The Foundation Receives Major Grants: Major Initiatives Begin
News and Notes From the Foundation
Spring 2007
By Roy Levit, MD
Reaching Out to Improve Patient Care
As mentioned in our last update, the ARF will be holding a Symposium on Diabetic Eye Disease and Glaucoma at the 2007 American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Scientific Assembly, to be held at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago on October 3-7, 2007. This is the first educational symposium to be presented by the Foundation and is intended for primary care physicians as an outreach effort by the ASRS. It is funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health National Eye Institute. While we are seeing an increase in number of diabetic patients due to demographic trends, we also note a decrease in the number of newly diagnosed patients referred for eye examinations. Our family physician colleagues can make a difference and this symposium will provide them with key insights from our field.
Our speakers will include Suber Huang, MD and Matt McCumber, MD. For more details about this event, visit our website at www.americanretina.org/symposium.
Roadster Raffle Wrap Up
We thought you might want to see the Mercedes-Benz SLK350 that so many of you generously bid on in our ARF raffle. Pictured below are Geoff Slingsby, his wife and the car as finally delivered. Dr. Slingsby elected to outfit his prize with a few upgrades, including satellite radio, automatic transmission and the AMG sport package. Asked about how he's enjoying the car, Dr. Slingsby says, "Thank-you and the Foundation for the opportunity! I really can't tell who is more excited, my wife who has always wanted a red sports car or my 17-year-old son, who already has a claim in to use the car for prom." We wish the Slingsby's happy motoring and we sincerely thank everyone who participated in the raffle.
The American Retina Foundation
AMD Grant Funds Still Available
We established the Prudler AMD Research Fund in 2004 thanks to the generosity of Paul and Susan Prudler of Sacramento, California. This January we expanded that fund to further our goal of awarding up to $50,000 annually in selected grants of $5,000 to $15,000 to individuals whose work is approved by the ARF board. We especially encourage ASRS members, fellows and members in training to apply. Funding is available for 1 year and must be related to original research in macular degeneration. Applications are reviewed quarterly by the Research Fund Committee as well as the ARF board. To learn more or to apply for a grant online, visit our website, www.americanretina.org. We've made it easy to get started and we hope to encourage new research on AMD.
Five Million Readers
That's an impressive number, and that's how many readers we expect to reach in the June 2007 "large-print" issue of Reader's Digest. Dr. Johanna Seddon and I have written an article about AMD and thanks to a grant from Alcon, we'll be able to present it to this large, at-risk population of readers. This issue of Reader's Digest focuses on health issues, particularly sight and hearing, so we feel this outlet is perfect for our message about recognizing the warning signs of the disease and preventing its onset.