Rockville, Md. – The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology today announced that Yali Jia, PhD, has received the 2019 Pfizer Opthalmics Carl Camras Translational Research Award, which recognizes an early-career investigator who has made strides in translational research that will lead to future clinical applications. Dr. Jia, a professor of ophthalmology and biomedical engineering at Oregon Health & Science University, is recognized for her innovations in optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and its applications to eye diseases.

Dr. Jia developed split-spectrum amplitude-decorrelation angiography (SSADA), which is a major breakthrough that transitioned OCTA from a purely research technology to the clinic. Her original paper on this subject, published in 2012, has been cited 900 times. 

"This award is huge encouragement for me, women scientists and the OCT and OCTA community,” said Dr. Jia. “I will continue to advance frontiers in my active research program and I believe the future of OCTA will have a major impact on the diagnosis and management of ocular diseases." 

The annual $12,000 award is named in memory of Carl Camras, MD, who is highly respected for his work as a glaucoma specialist and a research scientist. He is most widely recognized for developing prostaglandin analogues for the treatment of elevated IOP in patients with glaucoma. During his distinguished career, Dr. Camras took a personal interest in developing the next generation of eye and vision researchers. Established in 2010, the award is supported by Pfizer Ophthalmics through the ARVO Foundation. 

“Dr. Camras was a brilliant clinician and scientist, who made transformational contributions to the treatment of glaucoma. In addition, he was devoted to ensuring the next generation had the resources they needed to thrive,” said Paul Sternberg, Jr., MD, FARVO, Chair of the ARVO Foundation. “By both advancing our understanding of glaucoma and dedicating his time to educating students, he succeeded. Dr. Jia’s innovations will provide generations of researchers with more advanced tools and technology to use in their research. Her drive and accomplishment make her a perfect candidate for this award. We are honored to recognize her work.” 

Applications for the 2020 award will open July 1, 2019 and close September 1, 2019.  

About Yali Jia, PhD
Yali Jia, PhD is an associate professor of ophthalmology and biomedical engineering at Oregon Health & Science University. Dr. Jia earned her PhD in biomedical engineering from OHSU in 2010 under the guidance of Dr. Ruikang Wang and completed her post-doctoral training with Dr. David Huang at the Casey Eye Institute in 2013. The OCTA reading software (COOL-ART) she developed has been used by several large clinical studies and many international collaborators. She has published more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles with over 6000 citations and has co-edited three books.

For more information about the Pfizer Ophthalmics Carl Camras Translational Research Award, visit ARVO’s website. 

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About ARVO: The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) is the largest eye and vision research organization in the world. Members include nearly 12,000 eye and vision researchers from over 75 countries. ARVO advances research worldwide into understanding the visual system and preventing, treating and curing its disorders. Learn more at ARVO.org

About the ARVO Foundation: Established in 2001, the ARVO Foundation for Eye Research raises funds through partnerships, grants and sponsorships to support ARVO’s world-class education and career development resources for eye and vision researchers of all stages of career and education. Learn more at ARVOFoundation.org.