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NAEC Meeting Minutes - October 22, 2021

National Eye Institute

National Institutes of Health                                                                                                                                                                              
National Eye Institute
Minutes of the National Advisory Eye Council
One Hundred Fifty-Ninth Meeting
October 22, 2021

The National Advisory Eye Council (NAEC) convened for its 159th meeting at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, October 22, 2021. The entire meeting was broadcast by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) videocast system, and all observers and participants, including members of the public, attended virtually. Michael F. Chiang, MD, Director of the National Eye Institute (NEI), presided as Council Chair, and Kathleen C. Anderson, PhD, served as Executive Secretary. The meeting was open to the public from 10:00 a.m. until 1:38 p.m. The meeting was closed to the public from 2:00 p.m. until 3:15 p.m. for the review of grant and cooperative agreement applications.

Council Members Present

Dr. Michael Chiang, Chair
Dr. Kathleen Anderson, Executive Secretary
Dr. Jose-Manuel Alonso
Dr. Terete Borras
Dr. James Coughlan
Dr. Katia Del Rio-Tsonis
Dr. Thomas Gardner
Dr. Mary Elizabeth Hartnett
Dr. Renu Kowluru
Dr. Mary Ann Stepp
Dr. Benjamin Teller

NIH Contractors Present

Dr. Fernanda Ruiz

NOTE: Due to the open videocast format of this meeting necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, additional NIH staff and members of the public were able to live stream (251 views). the open session of the meeting. The videocast will be archived and available to the public for later viewing.

Welcome and Introductions

Dr. Kathleen Anderson, Executive Secretary, NAEC, and Director, Division of Extramural Activities (DEA); Dr. Michael F. Chiang, Chair, NAEC, and Director, NEI

Dr. Anderson called the 159th NAEC meeting to order and welcomed Council members, the NEI research and advocacy community, NEI and NIH staff, and guest speakers. Dr. Chiang welcomed new Council members Drs. Reza Dana, Maureen Maguire, and Tirin Moore, attending in an ad-hoc capacity. Drs. Reza Dana, Maureen Maguire and Tirin Moore introduced themselves and gave a brief overview of their research areas.  

Council Procedures and Related Matters

Dr. Kathleen Anderson

Dr. Anderson reviewed Council procedures and etiquette for the Zoom meeting. The open session of the meeting was videocast and is available on the NIH videocast archive website.

The next Council meeting will be held virtually on February 11, 2022. Dates for future Council meetings are listed on the open session agenda and on the NEI website.

Minutes of the June 2021 NAEC meeting were provided in the Electronic Council Book prior to the meeting. A motion to accept these minutes was made by Council Member Mary Elizabeth Hartnett, seconded by Council Member Mary Ann Stepp, and approved unanimously by Council members. The approved minutes will be posted on the NEI website.

Director’s Report

Dr. Michael F. Chiang

Dr. Chiang noted that he has focused on how the Council can move the eye and vision research field forward. Each Council meeting will include a special session focused on a topic of importance to the eye and vision community. The special topic for today’s meeting is data sharing. He encouraged Council members to identify special topics of interest that could lead to actionable items and advance the field.

Upcoming Changes at NIH—Dr. Francis Collins will step down by the end of 2021. As the longest serving NIH Director, Dr. Collins has had many accomplishments, including work on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the COVID-19 pandemic. His successor has not been named at this time. Dr. Michael Gottesman is planning to step down as the NIH Deputy Director for Intramural Research but will remain in the position while NIH undertakes a nationwide search for his replacement.

Recent Changes at NEI—Dr. Chiang expressed appreciation for the work of Dr. Steven Becker, who is leaving the Office of Regenerative Medicine (ORM). Dr. Tom Greenwell, a Program Director in NEI’s Division of Extramural Science Programs and active member of the Audacious Goals Initiative (AGI) Working Group, has been named Acting Associate Director, ORM. Ms. Carissa Reilly-Weedon joined NEI as a Grants Management Specialist in the DEA.

NEI Staff Searches—Dr. David Schneeweis has been acting NEI Scientific Director since the retirement of Dr. Sheldon Miller in 2019. A search committee comprising senior-level NIH staff and members of the extramural community has been established to identify a permanent NEI Scientific Director.

Awards—Dr. Chiang congratulated Dr. Joshua Miele, a former NEI grantee who has developed technologies for blind and visually impaired individuals, for receiving the 2021 MacArthur Fellow award. Dr. Chiang announced that NEI grantees Drs. Zhigang He, Kafui Dzirasa, and Marylyn Ritchie have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine.

