World-Class Scientific Review Committees
Our funding philosophy is to follow the most innovative and promising ideas that will lead to a cure for diseases of mind and sight.
Each year, our Scientific Review Committees, composed of renowned leaders in their fields, recommend new research opportunities for BrightFocus to advance our goal of defeating Alzheimer’s, macular degeneration, and glaucoma.
The following experts have served on each committee within the last five years:
Alzheimer's Disease Research Scientific Review Committee
Co-Chairs:
- David M. Holtzman, MD, Washington University School of Medicine
- Hui Zheng, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine
Committee Members:
- Beau Ances, MD, PhD, Washington University School of Medicine
- Rhoda Au, PhD, Boston University School of Medicine
- David R. Borchelt, PhD, University of Florida
- Guojun Bu, PhD, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
- Alice Chen-Plotkin, MD, University of Pennsylvania
- Laura Cox, PhD, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Carlos Cruchaga, PhD, Washington University School of Medicine
- Mark Ebbert, PhD, University of Kentucky
- Steven Estus, PhD, University of Kentucky
- Douglas Galasko, MD, University of California, San Diego
- Charles G. Glabe, PhD, University of California, Irvine
- Alison M. Goate, PhD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Todd E. Golde, MD, PhD, Emory University
- John Hardy, PhD, FMedSci, FRS, University College London (UK)
- Julie Harris, PhD, Cure Alzheimer’s Fund
- S. Abid Hussaini, PhD, Columbia University
- Joanna Jankowsky, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine
- Lance Johnson, PhD, University of Kentucky
- Martin Kampmann, PhD, University of California, San Francisco
- Aimee Kao, MD, PhD, University of California, San Francisco
- Ksenia Kastanenka, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital
- John “Keoni” Kauwe, PhD, Brigham Young University–Hawaii
Committee Members (cont.)
- Edward Koo, MD, University of California, San Diego
- Cynthia A. Lemere, PhD, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Allan I. Levey, MD, PhD, Emory University
- Yueming Li, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- Brendan P. Lucey, MD, Washington University School of Medicine
- Edoardo Marcora, PhD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- John M. Olichney, MD, University of California, Davis
- Ekaterina Rogaeva, PhD, University of Toronto
- Matthew Rowan, PhD, Emory University
- David P. Salmon, PhD, University of California, San Diego
- Melanie Samuel, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine
- Gerard Schellenberg, PhD, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
- Aristeidis Sotiras, PhD, Washington University School of Medicine
- Russell Swerdlow, MD, University of Kansas Medical Center
- Malu Tansey, PhD, University of Florida
- Julia TCW, PhD, Boston University
- Gopal Thinakaran, PhD, University of South Florida
- Robert Vassar, PhD, Northwestern University
- Cheryl Wellington, PhD, University of British Columbia
- Donna Wilcock, PhD, Indiana University School of Medicine
- Benjamin Wolozin, MD, PhD, Boston University
- Tony Wyss-Coray, PhD, Stanford Medicine
- Riqiang Yan, PhD, University of Connecticut School of Medicine
- Xiongwei Zhu, PhD, Case Western Reserve University
- Na Zhao, MD, PhD, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville
Macular Degeneration Research Scientific Review Committee
Chair:
- Michael B. Gorin MD, PhD, University of California Los Angeles
Committee Members:
- Bela Anand-Apte, PhD, Cleveland Clinic Foundation
- Robert E. Anderson, MD, PhD, Dean McGee Eye Institute
- John D. Ash, PhD, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
- Catherine Bowes Rickman, PhD, Duke University
- Kristen Bowles-Johnson, OD, PhD, Indiana University
- Milam Brantley Jr., MD, PhD, Vanderbilt University
- Karl Csaky, MD, PhD, Retina Foundation of the Southwest
- Itay Chowers, MD, Hadassah Medical Center (Israel)
- Sarah Doyle, PhD, Trinity College (Ireland)
- Steven J. Fliesler, PhD, University at Buffalo, Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
- Joelle Hallak, PhD, University of Illinois
- James Handa, MD, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University
- Daniel Hass, PhD, University of Washington
Committee Members (cont.)
