RPB David F. Weeks Award for Outstanding Vision Research
Recognizing and celebrating an excellent vision researcher focused on potentially blinding eye disease.
The RPB David F. Weeks Award for Outstanding Vision Research (the “Weeks Award”) has been established through the generosity of Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB), an anonymous donor, and the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO), to annually recognize and celebrate an outstanding ophthalmic vision scientist whose research has made meaningful contributions to the understanding and/or treatment of potentially blinding eye disease. The award carries the name of David F. Weeks, former President and Chairman of Research to Prevent Blindness, in honor of his contributions to the field of vision research. The award will be presented at the AUPO Annual Meeting and will carry an unrestricted award of $50,000, payable to the recipient directly and to be used at his or her discretion.
Nominations will reopen February 2026.
2026 RPB David F. Weeks Award for Outstanding Vision Research
Eric Pierce, MD, PhD
Dr. Eric Pierce is the Chatlos Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, and the founding Director of the Ocular Genomics Institute (OGI) at Mass Eye and Ear. Dr. Pierce received his AB in Biochemistry from Dartmouth College, his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his MD from Harvard Medical School. He did his residency in Ophthalmology at Harvard and fellowship in Pediatric Ophthalmology at Children’s Hospital, Boston, where he also took his first faculty position. He was then recruited to the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, where he was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure. He returned to Harvard in 2011 to establish the OGI. The mission of the OGI is to translate the promise of precision medicine into clinical care for patients with inherited eye diseases. Dr. Pierce’s research program is focused on improving our understanding of the genetic causality of inherited retinal degenerations (IRDs) and developing genetically informed therapies for these disorders. His work has led to the identification of several IRD disease genes, helped highlight the importance of non-coding variants in IRDs, and supported clinical translation of genetic therapies for several genetic forms of retinal degeneration. Dr. Pierce has been an investigator for multiple first-in-human clinical trials of genetic therapies for IRDs and is the senior PI for the Brilliance trial of in vivo genome editing for the treatment of CEP290-associated retinal degeneration. Dr. Pierce’s research program has been funded by the NIH since 1994. He has also received support from the Foundation Fighting Blindness and Research to Prevent Blindness, among other foundations. Dr. Pierce received an Alcon Research Award, an RPB Stein Innovation Award, and the Proctor Medal from ARVO. He served on the National Advisory Eye Council, as Chair of the Pathophysiology of Eye Disease 1 (PED1) study section of the NIH, and was the Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Foundation Fighting Blindness for 10 years.
Award Information
Nominees for the Weeks Award must fulfill the following criteria:
Must be US citizens or permanent residents of the US and doing research in the US
Well-established, senior level investigator with documented history of conducting eye and vision research
MDs, PhDs, or MD/PhDs are eligible
Must be PI (Principal Investigator) on an active NIH grant
Embodies the following qualities:
Has demonstrated excellence in vision research that is basic, clinical, or translational in nature
Has brought about outstanding innovation in and/or advancement in vision research as manifest by outstanding publications
Has exemplified the highest principles of scientific research and leadership
Has made contributions in research within the last five years; that is, the Weeks Award is not an honorific for research contributions made for many years previously
Nominees are NOT required to be Members of AUPO nor their institutions members of AUPO
Nominees can be from academic or non-academic institutions
Nominees can be from departments other than ophthalmology, but for academic institutions, the nomination must be made by the Ophthalmology Department Chair and for non-academic institutions, the nomination must be made by the Research Director or ranking scientist
For Department Chairs in academic institutions and Ranking Scientist in non-academic institutions to be eligible for the Weeks Award, they must be nominated by a person of equal or higher rank from another institution.
Special consideration in the selection process will be given to:
Recognition of current research activities, not simply the length of service or contributions made many years previously
Innovative and outstanding work that has significantly advanced the field
Candidates must be nominated by the Ophthalmology Department Chair in academic institutions or by the Research Director or ranking scientist in non-academic institutions
The Application Packet must include the following items (10 pt. font or greater):
One (1) letter maximum (not to exceed three pages) from the Ophthalmology Chair in academic institutions or Research Director or ranking scientist in non-academic institutions, summarizing the Nominee’s special qualifications for the Award and verifying that, if awarded:
the award will be granted directly to the Awardee and not counted against normal compensation or deposited in department accounts
the Awardee will attend the Annual Meeting of the AUPO to receive the Award and provide a lecture at the AUPO Annual Meeting the year after receiving the award
Two (2) supporting letters maximum (each not to exceed two pages) from established scientists, mentors, and or leaders in the nominee’s field of interest
A copy of the Nominee’s current Curriculum Vitae
A copy (pdf) of the three papers in the past 5 years which exemplify the advance being considered for the award
A signed letter from the Nominee (not to exceed two pages) summarizing the Nominee’s recent accomplishment(s) in vision research and plans for future research. The Nominee must also agree in the letter to address the Annual Meeting of the AUPO the year after the Weeks Award is given.
The application packet must be compiled by the Ophthalmology Department Chair for academic institutions or the Research Director or ranking scientist from non-academic institutions and submitted electronically by June 1.
All completed applications will be reviewed by a Selection Committee, consisting of Chairs and Directors of Research from Departments of Ophthalmology, and a recommendation forwarded to the AUPO Board of Trustees for approval.
