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Rockville, Md. -- The ARVO Foundation, a supporting non-profit of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), announced today that Alcon Laboratories committed $500,000 to the Foundation to sponsor several programs designed to advance the progress of vision research. The Alcon grant will fund the keynote lecture at ARVO's Annual Meeting, a new award for early career clinician-scientists, and an innovative mentoring program.
"The ARVO Foundation is thrilled with Alcon's most generous gift," said ARVO Foundation Chairman John E. Dowling, PhD. "Alcon has already done an enormous amount to advance research in visual science and ophthalmology and the present gift is yet another example of their commitment and forward-thinking in support of eye and vision research."
In announcing the gift, Gerald D. Cagle, PhD, Alcon's Senior Vice President for Research and Development noted, "Alcon Laboratories is pleased to join hands as a 'Partner in Progress' with the ARVO Foundation. A primary objective of the ARVO Foundation is to foster scientific interactions between basic scientists and clinicians. Alcon's commitment of $500,000 will be directed toward innovative initiatives supporting clinician-scientists, an integral component for such interactions"
Beginning in 2006, the keynote lecture at ARVO's Annual Meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will be known as the ARVO/Alcon Keynote Session. Past keynote speakers at the Annual Meeting, which attracts over 9,500 researchers, have included leading vision scientists from around the world including a Nobel Prize winner.
The first ARVO/Alcon Early Career Clinician-Scientist Research Awards will be presented at the 2006 ARVO Annual Meeting. Designed to recognize the importance of clinician-scientists in the ophthalmic research community, selection will reflect the quality of each winner's research presented at the ARVO Annual Meeting. Candidates will be clinicians with an academic faculty or comparable appointment who are committed to a career with protected research time. Awardees must also be working or have previously worked under the guidance of a mentor. Up to five awards of $3,000 each will be given annually.
The goal of the ARVO/Alcon Clinician-Scientist Mentor Program is to build a network of current and potential mentors to assist individuals pursuing careers as clinician-scientists and to foster interactions with the basic science community. Recognizing that mentors play an important role in the retention of clinical scientists in ophthalmic research, the Program will help develop mentoring skills through an annual workshop, a mentor list-serve, and other networking opportunities.
"We view these activities as important ones for the future of eye research," said Cagle. "Alcon's grant to the Foundation also continues and extends our company's continuous support to the ARVO organization for more than three decades. I'm appropriately proud of Alcon's contributions to ARVO and to the support of eye research and look forward to the advances that will result from these new programs initiated by the ARVO Foundation and Alcon."
Founded in 2002, the ARVO Foundation provides continuing education and support for original and innovative vision research, particularly with translational impact fostering collaboration between clinicians and basic scientists. The Foundation also supports training for new vision research scientists, including those in developing countries. For more information about the Foundation, logon to www.arvofoundation.org.
ARVO is a membership organization of more than 11,200 eye and vision researchers from over 70 countries. Established in 1928, the Association encourages and assists its members and others in research, training, publication and dissemination of knowledge in vision and ophthalmology. ARVO's headquarters are located in Rockville, Md. For more information about ARVO, logon to www.arvo.org.
Alcon, Inc. is the world's leading eye care company with sales exceeding $3.9 billion in 2004. Alcon, which has been dedicated to the ophthalmic industry for over 50 years, develops, manufactures and markets pharmaceuticals, surgical equipment and devices, contact lens solutions and other vision care products that treat diseases, disorders and other conditions of the eye. For more information on Alcon, Inc., visit the company's Web site at www.alconinc.com.