National Institutes of Health
National Eye Institute
Minutes of the National Advisory Eye Council
One Hundred Seventy Second Meeting
December 9, 2025
The National Advisory Eye Council (NAEC) convened its 172nd meeting virtually at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. The meeting was publicly broadcast by the NIH videocast system. Dr. Michael F. Chiang, Director of the National Eye Institute (NEI), presided as Council Chair. Dr. Hyo-Jung (Anna) Han served as Executive Secretary. The meeting was open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 11:47 a.m., and closed from 12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. for confidential discussions, including conflict-of-interest matters, application reviews, and cooperative agreement applications.
Council Members Present:
Dr. Michael F. Chiang, Chair
Dr. Anna Han, Executive Secretary
Dr. Maria Grant
Dr. Donald Mutti
Dr. Pradeep Ramulu
Dr. Victor Perez Quinones
NIH Staff Members Present:
Neeraj Agarwal
Shawn Adolphus
Houmam Araj
Farran Briggs
Rylee Brauer
Sangeeta Bhargava
Kapil Bharti
Bronte Williams Washington
Rachel Caspi
Alysia Champagne
Nancy Chen
Emily Chew
Edwin Clayton
Karen Colbert
Roland Colbert
Tiffany Cook
Cinder Cohen
Kathryn Demott
Mala Dutta
Robert Fariss
Martha Flanders
Ashley Fortress
Ellaine Galindez-Balut
Shaojian Gao
Alexandra Gavrilovic
Susan Gillmor
Tony Gover
Nataliya Gordiyenko
Steven Henle
David Higgins
Lateefah Hill
Balendu Jha
Richard Lee
Paekgyu Lee
Renee Livshin
Natanya Malcolm
George Mckie
Elizabeth Murphy
Erika Nelson
Lisa Neuhold
Robert O'Hagan
Zixuan Peng
Amberlynn Reed
Melanie Reagan
Carissa Reilly-Weedon
Maryann Redford
Melissa Reeves
Joanna Szczepanik
Afia Sultana
Azadeh Shoaibi
Merideth Shifflett
Mobin Siddiqui
Hongman Song
Santa Tumminia
Susan Vitale
Cheryl Wiggs
Keturah Williams
Leslie West-Bushby
Charles Wright
Mina Young
Juan Yang
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS
—Dr. Michael Chiang, Chair, NAEC, and Director, NEI
Dr. Chiang opened the meeting, acknowledged the virtual format, and thanked members for their participation. He noted a smaller-than-usual group due to pending council slate approvals. He asked each of the council members to introduce themselves.
COUNCIL PROCEDURES AND RELATED MATTERS
—Dr. Anna Han, Executive Secretary, NAEC, and Acting Director, Division of Extramural Activities (DEA)
Dr. Han introduced herself as Acting Director of the Division of Extramural Activities (DEA), opened the meeting by welcoming Council members, NEI staff, advocacy community representatives, colleagues from the Center for Scientific Review, and members of the public viewing via videocast. She noted that the October 3rd session was canceled due to a lapse in appropriations and expressed appreciation for Nathan Brown’s exceptional efforts in rescheduling and managing technical, policy, and logistical details, including expedited reposting of the Federal Register notice. Dr. Han reviewed virtual meeting etiquette, reminded Council members of restrictions on lobbying while serving as special government employees, and highlighted that future meeting dates are listed on the agenda and NEI website, with the next meeting scheduled for February 13, 2026. Approval of meeting minutes is no longer required during sessions; they are available in the Electronic Council Book for review. She concluded by asking participants to hold questions until the general discussion and then turned the floor over to Dr. Cheng for the Director’s report.
NEI DIRECTOR’S REPORT
—Dr. Michael F. Chiang
Dr. Chiang provided updates on NIH and NEI activities, including leadership changes across NIH offices and institutes, centralization of peer review and communications functions, and notable staff retirements and departures within NEI. He acknowledged recent award recipients and reported that NEI is operating under a Continuing Appropriations Act with a flat budget of $896.5 million through January 30, 2026, while NIH overall remains at $47 billion. Further updates will follow pending congressional action.
