OU Vision Workshop

Our 18th Annual OU Vision Workshop was held on October 2-3, 2025. We were honored to welcome our Anderson Keynote Lecturer, Dr. John Penn, the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Snyder Chair in Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, and Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, and Medical Education and Administration at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. On Thursday afternoon, October 2nd at 4:00 pm in the DMEI Lecture Hall, Dr. Penn delivered the Anderson Keynote Lecture titled The Roles of Lipid Mediators in Diabetes-Induced Retinal Vascular Inflammation. On Friday afternoon, Dr. Penn delivered a career development lecture to our trainees entitled The Importance of Portfolio Diversification in Vision Research Funding. Ten rising vision researchers, including graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, research technicians, and staff scientists, presented their research all day on Friday.

A celebratory awards dinner followed on Friday evening at The Lume in OKC. Postdoctoral fellow and T32 Vision Training Grant Fellow Dr. Hunter Porter from Dr. Jonathan Wren's lab won the Anderson Award for Best Presentation, Dr. Eric Ma, a postdoctoral fellow from Dr. Courtney Griffin's lab won the Dr. Wei Cao Innovation Award, and Dr. Lily Wu, a postdoctoral fellow from Dr. Martin-Paul Agbaga's lab won the DMEI Promising Research award. Eric also won the abstract book cover photo competition, while Jennifer Ballheim, a graduate student from Dr. Mike Elliott's lab, won the JVRC Leadership Award. Congratulations to all the award winners and presenters on a great day of vision science!

A special THANK YOU! to our Organizing Committee: Drs. Ana Chucair-Elliott, Yan Chen, Michelle Callegan, and Raju Rajala co-chaired the workshop this year with trainee co-organizers Dr. Hunter Porter, and graduate students Luis Longoria-Gonzalez, Olawale Bankole, Jennifer Ballheim, and Diana Soriano-Dale. Special thanks goes to Melody Marcum, DMEI Director of External Relations and Development, our Chair, Dr. Mike Siatkowski, and the DMEI for its unwavering support of our young vision researchers.

The 17th Annual OU Vision Workshop was held on September 12-13, 2024. We were honored to welcome Dr. Reza Dana, the Claes H. Dohlman Professor of Ophthalmology, Vice-Chair of Academic Programs in Ophthalmology, Senior Scientist and W. Clement Stone Clinical Research Scholar at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, and the Director of the Harvard Vision Clinical Scientist Development Program at Harvard Medical School. On Thursday, Dr. Dana presented the 8th Anderson Keynote Lecturer titled New Ways of Doing Old Things: Translational Investigations in Management of Common Corneal and Ocular Surface Disorders. On Friday morning after breakfast, Dr. Dana presented two career development talks titled The Do's and Don'ts in Giving Scientific Talks and How to Work with People You Don't Like. Fifteen young vision researchers, including graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, research technicians, residents, and visiting scholars, presented their research all day on Friday the 13th.

A celebratory awards dinner followed on Friday evening at The Lume in OKC. Graduate student Becca Wells from Dr. Kevin Fuller's lab won the Anderson Award for Best Presentation, Dr. Eric Ma, a postdoctoral fellow from Dr. Courtney Griffin's lab at OMRF won the Dr. Wei Cao Innovation Award, and Dr. Kasia Zyla-Jackson, a postdoctoral fellow and T32 Vision Training Grant trainee from Dr. Scott Plafker's lab at OMRF won the DMEI Promising Research award. Eric also won the abstract book cover photo competition, while Eniola Adewunmi, a graduate student from Dr. Martin-Paul Agbaga's lab, won the JVRC Leadership Award. Friday the 13th was certainly a great day for everyone!

A special THANK YOU! to our Organizing Committee: Drs. Yan Chen, Michelle Callegan, and Raju Rajala co-chaired the workshop this year with trainee co-organizers Drs. Neeraj Chauhan, Katarzyna Zyla-Jackson, Eric Ma, and graduate students Luis Longoria-Gonzalez, Becca Wells, Olawale Bankole, Jennifer Ballheim, and Anna Usoltseva. Special thanks goes to Melody Marcum, DMEI Director of External Relations and Development, our Chair, Dr. Mike Siatkowski, and the DMEI for its unwavering support of our young vision researchers.

The 16th Annual OU Vision Workshop was held on September 7-8, 2023. We were honored to welcome Dr. Steven J. Fliesler, SUNY Distinguished Professor, Meyer H. Riwchun Endowed Chair Professor, Vice Chair, and Director of Research of the Department of Ophthalmology at SUNY Buffalo, as our 7th Anderson Keynote Lecturer. His seminar, titled The Long and Winding Road: Impact of Mevalonate Pathway Defects on Retinal Structure and Function, was held in the 5th floor Tullos Coston Lecture Hall at the Dean McGee Eye Institute at 4:00 pm on Thursday September 7th. Eighteen young vision researchers, including graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, research technicians, and medical students, presented their research all day on Friday September 8th. The presentations were followed by Dr. Fliesler's career development lecture titled Advice for the Emerging Early-Stage Vision Scientists: Do THIS, Not THAT!. 

