SAN FRANCISCO—The American Academy of Ophthalmology has established the Sunil K. Roa, MD, Memorial Retina Fellowship Award to provide funding for two retina fellows to attend the 117th Annual Meeting of the Academy, Nov. 16-19, in New Orleans. The fellowship honors Dr. Sunil K. Rao, a retina specialist, who taught and practiced ophthalmology with extraordinary expertise and enthusiasm and was renowned for his generosity. Dr. Rao trained at Brown University and completed his medical and surgical vitreoretinal fellowship at The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. He passed away suddenly in 2012 at age 34.

As a tribute to his memory and passion for ophthalmology, his colleagues, family and friends established a memorial fund through the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The application process is underway and will conclude July 15. Nominees must currently be a retina fellow and be in good standing with the Academy. He or she may be nominated by program directors, department chairs, societies or individuals, or be self-nominated. The nominee’s resume must demonstrate outstanding dedication and/or achievement in biomedical ethics, scholarship, teaching and/or professionalism, with demonstrable involvement in Academy activities in these areas.