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Eye Health: Research, Prevention, and Treatment – Florida Atlantic University Osher Lifelong Learning

March 23, 2023 @ 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Course Description

Join Dr. J.Hejtmancik MD, Ph.D. and Chief of the Ophthalmic Molecular Genetics Section at the National Eye Institute, NIH, for a discussion of cutting-edge eye disease research focusing on genetic causes and the hope for novel treatments. Dr. Hejtmancik is an internationally recognized expert in the genetics of visual disease. His talk will shed light on novel causes of eye diseases and potential new therapies for their treatment. The rate of new eye disease in the U.S. is expected to double by 2050, with 30% of all new cases found in people over 65. Dr. Hejtmancik’s research examines this trend by showing how peoples’ genetic makeup can increase their probability of developing the most common eye diseases, including cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration.

About the Instructor

  • Dr. James Fielding Hejtmancik received his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees at Baylor College of Medicine in 1978 and 1976, respectively, and his B.A. from Rice University in 1979. He was an intern and resident in internal medicine at Duke University Medical Center until 1981. He then became a medical research associate in the Laboratory of Molecular and Developmental Biology in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and then the National Eye Institute under the mentorship of Dr. Joram Piatigorsky until 1984. He returned to Baylor College of Medicine, initially as a genetics fellow in the Section of Medical Genetics, Department of Internal Medicine, and the Institute for Molecular Genetics. He became an assistant professor in 1985 and served as the founding laboratory director of the Kleberg DNA Diagnostic Laboratory. He moved to the NEI in 1990 and is chief of the Ophthalmic Molecular Genetics Section, Ophthalmic Genetics and Visual Function Branch. He is a fellow of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Medical Genetics and an editorial board member of Molecular Vision.

Details

  • Date: March 23, 2023
  • Time:
    12:30 pm - 2:00 pm