News from
The
Department of Ophthalmology
& Visual Sciences
Iowa Lions Eye Bank's Greg Schmidt pioneers more efficient cornal transplant (The Daily Iowan Article includes slide show, November 18, 2009)
Eye Piece premiers Feb. 5-7 and 12-14, E.C. Mabie Theater, Iowa City. Hancher Auditorium, in partnership with the Center for Macular Degeneration, College of Medicine, Department of Theatre Arts, and Rinde Eckert have collaborated to create, perform, and contextualize a play that explores the experience of visual impairment and vision loss. The piece is created from stories that Rinde has collected from CMD patients and families, physicians, and researchers in an effort to bring the sighted and visually impaired worlds together. This project culminates with the premiere of Eye Piece Feb. 5-7 and 12-14 at Mabie Theatre in the Theatre Building. More information may be found on the Hancher website.
Results of the 2009 Ophthalmology Times Best Programs survey are out and the University of Iowa continues to climb in the rankings. The survey revealed that UI climbed from 8th to 5th in Best Overall, from 8th to 4th in Best Clinical (Patient Care), and from an Honorable Mention up to 6th in Best Research. Iowa's Residency Program held strong at 4th in the country. (more...)
UI receives $667k in ARRA funding for interdisciplinary approach to retinal disease gene identification
Kardon and Abramoff to lead new VA Research Center (see also the News Release, Sept 10, 2009)
 UI ophthalmology ranked again among the best in the country by U.S.News & World Report
Kuehn's NIH R01 Grant Funded
Dr. Markus Kuehn's R01 grant “The Role of Complement in Glaucoma” will be fully funded by the National Institutes of Health starting August 1, 2009 for a total of $1.5 million over 4 years.
Dr. Kuehn notes: “This will allow us to continue and expand our work to determine if the death of the ganglion cells in the retina in glaucoma further exacerbates the disease and if there are genetic variants of complement component genes that seem to cause a more aggressive disease progression. We will use many of the resources that this department has at its disposal, such as the patient DNA collection and the human donor eye repository, in addition to our animal models and cell culture systems.”
Multi-Million Dollar Grant for Glaucoma Research at the University of Iowa
The National Institutes of Health has awarded a five-year, nearly $3.6 million grant to UI researchers who seek to understand the genes and disease processes involved in glaucoma.
The study's long-term goal is to identify and define pathways that lead from variations in the DNA sequence of the genome to the irreversible vision loss of glaucoma, said John Fingert, M.D., PhD., the study's principal investigator. Read more of the story at news-releases.uiowa.edu/2009/july/070609glaucoma_grant.html
Iowa Eye Association Meeting, June 18-19, 2009, photo album
Blind cycling champion leads UI's Project 3000 RAGBRAI team. A team of a dozen cyclists—including a blind U.S. Paralympics track cycling national champion—pedalled across Iowa in July to raise awareness of and nearly $40,000 for Project 3000, a University of Iowa-based effort seeking a cure for a rare childhood blinding eye disease. (also see UI News Services' coverage of the Project 3000 RAGBRAI team)
Congratulations to our 2009 Resident and Fellow Graduates. <Read about their plans.>
Glaucoma specialist, Wallace L.M. Alward, MD, featured in Ophthalmology Times cover article about the molecular genetics of glaucoma. (June 15, 2009)
Vision researcher and director of the UI Visual Field Research Center, Chris Johnson, PhD, discusses the importance of vision research and clinical studies on the University of Iowa Health Care Today radio program. Listen at: http://www.uihealthcare.com/kxic/2009/06/visionresearch.html
UI Ophthalmology's Nurse Manager, Sarah Smith, RN, was honored as one of the 100 Great Iowa Nurses in Iowa for 2009. (more about 100 Great Iowa Nurses)
Stephen Kuusisto, Professor of English and Ophthalmology, was interviewed on "Iowa Insights", the University of Iowa Office of University Relations' monthly podcast. Kuusisto talks about new disability studies courses he's teaching. (see http://news.uiowa.edu/iowa-insights/index.html, segment cue 5:00)
Dr. S. S. Hayreh Honored in London. Emeritus Professor of ophthalmology, Dr. Sohan S. Hayreh, a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Scotland, was awarded the Honorary Fellowship by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists in Britain at a ceremony on June 12, 2009 in London. The Royal College of Ophthalmologists gives their Honorary Fellowship to a person who has made notable contributions to ophthalmology.
(ALUMNI NEWS) Former Neuro-Ophthalmology Fellow ('02), Fiona Costello, MD was recognized On May 5, 2009 as one of Canada's Top 40 under 40. (more...)
UI's Hageman receives vision research award. Gregory Hageman, Ph.D., University of Iowa professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences, was one of six researchers nationwide selected by the Alcon Research Institute to receive a $200,000 award for outstanding vision research.
UI faculty among distinguished ARVO 2009 Fellows. The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) is honoring Chris Johnson, PhD, and Michael Wall, MD, from the University of Iowa among this year's inaugural class of distinguished Fellows. Dr. Johnson is a professor of ophthalmology and director of the Visual Field Reading Center. Dr. Wall is a professor of neurology and ophthalmology. Recognized for their accomplishments, leadership and contributions to the Association, ARVO Fellows will be officially inducted at the ARVO Annual Meeting in May 2009. A full list of the 2009 ARVO Fellows may be found at: www.arvo.org/eweb/dynamicpage.aspx?site=arvo2&webcode=arvofellows2009
UI ophthalmology researchers Wall, Kuehn and Stone investigate cause of idiopathic intracranial hypertension and test potential new treatment. A University of Iowa Health Care research team is participating in a study, funded by a five-year, $16 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, to investigate the cause of idiopathic intracranial hypertension and test a potential new treatment.
