At World Ophthalmology Congress, NAEVR Speaks about the Impact of Economic Stimulus Funding on Vision Research and Meets with European Advocacy Colleagues
 NAEVRs James Jorkasky (second left) with European Vision Institute (EVI) representatives Eberhart Zrenner, M.D., Thomas Wheeler-Schilling, Ph.D., and Philipp Hunger, all from the Institute for Ophthalmic Research at the University of Tuebingen |
At the World Ophthalmology Congress (WOC) 2010 held June 5-9 in Berlin, Germany, NAEVR Executive Director James Jorkasky spoke about the impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), specifically describing the types of research that the National Eye Institute (NEI) has funded in Fiscal Years (FY) 2009 and 2010 with the $175 million it received from the $10.4 billion appropriated to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He also described vision research funding available through the Department of Defense (DOD), for which international researchers are eligible.
He also participated in a meeting of the European Vision Institute (EVI) in which he compared advocacy strategies and activities with researchers from a variety of European countries. "In my introduction, I emphasized that I was not there to export US-style advocacy, but to share some examples of what has worked effectively that might be applied to the European system," said Jorkasky. "That system is not only far more complex due to potential funding opportunities at the European Union, country, and state level, but it also reflects varied cultural attitudes about the relationship between the private and public sectors."
In 2008, Jorkasky authored for ARVO an International Advocacy Handbook that presents information on establishing or expanding vision research advocacy activities to obtain public or private funding.
 Left to right: NAEVR President Stephen Ryan, M.D. (Doheny Eye Institute/University of Southern California) and Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Executive Director Joanne Angle with James Jorkasky in ARVOs exhibit. Dr. Ryan served as the Scientific Program Committee Chair for WOC 2010. |
 Ms. Angle with Hugh Taylor, M.D. (University of Melbourne), who is known for the groundbreaking work of his team in characterizing the economic burden of eye disease in Australia |