Why NEI’s Work Matters—NEI-funded work has had an enormous impact on quality of life and science. NEI has supported the work of many Nobel Prize winners as well as many seminal innovations that have been generalized to other research.

Revised NEI Mission Statement—The NEI mission statement has been revised as follows: The mission of the National Eye Institute is to eliminate vision loss and improve quality of life through vision research. NEI aims to achieve this mission by providing leadership to drive innovative research; foster collaboration; recruit, inspire, and train a talented and diverse new generation of individuals; and educate health care providers, scientists, policymakers, and the public about advances in vision research and their impact. Dr. Chiang expressed hope that NEI becomes a mission-driven organization.

NEI Strategic Plan—The Strategic Plan is focused on seven cross-cutting areas of emphasis—From Genes to Disease Mechanism; Biology and Neuroscience of Vision; Immune System and Eye Health; Regenerative Medicine; Research Needs, Gaps, and Opportunities; Individual Quality of Life; and Public Health and Disparities Research—to foster collaboration within the community and join mechanistic science with clinical applications. The Strategic Plan will be published on November 1, 2021 in parallel with editorials in peer-reviewed journals that will explore different aspects of the plan and mission statement. The Strategic Plan also will be messaged via a podcast, academic talks, social media, and news outlets.

The Strategic Plan will be implemented through initiative concepts developed by seven internal trans-NEI workgroups including program staff, review officers, intramural researchers, and policy staff. NEI workgroups will collaborate on overlapping opportunities (e.g., building of artificial intelligence [AI] and bioinformatics databases, new disease models, cost-effective health services). Priorities will be established based on public feedback, existing initiatives, clinical impact, scientific opportunity, feasibility, and resource utilization. Dr. Chiang aims to bring recommendations to Council for clearance in February 2022.

Update on Anterior Segment Initiative—A symposium titled “Investigating the Ocular Surface Microbiome: Best Practices for Low-Biomass Microbial Research” was held in August 2021. The symposium focused on characterizing microorganisms in a low-biomass niche, which is a challenge due to high signal-to-noise ratio. The executive summary is available online.

NIH Council of Councils—The Council of Councils recently approved the Somatic Cell Genome Editing Program, which aims to accelerate development of genome-editing therapeutic agents by facilitating studies that enable Investigational New Drug applications, establishing pathways to regulatory approval, and disseminating successful strategies for first-in-human clinical trials.

Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H)—President Biden recently communicated to Congress that NIH should create ARPA-H, which aims to benefit the health of all Americans by catalyzing health breakthroughs that cannot readily be accomplished through traditional research or commercial activity. Eye and vision research representative organizations (e.g., American Academy of Ophthalmology) participated in recent discussions between the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), NIH, and stakeholder groups.  

Workforce Diversity in Vision Science—NEI has multiple training programs to achieve the NEI mission of recruiting, inspiring, and training a talented and diverse new generation to strengthen the vision workforce. These include the NEI Clinician Scientist Reviewer Program and the 2022 Summer Diversity in Vision Research and Ophthalmology Program (DIVRO), which has an application deadline of March 1, 2022. Individuals from diverse backgrounds and underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply to these programs.   

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility—The NEI Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Council, comprising NEI staff and a consultant group, is surveying the NEI workforce to understand strengths, opportunities, and challenges within NEI and develop a plan to foster the best environment at NEI.

Dr. Chiang provided an overview of NEI funding for awards to promote diversity for Fiscal Years (FY)2015–2020. Funding awarded in the form of diversity supplements, F31 diversity awards, and Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Diversity awards has increased over time.

Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Consortium to Advance Health Equity and Researcher Diversity (AIM-AHEAD)—AIM-AHEAD was established to address the needs of marginalized communities through maximizing standardization of electronic health records and AI applications by building infrastructure and workforce. The University of North Texas Health Science Center was awarded $50 million to lead the program’s coordinating center. Other institutions were also funded to conduct training and research, build infrastructure, and collect data.

NIH Common Fund Programs—Grant applications are under review for the NIH Common Fund Bridge to Artificial Intelligence (Bridge2AI). Dr. Chiang noted that numerous applications were received from vision research groups.

