Gertrude D. Pyron Award
The Retina Research Foundation’s Gertrude D. Pyron Award
The Pyron Award was created by the Retina Research Foundation of Houston, Texas, to recognize outstanding vision scientists whose work contributes to knowledge about vitreoretinal disease.
Gertrude D. Pyron
The award, which offers a cash prize and research grant, is presented each year at the ASRS Annual Meeting. The recipient is chosen by the ASRS Awards Committee.
The Pyron Award has been endowed by an estate gift from Gertrude D. Pyron of San Antonio, Texas. She was an imminent geologist during her lifetime, and made her bequest to Retina Research Foundation (RRF) because of her admiration for Dr. Alice McPherson’s leadership in vision science.
Retina Research Foundation was founded in 1969 by Dr. Alice McPherson, a member of the American Society of Retina Specialists, to establish and fund programs for the eradication of vitreoretinal disease. A public charity based in Houston, it has grown with support from a few community leaders to a major foundation, with broad support, funding a grant program, a major awards program, a career development program, and annual support for several research chairs.
The awards program sponsors lectureships not only at the ASRS Annual Meeting, but also the Award of Merit Lecture of The Retina Society, the Mills & Margaret Cox Award of The Macula Society, the Kayser Award of the Schepens International Society, and the Gonin Lecture of Club Jules Gonin.
Research chairs are endowed at the Baylor College of Medicine, and the University of Wisconsin Medical School. Travel awards and scholars programs are supported at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology and the PanAmerican Association of Ophthalmology.
The ASRS is proud to be the recipient of the Pyron Award as part of this major awards program. The awards program for the RRF was established in 1978 to provided honoraria and research grants to internationally known retina scientists in recognition of their lifetime achievements.
The Retina Research Foundation has sponsored a Lectureship Research Award at the American Society of Retina Specialists Annual Meeting since 1995. From 1995 through 1998, the lectureship was named in honor of W.H. Helmerich, III. Commencing in 1999, the award series changed to honor Gertrude Pyron.
The 25th Annual Gertrude D. Pyron Award
Mark S. Humayun, MD, PhD, is the 2020 recipient of The Retina Research Foundation’s Gertrude D. Pyron Award.
Dr. Humayun is the Cornelius J. Pings Chair in Biomedical Sciences, professor of ophthalmology, biomedical engineering, and integrative anatomical sciences, director of the University of Southern California (USC) Ginsburg Institute for Biomedical Therapeutics, and co-director of the USC Roski Eye Institute.
The Pyron Award, which is presented each year at the ASRS Annual Meeting, was created by the Retina Research Foundation of Houston, Texas, to recognize outstanding vision scientists like Dr. Humayun, whose work contributes to knowledge about vitreoretinal disease. The award's $50,000 cash prize includes a $5,000 personal honorarium and a $45,000 research grant.
Dr. Humayun is an internationally recognized pioneer in vision restoration. He assembled a team of multidisciplinary experts to develop the first FDA-approved artificial retina, Argus II, for sight restoration. For his extraordinary contributions, Dr. Humayun was awarded the United States’ highest technological achievement, the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, by President Barack Obama in 2016.
Dr. Humayun is a member of the US National Academies of Medicine, Engineering, and Inventors. He is a past president of ASRS (2016-2018) and a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), which honored him with the 2018 IEEE Biomedical Engineering Award and the 2020 IEEE Medal for Innovations in Healthcare Technology. He has more than 125 issued patents, over 250 peer-reviewed publications, and a Google Scholar h-index of 90.
The Retina Research Foundation Honorees
1995 George F. Hilton, MD
1996 Robert C. Watzke, MD
1997 Thomas M. Aaberg, Sr., MD
1998 Stanley Chang, MD
1999 Harry W. Flynn, Jr., MD
2000 Gholam A. Peyman, MD
2001 Yasuo Tano, MD
2002 Michael T. Trese, MD
2003 Lloyd M. Aiello, MD
2004 Morton F. Goldberg, MD
2005 Mark S. Blumenkranz, MD
2006 Brooks W. McCuen, II, MD
2007 Carmen A. Puliafito, MD, MBA
2008 Susan B. Bressler, MD & Neil M. Bressler, MD
2009 C.P. Wilkinson, MD
2010 Julia A. Haller, MD
2011 Jean Bennett, MD, PhD & Albert M. Maguire, MD
2012 Daniel F. Martin, MD
2013 George A. Williams, MD
2014 Andrew P. Schachat, MD
2015 Gary W. Abrams, MD
2016 Donald J. D'Amico, MD
2017 Paul A. Sieving, MD, PhD
2018 Joan W. Miller, MD
2019 Joan M. O'Brien, MD
2020 Mark S. Humayun, MD, PhD