Rockville, MD -- The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) announced today that Ilene K. Gipson, PhD, has been selected to receive the Friedenwald Award, which is presented annually for outstanding research in the basic or clinical sciences as applied to ophthalmology. The award will be presented to Gipson during ARVO's Annual Meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in May 2007.
Gipson was selected to receive the Friedenwald Award in recognition for her seminal contributions to basic and clinical understanding of wound healing, epithelial anchorage, and mucin biology in the area of ocular surface function and cornea research.
The Ocular Surface Scholar at Schepens Eye Research Institute in Boston, Mass., and a Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, Gipson received her master's and doctoral degrees in zoology from University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark. She is the recipient of the MERIT Award from the National Eye Institute, the Alcon Research Award, and the Research to Prevent Blindness Senior Scientific Investigator Award. In addition, she is the founder and chair of the Women's Eye Health Task Force, a multi-institutional effort aimed at preserving the vision of women and their families worldwide. Gipson is a member of the editorial board of Ocular Surface, an Executive Editor for Experimental Eye Research, and a guest editor for ARVO's monthly peer-reviewed journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.
Established in 1928, ARVO is a membership organization of more than 11,500 eye and vision researchers from over 70 countries. 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 the Association's Web site, www.arvo.org.