Ophthalmic Imaging Standards—Dr. Chiang reminded Council members about his previous presentation on the lack of standardization of ophthalmic imaging devices as a challenge to clinical care. NEI is planning an Imaging Standards Workshop to identify opportunities and barriers to adoption of standards for interoperability in ophthalmic imaging for clinical care and research. In preparation for this workshop, NEI is meeting with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to gather perspectives from key stakeholders (e.g., clinicians, researchers, patients, industry).

NAEC Budget Update—Ms. Karen Colbert, NEI Budget Officer, provided an overview of estimated spending for FY 2021. Over 84 percent of the budget was allocated to extramural research, 12 percent was spent on intramural research, and 4 percent was spent on research support. The federal budget for FY 2022 has not been approved, and NIH is operating under a Continuing Resolution that is in effect until December 3, 2021. The funding NEI is awarded is equivalent to the number of days included in the bill (i.e., 17.53 percent of the FY 2021 budget). Although it is unclear when the federal budget for FY 2022 will be passed, Ms. Colbert expressed optimism that Congress will provide appropriations for FY 2022.

The President’s budget includes a 2.7 percent increase above last year’s appropriation, the House proposed a 5 percent increase, and the Senate proposed a 2.6 percent increase. Because all of the proposed federal budgets include an increase for NEI, it is likely NEI will receive an actual increase.

The FY 2022 President’s budget includes $51.7 billion for NIH (a larger increase than the House or Senate budgets) and $6.5 billion for ARPA-H. The funding research priorities highlighted in the President’s budget and House and Senate bills include Alzheimer’s Disease, the BRAIN Initiative, the Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative℠ (HEAL)/opioids/pain research, health impacts of climate change, firearm research, and cybersecurity. 

NEI Audacious Goals Initiative—Dr. Tom Greenwell, Acting Director of the Office of Regenerative Medicine, presented an update on the AGI. Three new AGI Translational Model awards have been made. The recipients are Dr. Jason Meyer, Indiana University and Oregon Health Sciences University; Dr. Juliette McGregor, University of Rochester, Wisconsin, and University of California, Berkley; and Dr. Yinbing Fu, Baylor College of Medicine. Two of these projects focus on photoreceptor replacement, and one focuses on retinal ganglion replacement. The awardees will join a group of five previously awarded projects in a consortium.

AGI progress over the past 7 years is being assessed. The AGI Steering Committee is drafting an outline of the roadmap for the future of this initiative. AGI achievements will be highlighted in a publication in the near future. A second publication will outline the steps needed to achieve AGI’s goals.

Council Discussion—Council Member Jose-Manuel Alonso asked about barriers to the development of imaging standards and suggested that vendors are an important partner in these discussions. Dr. Chiang agreed that researchers must work with both vendors and users to address this challenge. Council Member Benjamin Teller asked about when the 2022 budget would be announced. Karen Colbert explained the status of the current budget discussions in Congress.

Data Sharing and Management Session

Dr. Michael F. Chiang; Ms. Kerry Goetz, Associate Director, NEI Office of Data Science and Health Informatics; Dr. Jayashree Kalpathy-Cramer, Harvard University; Dr. Curtis Langlotz, Stanford University

Dr. Chiang introduced the session and emphasized the need to harmonize the vast amounts of data that are being produced to advance the field. A new NIH policy for data management and sharing (Final NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing) will become effective on January 25, 2023.

NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy—Ms. Goetz described the rationale for data sharing in the scientific community and the history of the data sharing policy at NIH. Data sharing contributes to the conduct of better science through facilitation of reproducibility, collaboration, and acceleration of science.

The Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reuse (FAIR) data principles optimize the reusability of data and guide data sharing and management. Implementation of these principles must involve policymakers, researchers, and data repository creators.

The new NIH data management and sharing policy is designed to make data management and sharing a default practice and ensure that investigators conduct prospective planning for informed consent and data reuse. This policy applies to all NIH-funded research and includes draft data management and sharing plan templates and guidance for selection of data repositories. NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices can develop their own frameworks. Scientific data (including negative results) are to be shared no later than time of publication or end of award. The policy includes allowable costs such as data curation, development of supporting documentation, and local data management considerations. Applicants must submit a data sharing and management plan that describes the qualitative and/or quantitative output they expect to share and explains how data will be managed. The plan can be updated as the project progresses.

Many details for policy implementation remain to be determined. Additional training and supplemental materials for extramural investigators and NIH staff will be released closer to the effective date.

