European College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists

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Gus Aguirre Biography

GUSTAVO AGUIRRE, VMD, PhD, PhDhc

Postgraduate Training:
1968 - Graduate Program in Ophthalmology Graduate School of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA

1968-69 - Residency in Ophthalmology School of Veterinary Medicine University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA

1969-71 - Postdoctoral Fellow Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD

Faculty Appointments:

1970-1971
Visiting Instructor in Ophthalmology
University of Pennsylvania
School of Veterinary Medicine

1971-1973
Research Associate in Comparative Ophthalmology
New York State Veterinary College
Cornell University

1973-1978
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology
University of Pennsylvania
School of Veterinary Medicine

1976-1978
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology
University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine

1978-1986
Associate Professor of Ophthalmology
University of Pennsylvania
School of Veterinary Medicine

1978-1986
Associate Professor of Ophthalmology
University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine

1986-1992
Professor of Ophthalmology in Medical Genetics
University of Pennsylvania
School of Veterinary Medicine

1986-1992
Professor of Ophthalmology
University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine

1993-2004
Adjunct Professor of Ophthalmology
University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine
School of Veterinary Medicine (1993-1996; 2002-2004)

1992-1994
Caspary Professor of Ophthalmology and Director Baker Institute for Animal Health
College of Veterinary Medicine
Cornell University

1994-2004
Caspary Professor of Ophthalmology
Baker Institute for Animal Health College of Veterinary Medicine
Cornell University

2004 -
Professor of Medical Genetics and Ophthalmology
School of Veterinary Medicine
University of Pennsylvania


Hospital and Administrative Appointments:

1981-1983
Chief, Section of Ophthalmology,
Department of Clinical Studies School of Veterinary Medicine
University of Pennsylvania

1983-1992
Director, Inherited Eye Disease Studies Unit
Section of Medical Genetics
School of Veterinary Medicine
University of Pennsylvania

1992-1994
Director, James A. Baker Institute for Animal Health
College of Veterinary Medicine
Cornell University

2006-present
Chief, Section of Ophthalmology,
Department of Clinical Studies
School of Veterinary Medicine
University of Pennsylvania

Specialty Certification:

1972
American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists
New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Vermont

Licensure:
Awards, Honors and Membership in Honorary Societies:

1979 
Fight for Sight citation for outstanding achievement in basic research (co-recipients:
Chader, G., Liu, L and Krishna, G.)

1980 
Ralston Purina Small Animal Research Award

1981 
March of Dimes Travel Fellowship

1992  

Fellow, College of Physicians of Philadelphia

1993 
Alumni Award of Merit School of Veterinary Medicine
University of Pennsylvania

1993
Doctor of Philosophy (honoris causa)
Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
University of Göteborg Göteborg, Sweden

1997  
AKC Excellence in Canine Research Award

1998  
WSAVA/Waltham International Award for Scientific Achievement

2001
The Foundation Fighting Blindness Trustee Award

2004
Paul Kayser International Award in Retina Research (Co-recipient)

2004
Scientist of the Year, Heart SightMiami/Foundation Fighting Blindness

2004
The Third Edition of the O.N.C.E. International Prize for R&D in Biomedicine and New Technologies for the Blind

2009
Hope for Vision Fdn. Award

2009
Fellow, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology 2012 Member, Institute of Medicine of the National Academies

2012  
The Kennel Club International Prize in Canine Health

2012
Member, Institute of Medicine of the National Academies
(now National Academy of Medicine)

2013  
AVMA Lifetime Excellence in Research Award

2013
Alcon Research Institute 2013 Award

2013 Foundation Fighting Blindness Board of Directors Award

Named (Honorary) Lectures:

1993
"The RPE-a Cell for all Reasons"
Dr. honoris causa lecture, University of Göteborg, Sweden

1997  
"Inherited Eye Diseases and the Coming of Age of Molecular Ophthalmology"
American Kennel Club Excellence in Canine Research Lecture,
AVMA Annual Meeting, Reno, Nevada

1998  
"Inherited Retinal Diseases: A Look at the Past and Prospects for the Future"
WSAVA/Waltham Lecture, WSAVA Meeting,
Buenos Aires, Argentina

2002  
"Models, Mutants, and Man: Genetic and Genomic Studies of the Canine Models of Inherited Retinal Degeneration"
Lloyd Morgan Visiting Professor Lecture, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto Canada

2003  
"The Promise of Gene Therapy for Treating Blinding Eye Diseases in Man and Animals"
Dean D.L.T. Smith Lecture, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada

2004
"The Promise of Gene Therapy: Making the Blind See and the Lame Walk"
Paul Kayser Lecture, International Congress of Eye Research, Sydney, Australia

2004  
"Long-Term Restoration of Visual Cell Function and Structure with AAV-Mediated Gene Therapy in Canine LCA"
Memorial Lecture, American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists, Washington, DC

2005  
"Making the Blind See and the Lame Walk with Gene Therapy".
Litwack Lecture, North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine

2007
"Gene Discovery to Gene Therapy: Understanding the Molecular Basis and Treatment of Inherited Blindness". Gerald A. Fishman, MD Lecture Series in Vision Science. Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago

2009  
"Retinal Gene Therapy: targeting cells, restoring function, preserving structure". Loris and David Rich Lecture Series in Visual Science, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama at Birmingham.

