September 11, 2024
12:30 PM to 2:45 PM ET
Bethesda, MD 20892
The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) and the National Eye Institute (NEI) are pleased to announce that Rachel O. Wong, Ph.D., from University of Washington will deliver the second Joram Piatigorsky Basic Science Lecture and Award.
The lecture took place on Wednesday, September 11, from 12:30-2:15 p.m. ET at the John Edward Porter Neuroscience Research Center, Building 35A, Rooms 620 – 640, on the NIH campus. A light reception followed.
This event was not livestreamed or broadcast.
Program Snapshot
12:30 PM: Welcome and Opening Remarks - Michael Chiang, M.D., Director, NEI
12:40 PM: Building Philanthropic Partnerships in Science - Love Collins III, MBA, Vice President, Strategic Alliances and Advancement, Chief Development Officer, FNIH
12:45 PM: Introducing Joram Piatigorsky - Jeremy Nathans, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
12:50 PM: Envisioning the Joram Piatigorsky Basic Science Lecture and Award - Joram Piatigorsky, Ph.D., NIH/NEI Scientist Emeritus, Founding Chief of the Laboratory of Molecular and Developmental Biology
12:55 PM: Introducing Rachel O. Wong and presenting the 2024 Joram Piatigorsky Basic Science Award - Joram Piatigorsky and Jeremy Nathans
1:05 PM: Development and repair of circuits of the vertebrate retina - Rachel O. Wong, Ph.D., Department Chair of Biological Structure, University of Washington
1:50 PM: Q&A and Closing
2:15 PM: Post-lecture Reception
About the Joram Piatigorsky Basic Science Lecture and Award series
Made possible by the generous philanthropic support of Lona and Joram Piatigorsky, this series brings attention to notable basic sciences contributions by eye and vision scientists to a diverse general scientific audience, such as experts in molecular biology, genetics, developmental biology, neuroscience, and computer science. With special consideration for basic eye and vision scientists who take risks exploring little-studied species and imaginative ideas, the Lecture and Award promotes and communicates basic discoveries in eye and vision research that result in far-reaching observations that may inform widespread areas of science—from the eye to the world as it were—rather than the other way around.
About Rachel O. Wong
Rachel Wong obtained her early scientific training in Australia, earning a B.Sc. in Physics at Monash University in 1981, and a Ph.D. in Visual Neuroscience from the Australian National University in 1986. Her interest in understanding the factors that guide the development of retinal ganglion cells and their distributions across the retina led to the discovery of waves of spontaneous activity in the developing retina. This activity is now known to play a significant role in shaping the wiring patterns of retinal ganglion cells with visual targets in the brain.
Today, Wong studies the developmental mechanisms that shape the structure, function and connectivity of the retina. Her research has identified activity-dependent and independent mechanisms working in concert to assemble the stereotypic wiring patterns of retinal circuits. Her lab has taken advantage of several vertebrate species, including ferret, chick, zebrafish, mice, human and non-human primates to uncover developmental strategies common or unique to each species.
In 2021, Dr. Wong was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
Accommodations
American Sign Language interpreting services were available upon request. Individuals who need interpreting services and/or other reasonable accommodations to participate in events, should contact the NIH Interpreting Office directly, via email, at nih@ainterpreting.com. Requests should be made at least five business days in advance in order to ensure interpreter availability.