ARVO Advocacy Awards

Award Description

The field of eye and vision research is indebted to the tireless advocates who educate policymakers and decision-makers on the fiscal and personal return-on-investments of research funding, resulting in sustained commitments from countries for their intramural and extramural programming. In recognition of this crucial role, ARVO is honored to present the following awards each year to a well-established member and a Member-in-Training who are committed to advocating on behalf of eye and vision research and ensuring its advancement:

Awardees receive one compensated registration to the ARVO Annual Meeting and a plaque commemorating this achievement.

Guidelines for Achievements in Eye and Vision Advocacy Award

Nominees must be an ARVO member of at least five years (cumulative)
May be a resident or citizen of any country
May have experience advocating at any level of government
Current members of the Advocacy and Outreach Committee are not eligible
Examples of advocacy activities that qualify

Apply by Jan. 9

Guidelines for Emerging Advocate Award

Nominees must be an ARVO Member-in-Training of at least two years (cumulative)
May be a resident or citizen of any country
May have experience advocating at any level of government
Current members of the Advocacy and Outreach Committee are not eligible
Examples of advocacy activities that qualify

Apply by Jan. 9

Nomination Process

There are no geographical restrictions for nominees or nominators. ARVO members may self-nominate and/or nominate other members. Nominations must include:

Two endorsements — one from a primary nominator (even if self-nominating) and one from a secondary supporting nominator. The endorsements should speak to the candidate's commitment to advocating on behalf of eye and vision research funding and/or policy. Advocacy and Outreach Committee members are not eligible to write endorsements.

This may include pictures, summaries, Advocacy Day or Hill Day materials, etc.

A short summary from the nominee discussing how they will incorporate advocacy into their future work.

A brief statement from the nominee that explains why they dedicate time to advocacy.

Review & Selection process

Nominations for both awards are reviewed by Advocacy and Outreach Committee members. Nominees will be scored on the following criteria:

Longevity of commitment to advocacy relative to their career tenure
Leadership within advocacy communities relative to their career tenure
Success in advocacy relative to their career’s tenure and cause undertaken
Dedication to continuing to advocate relative to their career tenure
Strength of endorsements

Awardees are notified in February each year. Each honoree receives a complimentary registration for the ARVO Annual Meeting, where they will be recognized with a plaque commemorating this achievement.

Previous Award Recipients

2023 — Roxanne Crosby-Nwaobi, RN, PhD [Moorfields National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre; London, UK]
2022 — Padma Shri Natarajan, MD, D.Sc, FRCS [Aditya Jyot Eye Hospital; Mumbai, India]
2021 — Peter Koulen, PhD, FARVO [University of Missouri - Kansas City; Kansas City , Mo.]
2020 — João M. Furtado, MD, PhD [Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil]

2023 — Rohan Bir Singh, MD [Schepens Eye Research Institute, Massachussetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School; Boston, Mass.]
2022 — Shervonne Poleon, PhD [University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham , Ala.]
2021 — Daisy Y. Shu, PhD [Dept. of Ophthalmology, Schepens Eye Research Institute, Massachussetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School; Boston, Mass.]
2020 — Jarrod C. Harman, PhD [New Orleans, La.]

2025 Award Winners

2025 Emerging Advocate Award — Anna CS Tan, MBBS, MMed, PhD

ARVO Advocacy Awards

02.28.2025

2025 Achievements in Eye and Vision Advocacy Award — Dimitrios Karamichos, PhD, MSc

ARVO Advocacy Awards

02.28.2025