Friends Inspire Friends to Give

Originally published in the ARVO Foundation insert of ARVO News, Fall 2014

Erik van Kuijk, MD, PhD, made his first gift to the ARVO Foundation in memory of his friend Elizabeth Anderson, whose husband, Robert Eugene (Gene) Anderson, MD, PhD, FARVO, is a longtime ARVO member. "Gene appealed to his friends and shared that Elizabeth's wishes were to set up a student travel fellowship," said van Kuijk. "She always believed it was important for students to be able to attend ARVO."

Following his initial donation to the Elizabeth Anderson Travel Grant, which at the time supported two young researchers, van Kuijk responded to an invitation from then ARVO Foundation Chair Nicolas G. Bazan, MD, PhD, FARVO, to purchase a table at the ARVO Foundation and Dowling Society Gala.

"I really enjoyed it, and after attending for a couple of years, I decided to become a Dowling Society member," said van Kuijk. With a desire to further support students, he specifically asked for his Dowling donation to go toward the Elizabeth Anderson Travel Grant so that the award would be able to send a third student to the meeting.

A member of the ARVO Biochemistry/Molecular Biology (BI) Section, van Kuijk serves as professor and chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences at the University of Minnesota. Elizabeth Anderson Travel Grantees present abstracts reviewed and accepted by the BI or Retinal Cell Biology Sections of ARVO.

"These donations enhance the careers of young, talented people in field of vision research in the U.S. and abroad," he said. "We are mentoring and developing the next generation of vision scientists."

With an interest in raising even more funds, van Kuijk has proposed that the ARVO Foundation consider creating different levels of giving "” up to $25,000 "” to the Dowling Society. "If it's implemented, I would be the first to increase my contribution."