Leadership Transitions
NIH-Wide
- Office of Extramural Research (OER):
- Dr. Mike Lauer retired.
- Dr. Jon Lorsch (former NIGMS Director) appointed as new OER Director.
- Office of Intramural Research (OIR):
- Dr. Nina Shor retired after serving as OIR Director since 2022.
- Dr. Roland Owens now Acting Director; long-time NIH leader with extensive experience.
- Institute Directors:
- NCI: Dr. Tony Latai appointed Director (formerly Harvard/Dana-Farber).
- NIEHS: Dr. Kyle Walsh appointed Director (formerly Duke University).
- NCCIH: Dr. Helene Langevin retired; Dr. David Shurleff (Deputy Director) serving as Acting Director.
NIH Centralization Initiatives
- Peer Review:
- First-level reviews for grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts moved to the Center for Scientific Review (CSR).
- NEI staff Brian and Jennifer transitioned from DEA to CSR.
- Communications:
- NIH consolidating communications staff and public websites (previously 700+ sites) under the Office of the Director to improve consistency and efficiency.
NEI Staff Changes
- Retirements:
- Karen Smith, Monique Clark, and Holly Blake retired from the Division of Extramural Activities.
- Departures:
- Ed Clayton (Division of Extramural Science Programs Training Programs) accepted a position at Princeton University; departure expected end of December.
Awards
Dr. Chiang acknowledged recent NEI award recipients (details presented on slides during the meeting).
Budget Update
Continuing Appropriations Act:
- Passed November 12, 2025.
- NEI operating under FY25 budget through January 30, 2026.
- NEI budget: $896.5 million; NIH overall budget: $47 billion (flat funding).
- Monitoring developments; further updates pending congressional action.
Concept Clearance: NEI Collaborative Clinical Vision Research
Merideth Shifflett presented a concept clearance for the reissuance of a program announcement supporting NEI’s Collaborative Clinical Vision Research Program. This initiative enables extramural clinical researchers to apply for funding for complex, multicenter clinical trials and epidemiological studies involving high safety or resource risk. The program uses the UG1 Cooperative Agreement mechanism to support investigator-initiated studies addressing chronic eye and vision conditions across the lifespan, including their causes, diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. These studies require specialized coordination of multiple components—such as coordinating centers and drug distribution centers—to optimize resources and expertise under NIH oversight. Council members voted to approve the concept clearance as presented.
Open Discussion
Dr. Michael Chiang opened the floor for discussion, inviting Council members to share perspectives on advancing vision research, collaborative strategies, and data integration. He explained that this session was intended to explore probing questions about data sharing, AI integration, and incentives for collaboration, and encouraged members to raise additional topics of interest.
AI and Data Integration
Dr. Donald Mutti began by asking about the integration of numeric-based datasets—such as ocular measurements and clinical outcomes—into AI systems, noting that most current efforts emphasize imaging data. He wondered whether there is equal interest in leveraging non-imaging databases for clinical decision support. Dr. Chiang agreed that numeric data such as visual acuity and intraocular pressure remain highly relevant and acknowledged the broader question: what would an ideal real-world dataset look like for AI applications? He noted that this remains an open area of research and expressed interest in seeing how these approaches evolve.
Consortia and Collaborative Models
Dr. Victor Perez emphasized the importance of consortia in driving translational research. He shared his experience with the U01 pain and sensation consortium, explaining how these mechanisms compel researchers to collaborate across basic, preclinical, and clinical domains. Perez highlighted the value of structured collaboration and suggested that similar models could benefit vision science. He also stressed the need for better visibility and advertisement of existing databases to ensure they are fully utilized. According to him, these approaches have proven effective in other fields, such as microbiome research, and could serve as a template for NEI initiatives.
