The Dr. Charles and Ann Kelman Family Foundation, Inc. Awards Albert Lasker Honorarium to the International Retinal Research Foundation, Inc.
The International Retinal Research Foundation, Inc. (IRRF) is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to its mission of supporting visual research. Emphasis is placed on diseases of all structures of the human eye with a focus on discovering the causes, preventions, and cures of macular degeneration of the retina and diabetic retinopathy. To accomplish this mission, the IRRF provides financial support of vision research directly, as well as through salary support for training fellowships, public awareness programs, and the promotion of the exchange of research findings.Dr. Charles D. Kelman, was the recipient of the 2004 Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research. His wife Ann Kelman, graciously accepted the Award for him and requested that the $50,000 honorarium be directed to the IRRF in Dr. Kelman's memory. She stated, " Charlie and I were always very grateful to Dr. Alston Callahan, Past President of the IRRF, for recognizing the promise of my husband's work in phacoemulsification early on. It is without reservation that I suggest that the honorarium be awarded to the IRRF. I am confident that Charlie would agree."
According to Sandra Blackwood, Executive Director of IRRF, "Dr. Kelman was a co-founder of the International Retinal Research Foundation and served as Vice President from 1997 until his death. She continued, "All of the funds were directed to the IRRF Endowment fund, which is dedicated to funding vision researchers directly."
Through My Eyes The Charlie Kelman Story
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