Roy S. Chuck, MD, PhD, professor and chairman, Paul Henkind Chair in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Montefiore Health System/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, was awarded the Fight for Sight Foundation’s 2017 Physician Scientist Award. Chuck is a longtime stem cell investigator in connection with corneal transplantation and sight restoration. His work includes cutting-edge corneal stem cell surgery, which has a success rate of nearly 50 percent—one of the highest for stem cell surgery. The procedure requires removing scar tissue resulting from injury or a genetic condition and transplanting donated corneal stem cells onto the eye. If successful, the introduced stem cells heal the wound and vision is restored. At Einstein, Chuck is developing research centers focusing on ophthalmological disorders including cataracts, ocular surface disease/dry eye, glaucoma, macular degeneration and eye conditions associated with diabetes.
