Dr. Aaron Lee, assistant professor in the UW School of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology, has received a Career Development Award from Research to Prevent Blindness. A clinician scientist and vitreoretinal surgeon, Dr. Lee is a world expert in machine learning and analysis of “big data.” He is using this award to further his research in how machine learning of advanced images of the retina can be used to predict patient outcomes and to help stratify who needs early treatment and who can be safely observed.
Research to Prevent Blindness gives six or seven career development awards in the country annually to the top promising young vision scientists. This year marks the third straight year that a member of the department has won the award. Research assistant professor Ram Sabesan, PhD, was granted the award in 2016 and Assistant Professor Kathryn Pepple, MD, PhD, was granted the award in 2017. Since 2010, the department has received more than $1.5 million from Research to Prevent Blindness in support of a robust research group.