- Joe G. Hollyfield, PhD, Cleveland Clinic Foundation
- Yali Jia, PhD, Oregon Health & Science University
- Aparna Lakkaraju, PhD, University of California, San Francisco
- Theodore Leng, PhD, Stanford Medicine
- Alfred S. Lewin, PhD, University of Florida
- Robert Mullins, PhD, University of Iowa
- Martha Neuringer, PhD, Oregon Health & Science University
- Nancy J. Philp, PhD, Thomas Jefferson University
- Przemyslaw (Mike) Sapieha, PhD, University of Montreal (Canada)
- Florian Sennlaub, MD, PhD, Institut De La Vision (France)
- Lois Smith, MD, PhD, Boston Children’s Hospital
- Karl Wahlin, PhD, University of California, San Diego
National Glaucoma Research Scientific Review Committee
Co-Chairs:
- Adriana Di Polo, PhD, University of Montreal (Canada)
- John C. Morrison, MD, Oregon Health & Science University
Committee Members:
- Dong Feng Chen, PhD, Harvard Medical School
- Abbot F. Clark, PhD, University of North Texas
- C. Ross Ethier, PhD, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory School of Medicine
- Michael Fautsch, PhD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester
- Brad Fortune, OD, PhD, Devers Eye Institute
- Thomas F. Freddo, OD, PhD, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- Michael Hauser, PhD, Duke University
- Yi Hua, PhD, University of Mississippi
- Denise Inman, PhD, University of North Texas
- Tatjana Jakobs, MD, Harvard Medical School
- Hari Jayaram, PhD, Moorfields Eye Hospital
- Rachel Kuchtey, MD, PhD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Committee Members (cont.)
- Richard Libby, PhD, University of Rochester
- Paloma Liton, PhD, Duke University
- Prabhavathi Maddineni, PhD, University of Missouri-Columbia
- Nicholas Marsh-Armstrong, PhD, University of California, Davis
- Colleen McDowell, PhD, University of Wisconsin–Madison
- Stuart J. McKinnon, MD, PhD, Duke University
- Gillian McLellan, BVMS, PhD, University of Wisconsin–Madison
- Robert W. Nickells, PhD, University of Wisconsin–Madison
- Yvonne Ou, MD, University of California, San Francisco
- Rebecca Sappington, PhD, Wake Forest University
- Ian Sigal, PhD, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
- W. Daniel Stamer, PhD, Duke University
- James N. Ver Hoeve, PhD, University of Wisconsin–Madison
- Monica Vetter, PhD, University of Utah
- Darrell WuDunn, MD, PhD, University of Florida College of Medicine
News
Recent News & Information
Press Release
2024 Research Portfolios Now Available
BrightFocus proudly supports over 200 cutting-edge research grants, fueling the global fight against Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma.
Press Release
Today’s Investments, Tomorrow’s Breakthroughs: 2024 Annual Report Highlights Scientific Progress
BrightFocus Foundation’s 2024 annual report highlights groundbreaking research and public awareness efforts over the last year to defeat Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma.
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BrightFocus Foundation Welcomes Three New Board Members
Global brain and vision research nonprofit BrightFocus Foundation has appointed three industry leaders to its board of directors.
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Global Brain and Vision Research Nonprofit Hosts Inaugural Concert for Cures Celebrating Science
BrightFocus Foundation hosted its inaugural Concert for Cures on Wednesday, June 26, at City Winery in Nashville.
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Community Health Leader Joins BrightFocus Foundation Board of Directors
BrightFocus Foundation has appointed Dr. Adam Myers as a new member of its board of directors.
Press Release
José Cunha-Vaz Named 2024 Helen Keller Laureate by BrightFocus Foundation, Helen Keller Foundation for Research and Education
Ophthalmologist recognized for over a half century of groundbreaking scientific contributions to vision research.