RPB and Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology Announce 2021 Recipient of RPB David F. Weeks Award for Outstanding Vision Research

SAN FRANCISCO, CA and NEW YORK, NY, August 13–David Williams, PhD, has been selected as the 2021 RPB David F. Weeks Award for Outstanding Vision Research (Weeks Award). The Weeks Award, funded through the generosity of Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB), an anonymous donor, and the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO), annually recognizes and celebrates an excellent vision researcher. The award carries the name of David F. Weeks, former President and Chairman of RPB, in honor of his contributions to the field of vision research. Dr. Williams will receive his award and deliver a presentation during the AUPO 2021 Annual Meeting in February.

Dr. Williams holds the position of William G. Allyn Professor of Medical Optics at the University of Rochester. “David Williams’ contributions to understanding the optical factors in vision have been profound. The impact of his research establishes him as one of the outstanding visual scientists in his generation, and his creative ideas for future vision research have the potential to ultimately unlock the discoveries needed to cure blindness,” said David A. DiLoreto, Jr., MD, PhD, Chairman for the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Rochester.

AUPO President, David Quillen, MD shared, “We are thrilled to recognize Dr. Williams with the Weeks Award. Dr. Williams is one the world's leading experts on human vision. He and his team have transformed ophthalmology and visual science through the development and implementation of the first adaptive optics system for the eye. This work has resulted in unprecedented developments in patient care including wavefront-guided refractive surgery and exquisite retinal imaging.  It is a remarkable story that will continue to advance our understanding of the eye and vision.”

“Dr. Williams’ work is the kind of ground-breaking research that fulfills Mr. Weeks’ vision for the advancement of vision science via his work at RPB and his advocacy activities that were key to the creation of the National Eye Institute,” said Brian F. Hofland, PhD, President of Research to Prevent Blindness. “On behalf of RPB, I extend my sincere congratulations to Dr. Williams on all of his past accomplishments, and I look forward to his future innovations.”  

For more information on the RPB David F. Weeks Award for Outstanding Vision Research, visit the AUPO website.

About Research to Prevent Blindness

Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) is the leading nonprofit organization supporting eye research directed at the prevention, treatment or eradication of all diseases that damage and destroy sight. As part of this purview, RPB also supports efforts to grow and sustain a robust and diverse vision research community. Since it was founded in 1960 by Dr. Jules Stein, RPB has awarded more than $373 million in research grants to the most talented vision scientists at the nation’s leading medical schools. As a result, RPB has been associated with nearly every major breakthrough in the understanding and treatment of vision loss in the past 60 years. Learn more at www.rpbusa.org.

About Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology

The Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO) was founded in 1966 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to research and education. AUPO is the voice of academic ophthalmology through the promotion of medical education, research, and patient care in ophthalmology, and accomplished by providing a forum for discussion of mutual issues facing departments/divisions of ophthalmology in the United States and Canada. For more information, visit aupo.org.

Media ContactS:

Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology: Lisa Brown, aupo@aao.org, 415-447-0249

Research to Prevent Blindness: Diana Friedman, dfriedman@rpbusa.org, 631-838-4985

August 13, 2020