Best Abstract Award

This award recognizes the best poster or platform presentation by a resident or fellow. The awardee receives a certificate and a stipend. In 2004 this program was expanded to recognize medical students, residents and fellows with separate awards.

2024

• James A. Sharpe Award by a Fellow: Maximilian Friedrich, MD - Curiouser and Curiouser: A Distributed Brain Network Underlying Alice in Wonderland Syndrome
• Resident: Amy (Mung Yan) Lin - Emergency Department (ED) Non-Mydriatic Fundus Photography Expediates Care for Patients Referred For “Papilledema"
• Student: Olivia Grech - Raised Intracranial Pressure Alters Cranial Nociception Which Can Be Rescued by Glucagon Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonism and CGRP Antagonism In Vivo

2023

• James A. Sharpe Award by a Fellow: Jenny Hepschke, BSc(Med), MBBS, DM - Resting state functional connectivity analysis using Magnetoencephalography (MEG) differs between Visual Snow patients and controls
• Resident: Kevin Zhang, BS, MS, MD, PhD - Elevated Intracranial Pressures And Papilledema In A Mouse Model Of Glucocorticoid Induced Adrenal Insufficiency
• Student: Timothy Kim, JD, BA - In Vivo Application of Electric Fields Collaborate with rRHEB to Direct Optic Nerve Regeneration

2022

• James A. Sharpe Award by a Fellow: Andre Aung, MD - Referral Patterns to Neuro-Ophthalmology for Presumptive Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH) Based on Isolated Neuroimaging Findings
• Resident: James Mitchell, MB, BS, MRCP - A Randomized Controlled, Trial of the GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Exenatide in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension
• Student: Micalla Peng, BS - Electric Fields Direct Full-Length Optic Nerve Regeneration And Partial Restoration of Visual Function

2021

• James A. Sharpe Award by a Fellow: Wesley Chan, MD, MSc - Acute Central Retinal Artery Occlusion Seen Within 24 hours at a Tertiary Stroke Center
• Resident: Michael James Gilhooley, MB, PhD, FRCOphth - Ectopic Melanopsin for Visual Restoration: Compressed Cell-Specific Promotors – a Translatable Delivery Mechanism
• Student: Benjamin I. Meyer, BS - Significance of Incidental Imaging Signs of Intracranial Hypertension with Corresponding Fundus Photography: A Prospective Study

2020

• James A. Sharpe Award by a Fellow: Rahul Sharma, MD, MPH, FRCSC - Prognostic Value of the Neurological Pupil Index in Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH) Patients: The FOTO-ICU Study 
• Resident: Jenny Hepschke, MBBS, BSc(MED), PhD - Is Visual Snow a thalamo-cortical dysrhythmia of the visual processing system – a magnetoencephalogram study
• Student: Elizabeth Saionz, PhD - Time is vision: early training enhances vision restoration after occipital stroke

2019

• James A. Sharpe Award by a Fellow: Melanie N. Truong-Le, DO, OD - Reflex Upper and Lower Eyelid Movement in Response to Light Stimuli
• Resident: Michael J. Gilhooley, MA, MB, BChir, FRCOphth - Melanopsin: targeted ectopic expression for optogenetic visual restoration
• Student: Perry J. Thompson, BA - Near Infrared Videography versus Direct Ophthalmoscopy for the Detection of Spontaneous Venous Pulsations

2018

• James A. Sharpe Fellow: Eric Gaier, MD, PhD -  Interocular Phase Delay Shifts Visual Cortical Dominance: A Potential New therapeutic Approach for Ambloyopia
• Resident: Rawan Omary, MD - Buzzing Sympathetic Nerves: A New Test to Enhance Reflex Pupil Dilation in Suspected Horner Syndrome
• Student: Rachel Nolan, BA - Inter-Eye Difference Thresholds for Predicting an Optic Nerve Lesion in MS: An International Study

2017

• James A. Sharpe Fellow: Melinda Chang, MD from UCLA, Los Angles - Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Patients with Migraine with aura demonstrates decreased macular vessel density
• Resident: Lasse Malmqvist, MD from Rigshospitalet, Glostrup, Denmark - Optic Disc Drusen in children: The Copenhagen Child Cohort 2000 Eye Study
• Student: Anvesh Annadannam, BS  from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore - Effect of Contrast Sensitivity on Pseudoisochromatic Plate Color Vision Tests