Benefits and Challenges of Data Sharing: A Data Scientist’s Perspective—Dr. Kalpathy-Cramer thanked the scientific community for sharing data that enabled her to conduct research. The value derived from data sharing includes reproducibility, ethical and societal good (i.e., maximal use of resources), support of all aspects of data science research, new research, technical methods development, and education.

Evidence shows that patients and patient advocates are supportive of sharing their clinical data. Dr. Kalpathy-Cramer noted that diverse datasets are necessary to reduce healthcare disparities, but these are currently lacking. The paucity of appropriate bioinformatics and tools is a challenge for data sharing.  

Data sharing is also critical for data science because it enables building of new models, transfer of learning, external validation, and continuous learning. The availability of datasets has facilitated the recent explosion of AI and data science publications in medical literature. Public datasets are also critical to the development and dissemination of novel methods and for the development of educational opportunities. They also lead to numerous citations that benefit researchers.

The value of data increases through annotation and curation, use of common terminology, and adherence to FAIR guidance. The challenges of data sharing include cost (e.g., time, storage, computation), risk of personal health information leaks and reidentification, and institutional barriers.

Data repositories also create challenges for data sharing such as barriers to data migration due to policies, loss of demographics, and loss of synchronization to additional data elements in anonymized data. Thus, central and distributed data resources are needed to support different use cases and scenarios.

Overcoming Barriers to Data Sharing—Dr. Langlotz thanked his colleagues at the Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging (AIMI) who are using deep learning algorithms and big data to improve health.  He briefly described the different projects funded through the AIMI Seed Grant Program. He described his past work on the development of frameworks for the use and sharing of clinical data and a roadmap for translational research on AI in medical imaging. Through this work, he found that data sharing is both a barrier (i.e., lack of data is a bottleneck) and enabler of great research.

A number of available large imaging datasets are not easy to access, and some are not structured for machine learning research. As part of its data release program, AIMI has publicly released a large number of AI-ready radiology datasets that are browsable and searchable. Interdisciplinary collaboration is involved in solving clinical questions by formulating a research question, requesting a dataset, curating and labeling the data, conducting the experiment, publishing the results, and releasing the data. The availability of these datasets is highlighted through data science challenges that engage a broad audience.

Dr. Langlotz described the barriers to data sharing (AI- and organizational readiness) and how AIMI overcame these challenges. Barriers to AI-readiness include volume of the dataset, labels, and diversity. Barriers to organizational readiness include organization capacity (many or no privacy offices, lack of an Institutional Review Board), risk aversion (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act [HIPAA] breaches, public announcements), legal deliberations (patient consent, data use agreements, commercial use), technical factors (deidentification, format harmonization, data hosting, user tracking), and cost.

An analysis of the geographic distribution of cohorts to train deep learning algorithms showed that the datasets used for deep learning primarily come from California, New York, and Massachusetts. This lack of diversity prompted the development of the Medical Imaging and Data Resource Center (MIDRC), an NIH-funded research data repository, by the American College of Radiology, the Radiological Society of North America, and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine. MIDRC receives and processes data, conducts machine learning, and aggregates the data, which are then made public. MIDRC also works with FDA and the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) on different research efforts. This repository contains over 60,000 COVID imaging studies from multiple sites across the country, which has increased data diversity.

Dr. Langlotz noted that wide public release of data is possible. Inexperienced organizations need help from centers of excellence, and large organizations need guidance on best practices. Sustainable models will require both central (e.g., MIDRC) and distributed (site of data origin) investment.

 

Council Discussion

Council members discussed the implementation of the new NIH data management and sharing policy, data ownership at academic institutions, and the burden of compliance with data sharing policies. Ms. Goetz reiterated that the implementation plan still is being developed. Since this policy includes many broad areas of science, no single template will apply to all investigators. Council members emphasized the need to educate investigators concerning the management and data sharing process and the data that are expected to be shared (e.g., variables, key identifiers) before experiments are carried out to avoid creation of ad hoc approaches—investigators who have more experience with this process (e.g., investigators in the imaging field) may help those with less experience.

Dr. Chiang noted that some organizations may be reluctant to share data due to various factors (e.g., privacy risks) and asked for advice on how to overcome these barriers. Dr. Langlotz recommended providing positive examples that illustrate how data sharing can be done and noted that deidentification for local use of data by researchers is not sufficient for public disclosure; resources are needed for this effort, which can be costly. Dr. Kalpathy-Cramer suggested that risk-averse institutions may be more willing to share data through a distributed data approach in which data can be accessed without making them public.

