Glaucoma Research Foundation announces award recipients at G360 virtual annual gala

Starting at 5 p.m. on January 29, the Glaucoma 360 Virtual Annual Gala will kick off with a goal of raising $1 million to use for innovative research to rid the world of glaucoma and restore vision.

The Gala is 1 of 3 event that take place during the Glaucoma 360 Annual Meeting. The Glaucoma Research Foundation (GRF) uses the annual gala to celebrate the outstanding individuals who strive to achieve the goal of eliminating glaucoma.

GRF President Thomas Brunner announced recently that The Catalyst Award, the highest honor bestowed by the GRF, will go to Ramin Valian of Allergan, an AbbVie company, to recognize his ongoing leadership and commitment to the development of innovative treatments to advance glaucoma care.

“We are honored to recognize Ramin for his many contributions to ophthalmology that have led to improved glaucoma treatments and provided outstanding educational resources for people with glaucoma and their families,” Brunner said.

Three additional awards will be presented during the event. These include:

• The Visionary Award, which will be presented to Amy Dixon of Glaucoma Eyes International for her outstanding dedication to improving the lives of patients with vision loss education.
• The 2021 President’s Award, whick will be presented to the Farrell Family to recognize their dedication to fundraising and glaucoma advocacy efforts.
• The 2021 Shaffer Prize for Innovative Glaucoma Research will be bestowed on Pete A. Williams, PhD, for his research project titled “Targeting Neuronal Mitochondria for Neuroprotection in Glaucoma,” which has the goal of providing a better understanding of glaucoma thus leading to new treatments.

Glaucoma 360
Glaucoma 360 is comprised of a series of 3 annual events presented by the GRF to highlight the latest advances in glaucoma research as well as the development of novel therapies.

In addition to the annual Gala, the 25th Annual Glaucoma Symposium is the first event and will be held virtually from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. PST on Saturday, January 23.

This symposium provides an educational opportunity for practicing ophthalmologists and optometrists.

The 10th Annual New Horizons Forum will kick off on January 30 and run from 7 a.m. to approximately 11:30 p.m. PST. This meeting will bring together leaders in glaucoma research and industry who will present new ideas to improve therapies for glaucoma patients.

Interested parties are invited to view www.glaucoma.org and www.glaucoma360.org for more information.

Affiliations:

Thomas Brunner is the president and CEO of Glaucoma Research Foundation.

Ramin Valian is vice president of Glaucoma and Reimbursement US, Allergan.

Amy Dixon is USA Paratriathlon National Team Member and president of Glaucoma Eyes International.

Pete Williams, PhD, is a researcher from the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

See more Glaucoma 360 coverage here