive. Dr. Krizaj received his Ph.D. at New York University where he did graduate training with Paul Witkovsky focusing on synaptic signaling between retinal cells. He carried out his postdoctoral work with David Copenhagen at University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, working on intracellular signaling in photoreceptors. He spent six years as faculty at the at UCSF Department of Ophthalmology before joining the Moran Eye Center in 2007.
The Krizaj Lab’s main research model, the retinal photoreceptor, is a complex and highly specialized sensory neuron whose function is to transform light into electrical impulses. Because photoreceptors are very fragile cells and sensitive to mutations they tend to be the first cells to die in retinal degenerations, causing blindness in millions of Americans. His research has discovered several “firsts” in these and other areas.
WELCOME DR. AMBATI
Dr. Bala Ambati has joined the Moran faculty as a researcher and physician. We are honored to have Dr. Ambati, who has the distinction of being the world’s youngest person to graduate from medical school at 17. He received his ophthalmology training at Harvard and Duke Universities. Dr. Ambati is experienced in cornea transplants, cataract extraction, keratoprosthesis (artificial cornea), LASIK, and other complex procedures of the cornea and anterior segment of the eye. With respect to clinical research, Dr. Ambati is committed to constant analysis of results of cornea transplants, LASIK, cataract extraction, and other anterior segment procedures with a view towards optimization of patient outcomes.
Dr. Ambati devotes a significant portion of his time to research endeavors investigating the molecular mechanisms of angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels in the cornea. His laboratory group has solved the long-outstanding mystery of what keeps the cornea normally free of blood vessels, identifying the protein sVEGFR-1 as the prime mediator of this essential requirement for clear vision. His team has applied this knowledge in developing novel inhibitors targeting the key mediator of angiogenesis, VEGF, specifically sequestering this linchpin molecule within cells, complementing the existing anti-VEGF arsenal. His sVEGFR-1 report was published in Nature and recognized as a Science 2006 Signaling Breakthrough of the Year. Dr. Ambati hopes to build collaborative research programs within Moran and on-campus with a view towards continued development of anti-angiogenic agents, understanding the mechanisms of alternative splicing controlling sVEGFR-1, and advancing drug delivery to the eye.
WELCOME DR. DUFFIN
We want to welcome our newest ophthalmologist, R. Michael Duffin, M.D., to the Moran Eye Center. Dr. Duffin comes to us from Hemet, California, a beautiful city just southwest of Palm Springs, where he has been a successful ophthalmologist in private practice for 25 years. Dr. Duffin says that he and his wife Gaye are thrilled to be in Utah where they can be closer to their adult children.
In addition to his private practice experience, Dr. Duffin brings an extraordinary record of international ophthalmology to the Moran Eye Center. He has participated in 17 service trips to foreign countries, sponsored by his church or nonprofit groups such as Deseret International Foundation. In past trips, he performed free eye surgeries for patients who couldn't afford such care in clinics. He also trained doctors in sight-saving surgery techniques. He has performed surgeries on nine trips to El Salvador, two to Guatemala, two to Chile, two to Zimbabwe, and one to the Republic of Georgia.
Most recently Dr. Duffin spent from 2004 - 2007 as a mission president for his church in Panama. In this country he performed sight-saving surgeries and did other humanitarian work, including disaster relief and hygiene training. While in Panama, Duffin also worked with organizations to set up a collaborative effort that will continue to offer eye surgery care in clinics.
His professional activities include 16 years as an associate examiner for the American Board of Ophthalmology, the organization that administers the board examinations for new ophthalmologists. He was the medical director of the UCLA Laser Center in San Bernardino, CA, where he performed Laser Vision Correction (LASIK and PRK). Additionally, he has served as a board member and associate vice-president of the California Academy of Ophthalmology.
Dr. Duffin brings another much needed skill to the Moran Eye Center. He learned Spanish in his youth while on church missions to Uruguay and Spain. In his Hemet practice, he spoke Spanish every day. The mission to Panama gave him a chance to become even more fluent in Spanish.
Dr. Duffin received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore and did his residency in ophthalmology and cornea fellowship at UCLA. At the Moran Eye Center he will teach residents and fellows and see patients on a regular basis. He joins the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences faculty as an adjunct associate professor.
DRS. MARC AND BERNSTEIN HONORED WITH RESEARCH ENDOWMENTS
Two new academic honors have been bestowed upon our researchers by the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences.
Robert Marc, PhD, Director of Research, has been named as the new Cal and JeNeal Hatch Presidential Endowed Professor of Ophthalmology. Dr. Randall J Olson, Moran CEO and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, said this about Dr. Marc, “He richly deserves this honor, and we are fortunate to have him with our institution.”
Paul Bernstein, MD, PhD, has been named the Mary Boesche Professor of Ophthalmology. According to Dr. Olson, “Paul represents the consummate triple-threat player with his clinical, teaching and research skills. This represents our way of showing appreciation for the incredible work that he does on a daily basis in our department.”
