Research to Prevent Blindness and Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology Announce 2024 Recipient of RPB David F. Weeks Award for Outstanding Vision Research

Patricia Ann D’Amore, PhD, MBA, is recognized for ground-breaking contributions to the field of vision research.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA and NEW YORK, NY, July 28, 2023 – Patricia Ann D’Amore, PhD, MBA, has been selected as the 2024 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. D’Amore, the Charles L. Schepens Professor of Ophthalmology and Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School and Senior Scientist at Mass Eye and Ear, will receive her award and deliver a presentation during the AUPO 2024 Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas in February.

Joan W. Miller, MD, Chair, at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, shared, “Dr. D’Amore is an internationally recognized expert in vascular growth and development who has made significant contributions to our understanding of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), particularly through her painstaking study of the mechanisms and regulation of blood vessel growth. Dr. D’Amore’s early research revolutionized retinal care.”

“Dr. D’Amore and her collaborators have consistently conducted highly impactful research targeting the regulation of blood vessel growth in the retina, leading to the development of anti-VEGF therapies that have revolutionized care of patients with vision-threatening diseases such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and retinal vein occlusion,” stated Steven E. Feldon, MD, MBA, AUPO Executive Vice President.

“On behalf of Research to Prevent Blindness, I congratulate Dr. D’Amore on this significant award, which speaks not only to the high quality of her research, but also to its wide-ranging impact. Her work dramatically has changed the treatment landscape for AMD and other eye diseases. The late David Weeks, former President and Chairman of RPB, was a person of action and influence in the world of vision science, and as such he would be very pleased with the selection of Dr. D’Amore for this award in his honor,” said Brian F. Hofland, PhD, President of Research to Prevent Blindness.

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 $407 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 63 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.

July 28, 2023