Weiss Receives Top Global Honor

Jayne S. Weiss, MD, Professor and Chair of Ophthalmology at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine and Chief Medical Officer of LSU Healthcare Network, was selected as the recipient of the 2020 Castroviejo Award. The award is given annually by the Cornea Society to “the most outstanding individual in the field of cornea and anterior segment.” Since the award was first given in 1975, only two other women have received it; Dr. Weiss will be the third. The announcement was made at the American Academy of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

According to the Society, each year the Society names the recipient of the Castroviejo Medal who will deliver the Castroviejo Lecture at the Society’s scientific symposium at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting. This is the Society’s highest award and is given in recognition of exceptional contributions in support of the Society’s mission: to promote knowledge, research and understanding in cornea, external disease and refractive surgery. The award is named for Ramon Castroviejo, MD, the father of modern corneal transplant surgery and the inspiration for the founding of the Cornea Society.

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Weiss’ principal clinical interests are cornea and anterior segment eye diseases particularly corneal dystrophies. Her research is focused on genetic mapping and pathophysiology of corneal dystrophies, particularly Schnyder corneal dystrophy. Her interest in Schnyder corneal dystrophy spans more than two decades during which time she has studied the clinical findings, visual prognosis and discovered the causative gene for this disease.

Weiss has served as Chair of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Ophthalmic Devices Panel, Chair of the American Academy of Ophthalmology Basic and Clinical Sciences Courses, Chair of the American Academy of Ophthalmology Basic and Clinic Sciences Course on Refractive Surgery and edited its first book on Refractive Surgery, Scientific Program Director of the Eye Bank Association of America, member of the National Advisory Eye Council of the National Eye Institute, and the founder and Chair of the International Committee for the Classification of Corneal Dystrophies.

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Her honors include the Advisory Committee Service Award from the FDA; two Secretariat Awards from the American Academy of Ophthalmology; Knight of Sight from the Louisiana Lions Eye Foundation; Best Doctors in America; Best Doctors in New Orleans; and Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. She is also a Fulbright Association Lifetime Member.

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The Cornea Society was founded in 1975 in recognition of the contributions of its original namesake, Ramon Castroviejo, MD, a consummate educator and a pioneer in corneal transplantation. The Society fosters the exchange of information about the cornea and anterior segment of the eye through scientific meetings, communications, and a quality scientific journal and newsletter. It thrives today as an international organization dedicated to the advancement of knowledge about the cornea, external eye and ocular surface, serving as the collective voice of corneal specialists globally and with governmental agencies domestically.

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