Dr. Langlotz clarified that central dataset repositories, which have more diverse datasets, are not a substitute for experiments that investigate specific questions in a specific population. Diverse data in a central repository that is designed to aggregate a large amount of multimodal data are beneficial because they allow the investigation of a wide array of scientific questions. However, datasets enriched with specific data points are needed to answer questions relating to specific and smaller populations.

Evaluation of data curation to ensure high quality is resource-intensive and a concern for investigators. 

Ms. Goetz clarified that software is not classified as data to be shared under the NIH data sharing policy. The Office of Science Data is releasing guidelines on licensing and sharing of software and code. NEI has discussed with the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology an effort to establish a publication for datasets and software code, which Dr. Chiang hopes incentivizes sharing of these data.

The NIH data sharing policy includes opportunities to discuss reasons (e.g., intellectual property, laws, and regulations) for not sharing specific data. Limitations are to be described in the plan that investigators are to submit with their applications.

Council members raised additional issues, including the need to standardize curation of animal model data and concerns about sustainability of existing animal model databases. The NIH data sharing policy includes suggested repositories for use by the investigator, some of which are funded by NIH. Increased usage of these repositories may support continued funding.

Dr. Chiang asked about approaches to help investigators harmonize their data. Dr. Langlotz noted that this has to be a collaborative process between the contributing site and the central repository. For example, MIDRC offers small grants to institutions to support their harmonization efforts, and within MIDRC, support staff help convert the data from sites.

NEI Training Opportunities and Loan Repayment Program for Early Career Scientists

Dr. Neeraj Agarwal, Program Director of Translational Research, Training, and Workforce Development, NEI

Dr. Agarwal presented FY 2021 statistics for NEI’s training programs, including individual fellowships, career transition and development programs, and institutional training programs.

The number of NEI-funded fellowships and T32s funded in FY 2021 was comparable to those funded by NIH. NEI funded 36 percent of submitted F30 applications, 31 percent of submitted F31 applications, 26 percent of submitted F32 applications, and 61.5 percent of submitted T32 applications.

To promote diversity in postdoctoral training programs (F32), a Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) was published. NIH published two notices (NOT-OD-21-177 and NOT-OD-21-074) to support childcare costs for Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Institutional Research Training Awards and Individual Fellowships.

NEI career development and transition awards totaled 9 K12s, 36 K08s, 20 K23s, and 35 K99s. The success rate for career development included funding of 41 percent of submitted K08 applications, 40 percent of submitted K23 applications, 33 percent of submitted K99 applications, and 100 percent of submitted K12 applications.

An analysis of the subsequent research project grant (RPG) success rate (2011–2018) revealed the following: 97 percent ofR00 awardees applied for an RPG or equivalent grant and 75 percent obtained funding; 72 percent of K08 awardees applied for an RPG or equivalent grant and 52 percent secured funding; and 53 percent of K23 awardees applied for an RPG or equivalent grant and 72 percent were awarded funding. In 2021, 22.3 percent of Early Stage Investigator (ESI) and 15.9 percent of New Investigator (NI) R01 applications were funded. The success rate for NEI diversity supplements in 2021 was 96 percent.

NEI also participates in other trans-NIH diversity initiatives such the Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) K99/R00, NIH Blueprint Diversity Specialized Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Advancement in Neuroscience (D-SPAN) Award (F99/K00), and BRAIN Initiative Diversity K99/R00.

NEI and NIH is offering COVID-related extensions for ESI and K99 eligibility and for NRSA fellows and physician scientists, accepting a one-page update on preliminary date as post-submission materials, and supporting administrative supplements. 

In FY 2021, NEI allocated $1.8 billion toward the Loan Repayment Program (LRP), funding 24 of 28 applicants. The LRP pays $50,000 in debt and accrued taxes and requires a 50 percent time commitment.

Concept Clearances

Dr. John Fedota, Program Officer, Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Branch, Division of Neuroscience and Behavior, National Institute on Drug Abuse

The proposed NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research initiative concept aims to expand and improve the original computational training program established in 2006. The proposed concept would increase application, programmatic, and mentor diversity at each level and add training in “big data” methodology. Success would be measured by the number of trainees supported across institutions and the scientific career trajectories of trainees.

A motion to approve the concept was made by Council Member Dr. Mary Elizabeth Hartnett, seconded by Council Member Dr. Jose Manuel Alonso, and unanimously approved.

