The has selected John A. Moran Eye Center physician-researcher Paul S. Bernstein, MD, PhD, as the recipient of its 2020 Mildred Weisenfeld Award.
The honor recognizes distinguished scholarly contributions to the clinical practice of ophthalmology in memory of Weisenfeld, who suffered from and founded the charity in 1946 to fund eye and vision research.
In announcing the award, ARVO stated:
"Dr. Bernstein’s basic and clinical science research interests focus on the biochemistry and biophysics of nutritional interventions against inherited and acquired ocular disorders. His laboratory is a leader in the study of the proteins involved in uptake, stabilization, and metabolism of lutein and zeaxanthin and very-long-chain polyunsaturated acids (VLC-PUFAs) in the human macula."
ARVO also commended him for helping to lead the way "to elucidate the genetic underpinnings of macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel) by taking advantage of the large, close-knit families of Utah and fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy (FLIO)."
Moran’s director of clinical research and associate director of research, Bernstein holds the Val A. and Edith D. Green Presidential Endowed Chair. He has adjunct appointments in the University of Utah Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, and Division of Neurosciences.
Bernstein will present the Weisenfeld lecture at the ARVO annual meeting in May 2020.