Photo by Josh Franzos
José-Alain Sahel, Distinguished Professor and Eye and Ear Foundation Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and director of the UPMC Vision Institute, was honored with the Future Vision Foundation’s laureate award. The foundation is a not-for profit organization that celebrates breakthroughs in vision research through documentaries.
The documentary highlighting Sahel’s work is here.
The organization said: “Acknowledged as one of the world’s most decorated and innovative surgeon scientists, Dr. José Sahel has made pioneering discoveries to understand how retinal cells fail in retinal degenerations, developing a next-generation retinal prosthesis and launching the field of optogenetics (using light to activate genes) for vision restoration. Through his leadership, he oversees over 80 clinical trials, many of which are the first ever performed in humans.”
Sahel has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Wolf Prize in Medicine.