Dr. Robert Mullins, associate professor of ophthalmology, will serve as a member of the National Institutes of Health Center for Scientific Review's Biology and Diseases of the Posterior Eye Study Section. Study section members are selected on the basis of their demonstrated competence and achievement in their scientific discipline. (4-10-2009)
UI ophthalmologist: Facebook more than social tool (EyeWorld, April 2) In an article exploring how Facebook has become more than just a social networking tool, THOMAS OETTING, M.D., Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology, department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Iowa, shares how he uses it for networking purposes. Oetting, who has been a member of Facebook for a year, set up a group on Facebook called, "Cataract Surgery" that was originally intended for residents at his university. Little did he realize, people from all over the world were interested in looking at the surgical videos he posted, and they have since become his Facebook friends.
Iowa man's eyesight restored after 48 years. KCRG-TV9 featured the story of how UI ophthalmologists restored one man's eyesight nearly 50 years after a chemical accident destroyed his vision. (more at KCRG.com)
Robert Mullins, PhD, associate professor and ophthalmology researcher at the UI Carver Family Center for Macular Degeneration, talks about the importance of donated eye tissue to vision research on the UI Health Care Today program on KXIC-AM radio. Listen at: http://www.uihealthcare.com/kxic/2009/03/eyedonations.html
Dr. Mullins was also recently featured on the radio program when he discussed preventing and treating eye problems that cause blindness. Listen at: http://www.uihealthcare.com/kxic/2009/03/visionmonth.html
Iowa KidSight vision screening program feeling economic pressure. Tune in to Iowa Public Radio's segment on the story
<iowapublicradio.org/audio/newsroom/Lions_Kid_Sight_Crisis_Final.mp3>
UI physician takes eye education to the sunshine state. The University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine partnered with the Tampa Bay Iowa Club to bring a Mini Medical School program to Tampa, Florida. Reid Longmuir, MD, assistant professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences, shared the latest information on glaucoma and other common eye diseases with alumni and friends of the University of Iowa. Dr. Longmuir, a physician in UI’s glaucoma and neuro-ophthalmology services, helped attendees gain a better understanding of eye diseases and their impact on an aging population. A Hawkeye Happy Hour was held with the Tampa Bay Iowa Club prior to the program on March 5, 2009 at the Quorum Hotel. <<photo gallery>>
Eye donation: a gift that gives twice. At the University of Iowa, physicians and scientists utilize donated eye tissue to help patients in two ways: through transplants and medical research.
Endowed UI professorship named for Keech; Drack named to position. Arlene V. Drack, M.D., associate professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences in the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, was named the first holder of the Ronald V. Keech, M.D., Professorship in Ophthalmic Genetics at an investiture ceremony on Friday, March 6.
<<photo gallery>>
Ophthalmology's Nurse Manager recognized as one of "100 Great Iowa Nurses".
Eighteen nurses who care for patients at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics will be recognized during the 2009 "100 Great Iowa Nurses" event on May 3rd in Des Moines. Among them is Sarah Smith, Nurse Manager in the Ophthalmology Clinic.
New surgical implant tested at UI prevents total blindness. UI ophthalmologists and colleagues have tested and are now using a tiny surgical implant called Retisert to prevent complete vision loss and eliminate dependence on systemic, or whole-body, immunosuppression for people who have a rare, but potentially devastating, eye condition called sympathetic ophthalmia. (more)
UI's Vision Rehabilitation Service featured as part of AMD/Low Vision Awareness Month: Dr Mark Wilkinson, clinical professor of ophthalmology and director of the Vision Rehabilitation Service at the UI Carver Family Center for Macular Degeneration, is featured in a story discussing macular degeneration and low vision. Dr. Wilkinson also shared information on the subject in a University of Iowa Health Care Today program that aired on KXIC-AM Radio 800.
Ronald V. Keech Professorship. In recognition of a generous gift from John and Marcia Carver to establish a professorship in the UI Carver College of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and the John and Marcia Carver Nonprofit Genetic Testing Laboratory, an investiture ceremony and reception will be held on Friday, March 6, at 4:30 p.m., in the Braley Auditorium, Pomerantz Family Pavilion (reception in the Family Medicine conference room 01125 PFP). This investiture will recognize the support from the Carver Family and celebrate the appointment of Arlene Drack, M.D., as the inaugural Ronald V. Keech, M.D., Associate Professor of Ophthalmic Genetics.
Chicago Cubs video to benefit UI eye research and Project 3000
A portion of the proceeds from a new video about the history of the Chicago Cubs will be donated to Project 3000, a philanthropically supported effort at the University of Iowa to find all 3,000 people in the U.S. affected with the blinding eye disease Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA). (full story at mystateline.com)
Usher-Syndrome expert speaks at Capitol Hill Feb. 5
William Kimberling, Ph.D., a University of Iowa visiting professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences spoke on February 5 on Capitol Hill, on understanding and diagnosing Usher syndrome, the leading cause of combined blindness and deafness in the United States. (read more...)
 Making a Difference. The faculty, staff, and volunteers who work at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics are dedicated to providing excellent care and service in a safe and supportive environment. We value innovative care, excellent service, and exceptional outcomes, and we strive every day to deliver an excellent experience to all the patients, families, co-workers, and the public we serve. If you feel that someone made a difference in your experience at UI Hospitals and Clinics, please tell us your story so we can recognize the special efforts of that person or team through the "Making a Difference" recognition program.
For stories prior to January 1, 2009, please see our news archive.
Iowa Eye Association
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