2016

• James A. Sharpe Fellow: Michael D. Richards, MD, Abnormal Integration of Audiovisual Spatial Information in Amblyopia
• Resident: Kimberly K. Gokoffski, MD, Electrical Fields Direct Retinal Ganglion Cell Axon Growth
• Student: Amulya Gampa, Change in Peripapillary Bruch's Membrane Shape Can Be Detected 1 Hour After Lowering of Intracranial Pressure by Lumbar Puncture

2015

• James A. Sharpe Fellow: Enrique J. Rivera, MD - Chronic Optic Neuropathy Causes Decreases in both Inner Retinal Blood Flow and Prelaminar Optic Nerve Blood Flow
• Resident: Eric D. Gaier, MD - Clinical Features of OPA1-Related Optic Neuropathy: A Focus on Genetic Modifiers
• Student: Sui H. Wong, MD - Natural History of Ocular Myasthenia Gravis in 101 cases: Towards a Risk of Generalization ('ROG') Score

2014

• James A. Sharpe Fellow: Krista I. Kinard, MD - Chronic Migraine is Associated with Reduced Corneal Nerve Fiber Density and Length
• Resident: Ajay E. Kuriyan, MD - Orbital Fibroblasts from Thyroid Eye Disease Patients Differ in Proliferative and Adipogenic Responses Depending on Disease Sub-type
• Student: Matthew A. Miller - A Comparison of Clinical Features of Pseudotumor Cerebri Secondary to Tetracyclines and Idiopathic Intercranial Hypertension

2013

• Fellow:  Kimberly Winges, MD - The Ganglion Cell Layer Across the Vertical Meridian in Hemianopsia: I Get No Respect!
• Resident:  Cynthia Yu-Wai-Man, MBBS, FRCOphth - Extraocular muscle atrophy and central nervous system involvement in chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia – a structural and spectroscopic magnetic resonance study
• Student: Ali S. Saber Tehrani - Quantitative video-oculography for diagnosing stroke at the bedside in acute vertigo: an “ECG” for the eyes

2012

• Fellow:  Patrick Yu-Wai-Man, MD, PhD - Mitofusin 2 (MFN2) mutations cause mitochondrial DNA instability in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
• Resident:  Karen Schmitt, MD - Transmeningeal Drug Delivery to the Optic Nerve
• Student:  Mithu Storoni, MA MRCOphth - The Use Of Magnetic Resonance Imaging To Distinguish Between NMO Spectrum And MS Related Optic Neuritis Based On The Appearance Of The Visual Pathways

2011

• Fellow:  Jennifer Graves, MD - Visual Pathway Axonal Loss in Patients with Benign Multiple Sclerosis
• Resident:  Patrick Yu-Wai-Man, MD, PhD - Efficacy and Safety of Idebenone in Patients with Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON): Results of a 6-Month Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial (RHODOS)
• Student:  Joyce Ho - In Vivo Imaging of Murine Experimental Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy

2010

• Fellow:  Robert Avery, DO - Reference Range of Cerebrospinal Fluid Opening Pressure in Children
• Resident:  Patrick Yu-Wai-Man, MD - Multi-System Neurological Disease is Common in Patients with OPA1 Mutations
• Student:  Jonathan Frandsen - Macular Carotenoids in Patients with Photophobia

2009

• Fellow: Divya Aggarwal, MD - Melanopsin Retinal Ganglion Cells: A New Class of Cells in Human Retina
• Resident: Daniel Barthelmes, MD, FEBO - Retinal Hemorrhages in High Altitude Mountaineers
• Student: Sally C. Chang - MS Functional Composite Scores with a Visual Component Added Capture Axonal Loss in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

2008

• Fellow:  Thomas N. Hwang, MD, PhD - Reconstitution of Light-Evoked Responses through a Mechanism of NMDA Receptor Mobility across the Cell Membrane in a Tiger Salamander Model
• Resident:  Sashank Prasad, MD - Cross-Modal Language Processing in the Visual Cortex of the Congenitally Blind
• Student:  Matt Schlenker - The Translational Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex in Patients with Skew Deviation

