Zurich News & NASA Notes

This spring and early summer, gatherings and collaborations have kept me moving and thinking about what most accelerates research.

First, I’d like to share this observation: While with colleagues at the 18th International Congress on Glaucoma and Retinal Eye Disease at the University of Zurich, I had a moment to reflect on the impact one of the conveners, former Doheny fellow Dr. Mayss Al-Shiekh, is having in the field.

While with us at Doheny, Al-Sheik conducted several significant studies in the emerging field of OCT angiography. She’s now based in Zurich, and thanks to the experience she gained through her work at Doheny and her collaboration with our partners at UCLA Stein in the lab of Dr. David Sarraf, her work is now connected with the research of colleagues in Europe. The multiple perspectives Dr. Al-Sheikh has gained by working in labs at all three institutions have benefitted all of us and improved our ability to accelerate the research. Such vital work can only be accomplished by providing the on-going opportunities to develop collegial and personal connections that our Doheny fellowship cultivates.

Also worth noting, and celebrating, is our strong presence at the annual ARVO meeting in Hawaii in May, with more than 70 presenters connected to Doheny. I was pleased to see the impact and reach of our cohort, the largest at this international conference. In a joint presentation with NASA, Doheny also defined the cutting edge of research in eye health and deep space exploration. This on-going collaboration with NASA is just one example of the cross disciplinary thinking and research Doheny supports in a quest to advance vision science. My colleagues are inspired by the knowledge that Doheny’s generous friends and supporters take the long view, and that in seeking answers, the sky is truly the limit.