IOM elects veterinary ophthalmologist to membership

The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences has elected to its membership Dr. Gustavo D. Aguirre. He is a professor of medical genetics and ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Aguirre has led efforts to identify the genetic causes of inherited blindness, identify the mechanisms linking mutation to disease, and develop treatment approaches to various forms of blindness. Modeling the visual disorders in dogs, he and colleagues have found a cure for retinal degeneration in animals—breakthroughs that have laid the groundwork for human clinical trials.

Recently, Dr. Aguirre was elected a fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

This year, the full membership of the IOM elected 70 new members and 10 foreign associates. Members are elected for their excellence and professional achievement in a field relevant to the IOM’s mission and for their willingness to participate actively in its work. Fewer than 20 veterinarians are counted among the institute’s ranks.

Dr. Aguirre earned his bachelor’s (1964), veterinary (1968), and doctoral (1975) degrees from Penn. He is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.