General Council Discussion

Dr. Anderson opened the floor for general discussion by Council members.

Dr. Agarwal indicated the K12 program is very successful and has expanded considerably—currently, there are nine programs. Council members noted these programs help in the transition from clinical fellowship to an academic career and provide academic research time. Programs are smaller and have a more limited budget now than when first established because of a decrease in the number of slots, limitations on the number of years of K12 and individual K awards, and a U.S. board certification requirement. A comparison of institutional and individual training awards revealed that investigators coming from individual awards are more likely to obtain subsequent RPG funding. For this reason, it was recommended that NIH consider the balance between these two types of awards. One Council member lauded the K12 program as an outstanding investment from NEI that has been a huge recruiting tool and has led to a strong ecosystem of young and dynamic investigators.

Dr. Chiang commented that NEI is considering the future of AGI and how it will expand.

NIH investigators are considering the safety of cloud environments used for data sharing. NIH cloud environments are routinely tested. The NIH data management policy requires that documented measures be taken for security and integrity.

Open Session Adjournment

Dr. Anderson adjourned the open session of the Council meeting at 1:38 PM.

Closed Session

This portion of the meeting was closed to the public in accordance with the determination that this session concerned matters exempt from mandatory disclosure under Sections 552b(c)(4) and 552b(c)(6), Title 5, U.S. Code, and Section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5, USC Appendix 2). Members absented themselves from the meeting during discussion of and voting on applications from their own institutions or other applications in which there was a potential conflict of interest, real or apparent. Members were asked to sign a statement to this effect.

Review of Applications

NAEC members considered 329 research and training grant applications on which NEI was the primary Institute; these applications requested a total of $118,595,928 (direct costs year 01). The Council also considered 239 applications on which another Institute/Center was primary and NEI was secondary. These applications requested a total of $159,139,057 (direct costs year 01). The Council concurred with the Institutional Review Group recommendations on these 568 applications.

Adjournment

The 159th meeting of the National Advisory Eye Council was adjourned at 3:15 p.m. on October 22, 2021.

Closed Session Attendees

Dr. Michael Chiang, Chair
Dr. Kathleen Anderson, Executive Secretary
Dr. Jose-Manuel Alonso
Dr. Terete Borras
Dr. James Coughlan
Dr. Katia Del Rio-Tsonis
Dr. Thomas Gardner
Dr. Mary Elizabeth Hartnett
Dr. Renu Kowluru
Dr. Mary Ann Stepp
Dr. Benjamin Teller
Dr. Tirin Moore (ad hoc)
Dr. Reza Dana (ad hoc)
Dr. Maureen Maguire (ad hoc)

NIH Staff Members Present

Dr. Neeraj Agarwal
Dr. Houmam Araj
Dr. Sangeeta Bhargava
Mr. Nathan Brown
Mr. Samuel Edwards
Dr. Donald Everett
Dr. Martha Flanders
Dr. Ashley Fortress
Dr. James Gao
Ms. Alexandra Gavrilovic
Ms. Kerry Goetz
Dr. Nataliya Gordiyenko
Dr. Shefa Gordon
Dr. Tony Gover
Dr. Tom Greenwell
Dr. Peter Guthrie
Ms. Lateefah Hill
Dr. Brian Hoshaw
Ms. Alicia Kerr
Dr. Paek Lee
Dr. Ellen Liberman
Dr. Barbara Mallon
Dr. George McKie
Ms. Barbara Payne
Ms. Melanie Reagan
Dr. Maryann Redford
Dr. Jennifer Schiltz
Dr. David Schneeweis
Dr. Grace Shen
Ms. Karen Smith
Dr. Hongman Song
Dr. Michael Steinmetz
Dr. Afia Sultana
Dr. Santa Tumminia
Ms. Leslie West-Bushby
Dr. Cheri Wiggs
Ms. Keturah Williams
Ms. Nora Wong
Dr. Charles Wright
Ms. Maria Zacharias

Certification

These minutes were submitted for the approval of the council. All corrections or notations were incorporated. We hereby certify that, to the best of our knowledge, the foregoing minutes and attachment(s) are accurate and complete.         

Michael Chiang, MD                                                                                            
Chair
National Advisory Eye Council

Kathleen C. Anderson, PhD                                                                                 
Executive Secretary
National Advisory Eye Council

Last updated: November 17, 2022