Both of these awards carry a substantial endowment and this can be used to further their research work.
DR. WARNER'S RESEARCH EARNS LEAD
Moran Neuro-Ophthalmologist, Dr. Judith Warner and her colleagues were recently recognized with the lead article and an editorial discussing their research in the Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology. The research involved Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension, which is a condition of high pressure in the spinal fluid of young women. It is a potentially blinding condition, as the high pressure may cause injury to the optic nerves, the connection between the eye and the brain.
The cause of this high pressure is not known, but a similar condition has been described in people eating large quantities of foods or supplements containing Vitamin A. Dr. Warner has been exploring the possibility that IH is caused by an abnormal processing and toxicity of otherwise normal amounts of Vitamin A in susceptible individuals.
CELEBRITY GOLF TOURNAMENT RAISES $100,000+ FOR RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA RESEARCH AT MORAN
The Ray Romano & Kevin James Celebrity Golf Classic is an annual charitable event that raises money for worthy causes. This year the John A. Moran Eye Center was chosen as the beneficiary of this important event. The tournament was held on Monday December 10, 2007 in Tarzana, California at the beautiful El Caballero Country Club.
Thanks to the generosity of sponsors, family and friends of Mr. Romano and Mr. James, more than $100,000 was raised this year. Jim Murphy, Executive Director of Institutional Advancement, (pictured in the center of the photo with Ray Romano and Kevin James) was on hand to represent the Moran Eye Center and express our gratitude for this wonderful opportunity.
The money raised will be used to further the analysis and discovery of the genes and genetic mechanisms involved in recessive retinitis pigmentosa (RP), an eye disease that causes the degeneration of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Photoreceptor cells capture and process light helping us to see. As these cells degenerate and die, patients experience progressive vision loss. The Moran Eye Center is committed to the goal that no person with a blinding condition, eye disease or visual impairment should be without hope, understanding and treatment. Moran CEO and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Utah, Dr. Randall J Olson, had this to say about this Golf Classic: “I consider it a unique honor for the Moran Eye Center to be chosen for this worthy cause. In particular I would like to thank Leslie, the organizer and director of this great golf classic, for her tireless efforts to raise money for retinitis pigmentosa, with which she is afflicted. In my many years in ophthalmology, I have treated and worked with patients afflicted with RP, and it is only with this type of accelerated funding for research that we will be able to find treatments and cures for this blinding eye disease."
RESIDENTS & FELLOWS PROVIDE ESSENTIAL LOCAL COMMUNITY OUTREACH
“A commitment to service for our communities,” has been a goal the John A. Moran Eye Center Residency Program has made this past year with the advent of three new charitable ophthalmology clinics for those of low socio-economic background.
Last spring, a resident run clinic under supervision by Dr. Albert Vitale, Associate Professor at the Moran Eye Center, and Dr. Vincent Hau, PGY-3 Ophthalmology Resident, was established. This monthly clinic is in partnership with the 4th Street Homeless Clinic in Salt Lake City which annually serves more than 5,700 homeless a year. Through grant support, the clinic is able to provide comprehensive ophthalmic care and procedures through the Moran Eye Center.
Mr. Jones (name changed) had spent the last five years of his life with only a clear plastic conformer in his left eye after evisceration of a blind, painful eye from years of multiple traumas. Because his vocation involved a great deal of personal interaction and he had difficulty finding a job that would have overlooked this cosmetic appearance. This contributed to Mr. Jones being homeless. After evaluation, Moran residents worked with an ocularist well known to Moran patients, to get him a new prosthesis. This led Mr. Jones to build self-confidence and finding a new job. He is now a productive member of our community.
Two other volunteer opportunities have been developed by Moran Physicians. These include a free monthly ophthalmology clinic in Park City, Utah called the People’s Health Clinic. Residents readily get involved and have the opportunity to be primary surgeons on cases generated from patient encounters. Additionally, plans are currently being finalized for a Native American reservation eye clinic located in the Four Corners Region of the Southwest. Here residents and faculty will fly to rural and remote locations to provide much needed services.
Dr. Norman Selected For Distinguished Professor Award
Congratulations to our own Dr. Richard Normann, who has been selected as only one of five distinguished professors in their field this year at the University of Utah. Dr. Norman was chosen as the Distinguished Professor of Bioengineering, and Ophthalmology.
This is a special award because it is an honor bestowed to University professors by both colleagues and students. According to University policy, the rank of distinguished professor is reserved for selected individuals whose achievements exemplify the highest goals of scholarship as demonstrated by recognition accorded to them from peers with national and international stature, and whose record includes evidence of a high dedication to teaching as demonstrated by recognition accorded to them by students and/or colleagues. The list of this year's Distinguished Professors will be presented to the Board of Trustees at its next meeting for final approval.