Associate professor, Elliott Sohn, MD, was selected as recipient of the 2021 Young Investigator Award by the Macula Society. The award is given to an individual under 50 years of age whose work gives high promise of a notable advance in the clinical treatment of disorders of the eye.

Dr. Sohn engages in translational and clinical research related to retinal diseases. In addition to leading an extensive research program exploring the basic mechanisms of causes and development of novel therapies, Sohn also treats patients in the Retina/Vitreous clinic. He is an innovator in the area of retinal surgery and is developing gene and stem cell therapies to treat retinal and macular degenerations. Learn more about him at https://medicine.uiowa.edu/eye/profile/elliott-sohn.

“This award is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of many people at the (University of Iowa) Institute for Vision Research. It also means that leaders in our field agree that we are on the right track of pursuing cures for inherited retinal diseases and a better understanding of more common disorders like age-related macular degeneration and diabetes. Ultimately, it means there’s a lot more work ahead to bring sight to our patients,” shares Dr. Sohn.

Previous Macula Society Young Investigator Award recipients among UI faculty include Edwin Stone, MD, PhD (1998) and Michael Abramoff, MD, PhD (2013). More about the Macula Society award program at https://www.maculasociety.org/.