2007

• Fellow:  Christopher C. Glisson, DO - Clinical Characteristics Associated with Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) Antibody Seropositivity
• Resident:  Melissa W. Ko, MD - Assessment of Visual Dysfunction in Parkinson’s Disease
• Student:  Bryn Burkholder - Low-Contrast Letter Acuity Loss Over Time in Multiple Sclerosis Correlates with Reductions in Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness and Macular Volume by OCT

2006

• Fellow: Gregory Wu, MD, PhD - Regional MRI Abnormalities and Visual Dysfunction in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis
• Resident:  Clare Fraser, MBBS - One Year Multiple Sclerosis Conversion Rates for Patients with Multifocal Visual Evoked Potential (MVEP) Latency Delay
• Student:  Michael D. Richards - Duration of Binocular Decorrelation Predicts the Intensity of Fusion Maldevelopment (Latent) Nystagmus in Strabismic Macaque Monkeys

2005

• Fellow: Gabrielle R. Bonhomme, MD - Isolated Pediatric Optic Neuritis: Brain MRI Abnormalities and Risk of Multiple Sclerosis
• Resident: Clare Fraser, MBBS - Multifocal Visual Evoked Potentials in the Differential Diagnosis of Acute Optic Neuritis
• Student: Christopher Rodarte, BA - A Quantitative Approach to Identifying Delayed Latencies in the Multifocal Visual Evoked Potential (mfVEP)

2004

• Fellow: Guy V. Jirawuthiworavong, MD, MA - Frequency of Antiretinal Antibodies in Normal Human Serum [photo]
• Resident: Gregory F. Wu, MD, PhD - Visual Function and Disease Phenotype in Multiple Sclerosis
• Student: Paula Wynn - A Quantitative Approach to Identifying Non-Organic Contributions to Field Defects Using the Multifocal Visual Evoked Potential (mfVEP) [photo]

2003

• Nitza Goldenberg-Cohen, MD - Defining the Retinal and Optic Nerve Response to Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (AION) Using a Mouse Model [photo]

2002

• Nicholas T. Monsul, MD - Dibutyryl Cyclic AMP Promotes Optic Nerve Regeneration

2001

• Gabriella Szatmary, MD - Can Sita Fast Be Used as a Relliable Alternative to Goldmann Perimetry in Neuro-Ophthalmic Practice?

2000

• Agnes Wong, MD - Effects of Abducens Nerve Palsy on Listing's Law During Saccades and Fixation

1999

• John Kerrison, MD - Congenital Motor Nystagmus Linked to Xq26-q27

1998

• Valerie Biousse, MD - Neuro-Ophthalmologic Manifestations of 145 Patients with 1999 Extracranial Internal Carotid Artery Dissections

1997

• John M. Khoury - Can Humphrey Perimetry 24-2 be Substituted for 30-2 without Loss of Information?

1996

• Nurhan Torun - Initial and Sinusoidal Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex Following Focal Brainstem Lesions

1995

• Erkan Mutlukan - Red Color Desaturation, Brightness Perception Asymmetry and Light Detection Threshold Elevation in Optic Neuropathy; How Do They Inter-Relate?

1994

• Aki Selky - Variability of the Relative Afferent Pupillary Defect: Effect of Stimulus Number, Duration, and Step Size on the Confidence Limit Using Pupillography

1993

• Kimberly Peele - The Role of Peripheral Visual Fields in IIH

1992

• Kyle Smith - Heteroplasmy in Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy

1991

• Constance Fry - Is There Value in Evaluating Carotid Artery Patency in Patients with Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy

1990

• Jonathan Horton - Occipital Visual Field Defects Respecting the Horizontal Meridian:Hallmark of Extrastriate Cortical Lesions

1989

• Karl Golnik - Acute Visual Loss in a Young Male

1988

• Jonathan Horton - Ocular Dominance Columns in HumanVisual Cortex

1987

• Steven Gross - A Child with Aminoaciduria and Retinal Degeneration

1986

• William Fletcher - Big Blind Spot Syndrome without Optic Disc Edema

1985

• Paul Ranalli - Ocular Motor Syndrome of the Superior Cerebellar Artery

1984

• Mary Stefanyszn - Optic Nerve Tumor in a Child

1983

• David Zackon - Vertical Supranuclear Gaze Palsy and Intrathoracic Carcinoid Tumor