New York (July 25, 2017) – The New York Academy of Medicine has awarded its prestigious 2017 Lewis Rudin Glaucoma Prize to Mary Kelly, PhD, Research Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Oregon Health & Science University, for her research paper, “Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Restore Function in a Human Cell Loss Model of Open-Angle Glaucoma.”
“The New York Academy of Medicine has presented the prestigious Lewis Rudin Glaucoma Prize every year since 1995. We are honored to add Dr. Mary Kelley to the impressive roster of researchers who are making significant contributions to the cause and treatment of glaucoma, and we look forward to the further development of Dr. Kelley’s groundbreaking work,” said Academy President Jo Ivey Boufford, MD.
“This is the first demonstration that stem like cells can be reintroduced into eyes with glaucoma and address and correct the underlying cause of the disease rather than just manage the complications of the disease. There has never been a glaucoma treatment that corrected/repaired the cause and the potential for the future is exciting,” said selection committee chair David H. Abramson, MD, FACS, Professor of Ophthalmology at Weill-Cornell Medical School and Chief of the Ophthalmic Oncology Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
The Rudin Glaucoma Prize recognizes the most significant scholarly article on glaucoma published in a peer-reviewed journal in the prior calendar year. Recipients are nominated by their peers, and a winner is chosen by The New York Academy of Medicine’s Lewis Rudin Prize Selection Committee and approved by the Academy Board of Trustees. Since the prize’s inception in 1995, the committee has recognized the outstanding contributions of physicians and scientists working on the challenges of glaucoma, and the prize has become a highly respected and acknowledged award. Recent recipients include Krishnakumar Kizhatil, PhD, of The Jackson Laboratory and Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Larry I. Benowitz, PhD, of Harvard Medical School; Gareth R. Howell, BSc, PhD, of The Jackson Laboratory; and W. Daniel Stamer, PhD, of Duke Eye Center.
Dr. Mary Kelley is a Research Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Oregon Health & Sciences University in Portland, Oregon. Dr. Kelley received her PhD in Biochemistry at Oregon Health & Science University, and did post-doctoral work at the University of Washington Health Sciences Center. Currently, she is the PI on an NIH R01 investigating the development of stem cell therapies in glaucoma. Recently, these studies produced the first demonstration that induced pluripotent stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells can be differentiated and transplanted in human trabecular meshwork denuded of normal cells. These differentiated trabecular meshwork-like cells then restored normal homeostatic IOP regulation in a human model perfusion system. In other projects, she is moving into gene therapy studies, cell-cell interactions in the trabecular meshwork, and collaborates with several trabecular meshwork researchers.
Dr. Kelley has participated in grant reviews for NIH, the Dept. of Defense, and several foundations, serves as a reviewer for several journals, and is on the editorial boards of several stem cell journals. Dr. Kelley has mentored post-doctoral, graduate, medical interns, college, and high school students, and been involved in diversity, graduate student, post-doctoral, and women’s issues at her university, International Society of Eye Research (ISER), the Trabecular Meshwork Study Club, and at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).
About the Lewis Rudin Glaucoma Prize
The Lewis Rudin Glaucoma Prize of The New York Academy of Medicine was established in 1995 in honor of Lewis Rudin, the late New York City real estate developer and founder of the Association for a Better New York. The prize is funded by the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc., with additional support from Jack Rudin, Chairman of the Rudin Management Company. The Rudin Family has a long tradition of service and philanthropy in New York City.
About The New York Academy of Medicine
The New York Academy of Medicine advances solutions that promote the health and well-being of people in cities worldwide.
Established in 1847, The New York Academy of Medicine continues to address the health challenges facing New York City and the world’s rapidly growing urban populations. We accomplish this through our Institute for Urban Health, home of interdisciplinary research, evaluation, policy, and program initiatives; our world class historical medical library and its public programming in history, the humanities and the arts; and our Fellows program, a network of more than 2,000 experts elected by their peers from across the professions affecting health. Our current priorities are healthy aging, disease prevention, and eliminating health disparities. For more information, visit www.nyam.org.
View our COVID-19 Safety Protocols for attending NYAM public events.