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 eminent 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 Pan-American 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 30th Annual Gertrude D. Pyron Award
Rajendra S. Apte, MD, PhD is the 2025 recipient of the The Retina Research Foundation’s Gertrude D. Pyron Award. Dr. Apte is the Paul A. Cibis Distinguished Professor at Washington University School of Medicine, where he serves as vice chair of innovation and translation in the John F. Hardesty, MD, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and is a professor in the Department of Developmental Biology and Medicine.
The Pyron Award was created by the Retina Research Foundation of Houston, Texas—founded by the late Alice McPherson, MD—to recognize outstanding vision scientists whose work contributes to knowledge about vitreoretinal disease. Its $50,000 cash prize includes a $5,000 personal honorarium and a $45,000 research grant.
Dr. Apte’s research bridges scientific innovation and clinical/surgical practice. His discoveries related to aging and inflammation have transformed understanding of the root causes of age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. Dr. Apte’s research into neurodegeneration, drusen biogenesis, and angiogenesis have helped pave the way for future therapeutics to prevent vision loss.
His contributions to understanding nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and lipid metabolism—and how it impacts disease pathophysiology—have extended beyond the eye into diverse clinical stage programs targeting Alzheimer’s disease and acute kidney injury, as well as cardiovascular and musculoskeletal diseases.
Dr. Apte has delivered over 200 distinguished lectures and has been inducted into the National Academy of Inventors. In 2020, he was appointed a permanent member of the National Eye Institute Board of Scientific Counselors. Dr. Apte has published more than 185 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has participated as a principal investigator in numerous clinical trials. He has launched 4 life sciences companies and has patented and licensed several technologies that are now in human clinical trials.
Award Criteria
The Pyron Award is given to recognize an outstanding, internationally known vision scientists whose work contributes to knowledge about vitreoretinal disease. It may be given to individuals who:
- Developed new techniques accepted worldwide.
- Made a seminal invention or adapted a previous technology.
- Introduced a new treatment modality.
- Discovered the etiology of a disease state.
- Reassessed previous findings, resulting in a significant shift in treatment.
- Established new standards of quality care in retina.
- Made breakthroughs in genetic understanding.
- Conducted primary research in new pharmacological product.
- Made a significant advance in eye care worldwide.
The award is made at the discretion of the ASRS Awards Committee for accomplishments of significance either past or present.
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
2021 Cynthia A. Toth, MD
2022 Mary Elizabeth Hartnett, MD, FASRS
2023 Eugene de Juan, Jr., MD, FASRS
2024 Anat Loewenstein, MD, MHA