View Annual Report 2012 - University of Illinois College of Medicine ...

EndowEd chairs
B.A. Field Chair of
Ophthalmic Research
Dimitri Azar, MD, MBA
Professor of Ophthalmology
and Dean, College of Medicine
Illinois Lions /
Charles I. Young Chair
of Ophthalmology
Rohit Varma, MD, MPH
Professor of Ophthalmology
and Department Chair *
Marion Schenk Esq. Chair
of Ophthalmology
Jennifer I. Lim, MD
Professor of Ophthalmology
and Director, Retina Service
EndowEd ProfEssors
Marion Schenk Esq. Professor of Ophthalmology
Deepak Shukla, PhD Director, Ocular Virology Laboratory
One Vision 2012 21
Two R21 grants submitted by Dr. Shukla to the National Eye Institute — Role of
Optineurin in Ocular Herpes Infection and Entry Based Inhibition of Ocular HSV-1
Infection — were awarded at the end of 2012. He was invited as a keynote speaker
to the annual meeting of the Indian Association of Medical Microbiologists in
Varanasi, India.
Morton F. Goldberg, MD, FACS, Professor of Ophthalmology
Mahnaz Shahidi, PhD Director, Applied Physics Laboratory
National Eye Institute review of Dr. Shahidi’s competitive renewal application for
her R01 research grant Noninvasive Imaging of Chorio-Retinal Oxygen Tension
(R01Ey017918) received a third percentile rank and is expected to be renewed
through 2017. Dr. Shahidi was selected to serve on the NEI grant review study
section, Diseases and Pathophysiology of the Visual System.
Searls-Schenk Professor of Ophthalmology
David Pepperberg, PhD Director, Photoreceptor Research Laboratory
A paper recently published in Nature Communications by Dr. Pepperberg and his
colleagues reports a milestone advance in their research to develop a new type of
molecular therapy for age-related macular degeneration and related photoreceptor
degenerative diseases. Their work involves the creation of novel light-sensitive
chemical compounds that can interface with inner retinal nerve cells to “bypass”
dysfunctional rod and cone photoreceptors in the diseased retina.
Joel Sugar, MD, Endowed Professor of Ophthalmology
Joel Sugar, MD Professor of Ophthalmology, Cornea Service
In addition to serving as Interim Department Head in 2012, Dr. Sugar continued
seeing patients and participated in the Cornea Donor study and the Fuchs Corneal
Endothelial Dystrophy Study. He was awarded the Castroviejo Medal by the
Cornea Society for “outstanding contributions to Ophthalmology in the field of
cornea and anterior segment of the eye.”
Jacob Wilensky, MD, Endowed Professor of Ophthalmology
Jacob Wilensky, MD, Professor of Ophthalmology, Glaucoma Service
Dr. Jacob Wilensky served as the 47th C.S. O’Brien Professor at Tulane University
Department of Ophthalmology, and delivered the lecture, “What have we learned from
clinical trials in glaucoma?” at their Alumni Day, June 8 – 9, 2012. Dr. Wilensky earned
his BA, MD, and completed his Ophthalmology Residency at Tulane.
*Pending UIC Board of Trustees approval