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Foundation Announces 2026 M. Gilbert Grand ASRS Vitreoretinal Fellowship Award Recipients
The Foundation of the ASRS has selected Sean T. Berkowitz, MD, MBA, a vitreoretinal fellow at the Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute, and Angela S. Li, MD, a vitreoretinal fellow at the Duke Eye Center, to receive 2026 M. Gilbert Grand ASRS Vitreoretinal Fellowship Awards.
The perpetual award was established by Dr. Gilbert Grand to expand access to retina fellowship opportunities by helping offset the financial burden incurred during fellowship training, and with the hope that recipients will be inspired to give back similarly later in their careers.
"Thanks to generous donations to the fund over the past year, I am thrilled that we are able to present two $2,500 awards this year," said Dr. Grand. "Dr. Berkowitz and Dr. Li represent the very best of our field, and I’m pleased to see them honored with this award. As talented clinicians, surgeons, and researchers, they are helping advance retina care and will play an important role in helping shape the future of our specialty.”
Sean T. Berkowitz, MD, MBA
Dr. Sean Berkowitz is recognized as a prolific and innovative researcher; he has received 7 innovation and research awards, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Green Grant for his work on “Best Practices in Sustainability Research in Ophthalmology,” the American Academy of Neurology Student Research Scholarship, the Vitreoretinal Surgery Foundation Award for his research on ophthalmic imaging biomarkers in Parkinson’s disease, and several grants from the Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. Dr. Berkowitz also has authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications.
He is a strong advocate for the field, serving for many years as an advocacy ambassador at the AAO Mid-Year Forum. Dr. Berkowitz was selected for the 18th Annual Heed Ophthalmic Foundation Resident Retreat and has received local and national honors, including several Vanderbilt Leadership Awards and the J. Donald M. Gass Award for Excellence in Ophthalmic Education and Research.
After graduating from Duke University with a bachelor of science degree in neuroscience with a minor in chemistry, Dr. Berkowitz earned a joint MD/MBA degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and Vanderbilt University Owen School of Management with concentrations in health care and finance. He completed an internship in general surgery at Vanderbilt Medical Center and his ophthalmology residency at Vanderbilt Eye Institute.
"I am deeply grateful to Dr. Grand and the Foundation of the ASRS for this award, which reflects a lasting commitment to mentorship and the development of future retina specialists," said Dr. Berkowitz. "I am especially thankful for the mentors who have shaped my training, perspective, and trajectory. This recognition will support the completion of my training and help lay the foundation for an academic career dedicated to advancing our specialty through health policy, research, advocacy, and patient care."
Angela S. Li, MD
Dr. Angela Li is revered as an outstanding clinician and surgeon who is dedicated to education and mentorship. She has received numerous honors and awards including the Heed Fellowship, the 2025 ASRS 1st Place Poster Award, as well as both the Edward K. Isbey Award and Machemer Resident Research Award from the Duke Eye Center.
Dr. Li has been at the forefront of optical coherence tomography (OCT)-based imaging research in geographic atrophy, including the development and application of deep learning algorithms for automated segmentation of key retinal biomarkers. Her research has meaningful implications for clinical trial design and patient care.
Recently, Dr. Li has expanded her investigative focus to pediatric retinal disease, applying investigational handheld OCT technologies to address diagnostic challenges in infants and young children, including screening for retinopathy of prematurity. She also led the largest multicenter analysis to date evaluating outcomes of intravitreal methotrexate for proliferative vitreoretinopathy-associated retinal redetachments.
Dr. Li graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor of science degree in biomedical computation. She earned her medical degree from Stanford Medical School with scholarly concentration in informatics and data driven medicine. Dr. Li completed an internal medicine internship at Duke University Hospital and an ophthalmology residency at the Duke Eye Center.
"It is a tremendous honor to be a recipient of this award, and I am hugely grateful to Dr. Grand and the Foundation of the American Society of Retina Specialists for this recognition," said Dr. Li. "This award will offer valuable support during my second year of vitreoretinal surgery fellowship at Duke as I work toward building my career as an academic vitreoretinal surgeon. I have been fortunate to be uplifted by exceptional mentors throughout my training and I plan to pay it forward by making mentorship a cornerstone of my future career."
Drs. Berkowitz and Li will be recognized during the Awards Ceremony at the 2026 ASRS Annual Meeting in Montréal, Canada.
Learn more about Dr. Grand and the award here.
(Published 5.12.26)