2010  
"Inherited Retinal Degenerations in the Dog: From Gene Discovery to Gene Therapy". Keynote Lecture. Fifth Annual Conference for Animal Biotechnology (ACAB), Beijing, China.

2012
"Gene Therapy-From the Cage to the Bedside: The Cage". European College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists State of the Art Lecture. Trieste, Italy.

2012
"From Gene Discovery to Therapy: Understanding the Molecular Basis and Treatment of Inherited Blindness". Frank K. Ramsey Lecture. College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA.

Memberships in Professional and Scientific Societies:

International Societies:


International Society of Veterinary Ophthalmology: Executive Committee, 1980-84
President Elect, 1984-1986
President, 1986-1989

Catalan Academy of Veterinary Sciences, Barcelona, Spain
1982-present

International Society for Eye Research
1988-present

Spanish Assoc. of Veterinary Specialists in
Equine Surgery and Anesthesia (Honorary Member)
1989-present

Italian Society of Veterinary Ophthalmology (SOVI) (Honorary Member)
1996-present

Brazilian College of Veterinary Ophthalmology (Honorary Member)
1996-present

European College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ECVO) (Honorary Diplomate)
2013-present

National Societies:

American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists
a) Chairman of Training and Curriculum Committee, 1974-75, 1976-77
b) Chairman of Electroretinography Committee, 1977
c) Genetic Counseling Committee and Genetics Committee, 1983-1992

American Veterinary Medical Association

Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
a) Committee person, Anatomy and Pathology Section, 1980 b) Chairperson, Anatomy and Pathology Section, 1981
c) Animals in Research Committee, 1993-1996

The Society of Phi Zeta
Society for Comparative Ophthalmology

Member of Committee on Animal Models and Genetic Stocks, Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources
National Research Council
National Academy of Sciences, 1979-1982
College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Fellow, 1992-present Institute of Medicine of the National Academies

Local Societies:

Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association

Editorial And Consultant Positions:

1972  
Consultant to the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health on animal models of retinal disease

1973  
Consultant to the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health on contract review for 1) development of the RCS rat as a model of hereditary degenerative disease of the retina, and 2) evaluation of indicator substances for use in the study of the retinal and choroidal circulation.

1976-79
Consultant to the Retinal and Choroidal Diseases Panel of the National Advisory Eye Council, Vision Research Program Planning Committee. Purpose is to make a current assessment of the state of toxic and environmental retinopathies and to produce suggestions on prevention.

1976-79
Consultant to the Retinal and Choroidal Diseases Panel of 1980-81 the National Advisory Eye Council, Vision Research Program 1983 Planning Committee on Developmental and Hereditary Diseases.

1980-81
The NIH Diabetes Coordinating Committee Task Force on Animal Models Appropriate for Research on Human Diabetes and its Complications

1983
National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Vision Research Program 1992 Committee - Review of Small Grants and Pilot Projects; Physician Scientist

1976-Present
Ad hoc editorial committee for American Journal of
Veterinary Research, Journal American Veterinary Medical Association,
Experimental Eye Research, Vision Research, Current Eye Research, Brain Research

1984
Program Organizing Committee, International Society of Veterinary Ophthalmology/W.S.A.V.A. Congress Hamburg, Germany

1984
Symposium on Cataract Surgery in the Dog 2nd Comparative and Veterinary Ophthalmology Congress of Toulouse, National Veterinary School of Toulouse,



France

1985 Collaborator, Journal of Ophthalmic Paediatrics and Genetics

1990 Editorial Board, Veterinary and Comparative Ophthalmology

1992-2008 Editorial Board, Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science

1995-1997 Science Advisory Committee, The American Kennel Club

1998-2009 Board of Trustees, The Seeing Eye, Inc., Morristown, NJ

1998-Present Team Leader, Committee on Animal Models of Retinal Degeneration Present Foundation Fighting Blindness, Columbia, MD

1998-Present Scientific Advisory Board, Foundation Fighting Blindness, Columbia, MD

2006-Present International Scientific Committee, The International Association for Fighting Best Disease

2009-Present Editorial Board, American Journal of Translational Research.

2010-Present Editorial Board, Archivos de la Sociedad Española de Oftalmologia

2014-Present Co-Editor in Chief, BMC Journal of Canine Genetics and Epidemiology

Gus Aguirre Contact Details

  • Full Name: Gus Aguirre
  • Title: Professor of Medical Genetics and Ophthalmology
  • Institution: University of Pennsylvania
  • Department: School of Veterinary Medicine
  • Street Address: 3900 Delancey St.
  • City: Philadelphia
  • Country: United States of America
  • County/State: Pennsylvania
  • ZIP-Code: PA 19104-6010
  • Telephone: 1 (0)2158 984667
  • Other Telephone: 1 (0)2158 989426
  • FAX: 1 (0)2155 732162
  • Email: Not shown officially.
  • Second Email: Not shown officially.
  • Employment: academia
  • Specialist Title: veterinary ophthalmology

Gus Aguirre Status

  • Name: Gus Aguirre
  • College Role: Active
  • College Role Since: 2013-05-16
  • Year of last re-evaluation: n/a
  • Next re-evaluation: n/a (Hon Dip)