A celebratory awards dinner followed on Friday evening at The Lume in OKC. Graduate student Katie Scholand from Dr. Cintia de Paiva's lab at Baylor won the Anderson Award for Best Presentation, while Yvonne Adu-Agyeiwaah, a graduate student from Dr. Maria Grant's lab at the University of Alabama Birmingham, won the Dr. Wei Cao Innovation Award. Becca Wells, a graduate student from Dr. Kevin Fuller's lab at OUHSC won Honorable Mention. Katie also won the abstract book cover photo competition, while Becca won the JVRC Award. What a great day for everyone!

A special THANK YOU! to our Organizing Committee: Drs. Yan Chen, Kevin Fuller, and Raju Rajala co-chaired the workshop this year, and trainees Drs. Jorge Lightfoot, Neeraj Chauhan, Katarzyna Zyla-Jackson, Eric Ma, and graduate students Luis Longoria-Gonzalez and Becca Wells. Special thanks goes to Melody Marcum, DMEI Director of External Relations and Development, our Chair, Dr. Mike Siatkowski, and the DMEI for its support.

Stay tuned for information about the 17th Annual OU Vision Workshop in Fall 2024.

The 15th Annual OU Vision Workshop was held on September 8-9, 2022. We were honored to welcome Dr. Tonia Rex, the Hays Director in Translational Vision Research, Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, and Associate Vice Chair for Translational Research at the Vanderbilt Eye Institute, as our keynote lecturer. Dr. Rex presented the 6th Robert Eugene Anderson Keynote Lecture during the workshop in the Tullos Coston Lecture Hall on the 5th floor of the Dean McGee Eye Institute on Thursday afternoon. Her Anderson lecture was titled Oxidative Stress: A Common Mechanism in Optic Neuropathies. Vision research trainees presented their work in oral presentations all day on Friday, including trainees from Baylor and the University of North Texas HSC. After the trainee presentations, Dr. Rex presented an energetic career development lecture titled Passion, Perseverance, Purpose, Perspective, and Peace. To cap off the day, a celebratory awards dinner was held at the Venue at Crew in Oklahoma City. Postdoctoral fellow Dr. Md Huzzatul Mursalin from Dr. Michelle Callegan's lab won the Anderson Award for Best Presentation, while Manali Kamath, a graduate student from Dr. Kevin Fuller's lab, won the Dr. Wei Cao Innovation Award. Dr. Neeraj Chauhan, a postdoctoral fellow from Dr. Martin-Paul Agbaga's lab, won the abstract book cover photo competition.  A great time was had by all!

A special thank you to the OU Vision Organizing Committee:

Faculty supervisors Drs. Yan Chen and Kevin Fuller. Postdoctoral fellows Drs. Neeraj Chauhan, Jorge Lightfoot, and Md Huzzatul Mursalin. Graduate students Yeboah Kofi Gyening, Manali Kamath, and Becca Wells. Melody Marcum, DMEI Director of External Relations and Development.

The 14th Annual OU Vision Workshop was held September 22-23, 2021.  

The OU Vision Workshop welcomed Dr. Paul Sieving, former Director of the National Eye Institute and faculty at the University of California Davis, as our keynote lecturer. Dr. Sieving presented the 5th Robert Eugene Anderson Keynote Lecture during the workshop in the Tullos Coston Lecture Hall on the 5th floor of the Dean McGee Eye Institute on the afternoon of Wednesday September 22nd. His lecture was titled Developing Gene Therapies for Inherited Retinal Degenerations. Following the keynote lecture, a reception honoring Dr. Anderson was held on the side lawn of the Dean McGee Eye Institute. Vision research trainees presented their work in oral presentations all day on Thursday September 23rd. After the trainee presentations, Dr. Sieving presented a career development lecture titled 16 Views of Photoreceptors: Thoughts on a Career of an Ocular Retinal Clinical Physiologist. To cap off the day, a celebratory awards dinner was held in the Lotus Pavilion at the Oklahoma City Zoo. Graduate student Manali Kamath from Dr. Kevin Fuller's lab won the Anderson Award for Best Presentation, while Dr. Jorge Lightfoot, a T32 Vision Research Postdoctoral Trainee from Dr. Kevin Fuller's lab, won the Dr. Wei Cao Innovation Award. A great time was had by all!

A special thank you to the OU Vision Organizing Committee:

Faculty supervisors Drs. Michael Elliott, Yan Chen, and Kevin Fuller. Postdoctoral fellows Drs. Jorge Lightfoot and Md Huzzatul Mursalin. Graduate students Eric Enyong, Yeboah Kofi Gyening, Manali Kamath, James Regun Karmoker, and Bridget Parrish. Melody Marcum, DMEI Director of External Relations and Development.

The 13th Annual OU Vision Workshop was held on September 19-20, 2019 at the Dean A. McGee Eye Institute. Dr. David Calkins, Vice Chair and Director for Research, Vanderbilt Eye Institute, and Denis O'Day Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, and Professor of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, presented the 4th Annual Robert E. Anderson Keynote Lecture entitled Neuroscience of Glaucoma, as well as a professional development seminar entitled For the Love of the Game: Service Through Leadership. Graduate student and postdoctoral fellows from Oklahoma and Texas presented their research in various aspects of vision. The meeting ended with a wonderful dinner at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Anderson.