Visibility and Public Awareness
Dr. Maria Grant shifted the conversation toward NEI’s visibility and public engagement. She emphasized that NEI’s accomplishments should be more widely recognized and suggested strategies to increase awareness of its role in advancing vision research. Her comments tied into earlier points about promoting data sharing and collaboration, noting that visibility can help attract partnerships and resources. Dr. Chiang acknowledged this perspective and agreed that public awareness is critical for sustaining support and fostering collaboration.
Incentives for Data Sharing
Dr. Pradeep Ramulu added that while funding and consortia provide some motivation, academic incentives often favor individual achievement over collaborative contributions. He supported Dr. Chiang’s observation that structural changes may be needed to encourage behaviors that benefit the field collectively. Dr. Chiang agreed, noting that researchers might be more willing to share datasets if doing so offered tangible benefits such as recognition or career advancement. He posed a key question to the group: how can NIH restructure its systems to incentivize data sharing and collaborative work? Dr. Chiang invited Council members to share ideas beyond the meeting and emphasized that this issue is central to advancing vision science.
Closing Remarks
The discussion underscored several themes: integrating diverse data types into AI systems, fostering collaboration through consortia, improving NEI’s visibility, and creating incentives for data sharing. Dr. Chiang thanked the Council for their insights and reiterated his commitment to exploring strategies that strengthen collaboration and accelerate progress in vision research. He encouraged members to continue providing feedback and noted that these conversations are essential for shaping NEI’s future initiatives.
Closing
Dr. Chiang expressed his appreciation to Dr. Han, Nathan Brown, and the NEI team for organizing the meeting on short notice. He extended special thanks to Council members, including Dr. Pradeep Ramulu, Dr. Victor Perez, Dr. Maria Grant, and Dr. Donald Mutti, for their ongoing collaboration and flexibility despite recent disruptions. Dr. Chiang emphasized how much he values working with the Council and looks forward to future opportunities to meet in person at Bethesda.
The open session of the meeting was adjourned at 11:47am.
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 1009(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. §§ 1001-1014). 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 reviewed 590 NEI-primary applications requesting $217,033,436 (direct costs, year 01)
- Another 200 applications where NEI was a secondary institute requesting $140,198,062 (direct costs, year 01).
- Council concurred with Institutional Review Group recommendations on these 790 applications.
ADJOURNMENT
The 172nd meeting of the National Advisory Eye Council was adjourned at 1:00 p.m. on December 9, 2025.
CLOSED SESSION ATTENDEES
Council Members Present:
Dr. Michael F. Chiang, Chair
Dr. Anna Han, Executive Secretary
Dr. Maria Grant
Dr. Donald Mutti
Dr. Pradeep Ramulu
Dr. Victor Perez
Quinones
NIH Staff Members Present:
Shawn Adolphus
Neeraj Agarwal
Houmam Araj
Negin Atri
Sangeeta Bhargava
Rylee Brauer
Nathan Brown
Alysia Champagne
Edwin Clayton
Roland Colbert
Tiffany Cook
Donald Everett
Martha Flanders
Ashley Fortress
Shaojian Gao
Nataliya Gordiyenko
Tony Gover
Steven Henle
Stephanie Kennedy
Jimmy Le
Paekgyu Lee
Renee Livshin
Barbara Mallon
George McKie
Lisa Neuhold
Maryann Redford
Carissa Reilly-Weedon
Jennifer Schiltz
Azadeh Shoaibi
Hongman Song
Afia Sultana Kirk Thompson
Santa Tumminia
Leslie West-Bushby
Cheryl Wiggs
Charles Wright
CERTIFICATION
We hereby certify that, to the best of our knowledge, the foregoing minutes and attachment(s) are accurate and complete.
______________________________________
Michael F. Chiang, MD
Chair
National Advisory Eye Council
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Hyo-Jung Han, PhD
Executive Secretary
National Advisory Eye Council