New York, Nov. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lighthouse Guild, the leading not-for-profit vision and healthcare organization, today announced the recipients of its 2024 awards for outstanding accomplishments in vision science, technological innovation, and advocacy: Thomas Lee of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is the recipient of the Bressler Prize in Vision Science. John-Ross Rizzo of NYU Langone Health receives the Pisart Award in Technological Innovation. Hoby Wedler, a celebrated chemist and entrepreneur, is honored with the Dr. Alan R. Morse Lecture in Advocacy for People with Vision Impairment. The awards will be presented at a ceremony at Lighthouse Guild in New York City on December 5, during which the participants will discuss their work.
The 2024 Bressler Prize in Vision Science
The 2024 Bressler Prize in Vision Science honors Thomas C. Lee, MD, for his extraordinary work advancing the understanding of pediatric retinal disease and childhood blindness. Dr. Lee is Director of the Vision Center, Chief of the Division of Ophthalmology, at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and Associate Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at the USC Keck School of Medicine. He leads a team of physicians and basic scientists who are developing new treatments for conditions such as retinoblastoma and retinopathy of prematurity. In addition to developing a robust research program, Dr. Lee has helped create an innovative education platform to teach doctors in other countries remotely via the Internet. In 2010, he established a program in conjunction with the Armenian Eye Care Project, which deployed digital retinal cameras to the capital city of Yerevan allowing US based physicians to supervise Armenian doctors treating babies with retinopathy of prematurity. More recently he helped establish a neonatal nursing education program to assist the nurses who care for these children. It is his long-term goal to create an open online education platform that can be used to teach doctors and healthcare workers in other countries where resources are limited. https://www.chla.org/profile/thomas-c-lee-md
The 2024 Pisart Award in Technological Innovation
The 2024 Pisart Award in Technological Innovation is awarded to John-Ross (JR) Rizzo, MD, MSc, FACRM for his pioneering work harnessing the power of technology to break down barriers for people with visual impairments. Dr. Rizzo is the Health System Director of Disability Inclusion and Vice Chair of Innovation & Equity at the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. He also holds appointments in the departments of neurology, ophthalmology, mechanical and aerospace engineering, and biomedical engineering at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. He heads the Visumotor Integration Laboratory, exploring motor control with a special emphasis on visual guidance and biomechanics in blindness, and the Rehabilitation Engineering Alliance and Center Transforming Low Vision Laboratory (REACTIV), exploring bio-inspired, multi-sensory assistive technologies with a special emphasis on advanced wearables. He is an advisor to multiple startups and early ventures focused broadly on technological disruption for those with visual impairments of all kinds and holds a series of board and advisory roles at leading NPOs, inclusive of the MTA, National Academies, Lighthouse Guild, FFB, CRF, CityAccess, and more. Dr. Rizzo capitalizes on his lived experience with vision loss in all aspects of his work. https://med.nyu.edu/faculty/johnross-rizzo
The 2024 Dr. Alan R. Morse Lecture in Advocacy for People with Vision Impairment
The 2024 Dr. Alan R. Morse Lecture in Advocacy for People with Vision Impairment is awarded to Hoby Wedler, Ph.D., for his outstanding work enhancing employment and education opportunities for people with visual impairments and other disabilities. As a chemist, an entrepreneur, and a sensory expert, he has actively paved the way for others to join him in his quest to follow their passions regardless of the challenges that lie ahead. Dr. Wedler has been blind since birth. In 2011, he founded a non-profit organization to lead annual chemistry camps for blind and visually impaired students throughout North America. That same year, he opened Tasting in the Dark, a truly blindfolded wine experience, in collaboration with Francis Ford Coppola. Dr. Wedler is a passionate educator and advocate for inclusivity and business, inspiring a wide audience through lectures, workshops, and mentorship programs. A co-founder of four companies, Dr. Wedler views entrepreneurship as a means to address challenges, solve complex problems, and improve the world. https://www.hobywedler.com
The Bressler Prize in Vision Science, established in 2001, is awarded to a person whose research has resulted in the translation of medical or scientific knowledge into significant advancements in the treatment or rehabilitation of people with vision loss. The Pisart Award in Technological Innovation was established in 1981 to recognize an individual, group of individuals or organization that has made significant contributions to the field of vision science. The award has evolved to recognize those whose technological innovations have substantially improved the lives of people with vision loss. The Morse Lecture is named for Dr. Alan R. Morse, Lighthouse Guild’s President Emeritus, for his years of dedicated efforts in the research and treatment of vision loss.
About Lighthouse Guild
Lighthouse Guild provides exceptional services that inspire people who are visually impaired to attain their goals. Our podcast series, “On Tech & Vision with Dr. Cal Roberts” offers information and insights about technological innovations that are tearing down barriers for people who are blind or visually impaired. For more information, visit Lighthouseguild.org.