RPB Hosts Vision Research Funding Partnership 2025

On March 25, 2025, Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) and more than 30 other organizations convened in Washington DC for the tenth annual Vision Research Funding Partnership event. This high-level meeting brings together leaders of organizations that fund vision research to think collectively about how to best support scientific research related to vision and the eye. While the organizations at the event represent a variety of sectors, they all have a common goal to eradicate and treat eye diseases through scientific research.

This year’s event was organized around the theme of “Sight Across the Lifespan: The Critical Role of Vision Science.” Attendees participated in presentations, discussions and educational activities designed to increase collaboration across the vision research field and maximize the impact of funding in this area. Topic areas emphasized the importance of vision research to eye health at all stages of life, from childhood to older adulthood.

The day included sessions on:

Delivery of Oculomics to Patients: Retinal image AI insights for ocular and systemic health

with a presentation by:

• Ali Tafreshi, CEO & President, Topcon Healthcare, Inc.

and moderation by:

• Y. Alvin Liu, MD, Founding Director, Wilmer Precision Ophthalmology Center of Excellence, Johns Hopkins University

Team Science: Changing the Culture to Match the Model  

with a presentation by:

• Thomas Brunner, MBA, President & CEO, Glaucoma Research Foundation

and moderation by:

• Lauren Palestrini, PhD, CFA, Chief Science Officer, Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium

Federal Funding Update: The 2025/2026 Outlook for Vision Research

with a presentation by:

• Dan Ignaszewski, Executive Director, NAEVR/AEVR

and moderation by:

• Rajesh Rajpal, MD, Member NAEVR/AEVR Board of Directors, Founder See Clearly Vision Group

The Academic Perspective: Pipeline of Research Funding at Academic Institutions

with a presentation by:

• Michael Crair, PhD, Vice Provost for Research and the William Ziegler III Professor in the Departments of Neuroscience and Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, Yale School of Medicine

and moderation by:

• Deborah Chesky, CFRE, MBA, LMSW, President, All May See Foundation at UCSF

The Patient Experience Panel

with panel members:

• Lee Nasehi, MSW, President and CEO, Vision Serve Alliance
• Louis D. Pizzarello, MD, MPH, Board Chair, Lavelle Fund for the Blind
• Eric Hartman, Director of Advocacy, Choroideremia Research Foundation

and moderation by:

• Matthew Levine, Director of Grants, Advocacy and Partnerships, American Macular Degeneration Foundation

Collaboration Forum

with presentations by:

• Michael Repka, MD, President, American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO)
• Preeti Subramanian, PhD, Director of Vision Science Programs, BrightFocus Foundation
• Iris Rush, CAE, Executive Director, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)
• S. Robert Levine, MD, Founder and CEO, Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative
• Marianne Laouri, PhD, Global Asset Team Leader, Retinal Health, Boehringer Ingelheim

and moderation by:

• Daniel Jones, PhD, Vice President, US Medical Affairs, Apellis Pharmaceuticals

Myopia: Understanding and Activating the NASEM Report Findings

with presentations by:

• Terri Young, MD, MBA, Chair, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
• Kira Baldonado, MPH, Vice President, Public Health and Policy, Prevent Blindness

and moderation by:

• Aaron Nicholls, Research Scientist at Reality Labs Research

RPB thanks the generous co-sponsors of the Vision Research Funding Partnership for making this event possible:

VISIONARY SPONSOR
Apellis Pharmaceuticals

GOLD SPONSORS
American Academy of Ophthalmology
Johnson & Johnson
Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative

SILVER SPONSORS
Alkeus Pharmaceuticals
All May See Foundation
Glaucoma Research Foundation
Prevent Blindness
Topcon Healthcare, Inc.

BRONZE SPONSORS
American Macular Degeneration Foundation
ARVO/ARVO Foundation
EyeSight Foundation of Alabama
International Retinal Research Foundation