The RRSV annual meeting is the only opportunity of the year to gather vision researchers from Quebec, fundamentalists and clinicians, juniors and seniors, students, ophthalmology residents and professors, from all fields (cornea, glaucoma, retina, neuro-ophthalmology, etc.). This meeting will allow you to exchange with the different participants and discover the latest advances in vision health research.
This is a privileged opportunity to meet your colleagues from various Quebec environments and institutions, to share your knowledge and to “network”.
The RRSV annual meeting is the only opportunity to bring together all our members and we are very proud to see, year after year, an increasing participation in this event.
28th Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Research Network (VSRN)
The 28th annual meeting will be held on October 9th, 2025, at at the CHUM’s Amphithéâtre Pierre-Péladeau in Montreal, Quebec.
Deadlines
Abstract Submission:
Free Registration:
August 21st 2025
Septembre 18th 2025
Registration will open during summer 2025.
We look forward to seeing you at this annual event.
The Committee
27th Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Research Network (VSRN)
The 27th annual meeting held on December 4, 2024, at Université Laval in Quebec City, was a great success thanks to you. Nearly 190 participants (students, post-docs, researchers, physicians, specialists, etc.) registered for this annual event. More than a hundred presentations (oral and poster) took place throughout the day.
Thank you for your participation!
Review of the journey
The Network was delighted to welcome Pre Aurélie Calabrèse (Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) & Aix-Marseille Université (AMU), France), who talks about on her latest research. Her presentation was entitled: “Reading with low vision”. Over the course of her career, Pre Calabrèse she had the opportunity to collaborate closely with a low-vision clinic to lead research projects involving large cohorts of patients with eye disorders. The aims of her pluridisciplinary and translational research program, at the surface between fundamental and applied research, are to understand general mechanims of plasticity and aging, to identify the factirs limiting visual performance in people with impaired vision and to apply this knowledge to health and life sciences and help overcome disability.
The Network took the opportunity to recognize the scientific career and involvement of Dr. Sylvain Chemtob, clinician-researcher at the Centre hospitalier universitaire de l’Hôpital Sainte-Justine and the Centre de recherche de l’Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, both in Montreal. Dr. Jean-Sébastien Joyal underlined Dr. Chemtob’s exceptional contribution to visual health research, and the Network presented him with a “Prix bâtisseur” award in recognition of his undeniable dedication and involvement with the Network since its beginning.
The section dedicated to the Network’s strategic partners attracted a great deal of interest, stimulating interesting discussions with Network members.
Attending partners : Jean-Sébastien Delisle – Réseau de thérapie cellulaire, tissulaire et génique du Québec, André Tchernof – Réseau de recherche en santé métabolique, diabète et obésité, François Routhier – Société inclusive
Medical students and residents had the chance to take part in a session specially dedicated to them, entitled “Clinical research information and strategies for residents and medical students”. Two Université Laval residents rounded out the session by presenting their academic and professional backgrounds, inspiring many medical students to integrate research into their careers.
- Pr Solange Landreville slides available here (funding)
- Me Stéphanie Dorion, lawyer at the CHU de Québec, available here (Act respecting health and social services information)
*Courtesy: training workshop for a FRQS thematic network – Réseau québécois de recherche en soins palliatifs et de fin de vie (RQSPAL).
At the end of the day, the Network rewarded the best student presentations (oral and poster), awarding a total of 18 scholarships for excellence, totalling over $3,500 in prizes.
EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR ORAL PRESENTATIONS
1st position – My Research in a Wink
Renata GHENNO-MANRIQUE, CRCHUM – University of Montreal
MSc student (Dr. Adriana Di Polo)
Axis: Vision Neurosciences
Title : Disease modifying mitochondrial uncouplers: a new therapeutic strategy for glaucoma – abstract #10
2nd position – My Research in a Wink
Youjin Elizabeth YOUN, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine – University of Montreal
MD student (Dr. Cynthia Qian)
Axis: Biology and Pathology of Vision
Title : The Long-Term Impact of Retinopathy of Prematurity on Retinal Function assessed with New Patterns of mfERG Analysis – abstract #9
—–
1st position
Catherine ALBERT, École d’optométrie – University of Montreal
PhD student (Dr. Matthieu Vanni and Jean-François Bouchard)
Axis: Vision Neurosciences
Title : A preclinical model of cortical blindness by monitoring visual functions using calcium imaging – abstract #4
2nd position
Nicole DRANITSARIS, McGill University
PhD student (Dr. Alexandre Reynaud)
Axis: Vision Neurosciences
Title : At-home training on a dichoptic reading application to improve vision in adults with amblyopia – abstract #19
3rd position
Ajay DAVID, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM)
PhD student (Dr. Michel Cayouette)
Axis: Biology and Pathology of Vision
Title : Retina Unlocking the Regenerative Potential of the Mammalian Retina – abstract #5
EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR POSTER PRÉSENTATIONS
1st position – MD student /1st cycle
Daniel R. CHOW, MD student at the University of Toronto
Director: Dr. Navdeep Nijhawan
Axis: Emerging Technologies
Title : Geospatial Analysis of ASOPRS Surgeon Distribution and Care Access in the U.S.– abstract #99
2nd position – MD student /1st cycle
Annie LAM-NGUYEN, MD student at the University of Montreal
Director: Dr. Marie-Josée Aubin
Axis: Emerging Technologies
Title : Electroretinography in the management of Patients with Birdshot Chorioretinopathy: A Review – abstract #91
3rd position – MD student /1st cycle
Anas ABU-DIEH, MD student at the Université Laval
Director: Dr. Ali Dirani
Axis: Emerging Technologies
Title : Applying Artificial Intelligence in the Prediction of Cardiovascular Risk from Ophthalmic Imaging: A Systematic Review – abstract #88
—–
1er position – MSc students
Yosra ER-REGUYEG, Centre de recherche de l’Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont – University of Montreal
Director: Dr. Sylvain Chemtob
Axis: Biology and Pathology of Vision
Title : L’administration systémique de mélatonine contre les anomalies vasculaires et maintient l’intégrité rétinienne dans un modèle de rétinopathie du prématuré –abstract #65
2nd position – MSc students
Frédéric PICARD, Université Laval
Director: Dr. Solange Landreville
Axis: Biology and Pathology of Vision
Title : Impact des mélanocytes sur la régulation de la fonction endothéliale et de la matrice extracellulaire de la choroïde – abstract #81
—–
1st position – PhD students
Isaac Alejandro VIDAL PAREDES, CRCHUM – University of Montreal
Director: Dr. Adriana Di Polo
Axe: Vision Neurosciences
Title : Inhibition of Mitochondrial Fragmentation in Endothelial Cells Promotes Blood-Retinal Barrier Integrity and Neuroprotection in Experimental Glaucoma –abstract #52
2nd position – PhD students
Louis BERILLON, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine – University of Montreal
Director: Dr. Jean-Sébastien Joyal
Axis: Biology and Pathology of Vision
Title : Investigating the Role of O-GlcNAcylation in Retinal Vascular Development and Proliferative Retinopathy in Neonatal Mice – abstract #58
3rd position ex aequo– PhD students
Shirley DUMASSAIS, École d’optométrie – University of Montreal
Director: Dr. Walter Wittich
Axis: Rehabilitation and Social Issues of Visual Disorders
Title : Protocol for the Development of International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health Core Sets Tailored for Children and Youth with Deafblindness –abstract#54
3rd position ex aequo– PhD students
Fatima Kassem, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM)
Director: Dr. Michel Cayouette
Axis: Biology and Pathology of Vision
Title : Photoreceptor Reprogramming to Prevent Neurodegeneration – abstract #71
3rd position ex aequo– PhD students
Pedro FRANÇA, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM)
Director: Dr. Michel Cayouette
Axe: Vision Neurosciences
Title : The role of Ikaros Family members on Amacrine Cell Diversification – abstract #43
4th position – PhD students
Samantha Boudreau, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM)
Director: Dr. Michel Cayouette
Axis: Biology and Pathology of Vision
Title : Uncovering the role of Podxl in photoreceptor polarity and function – abstract #52
—–
1st position – Postdoctoral Felows / Residents
Hassan NASSOUR, postdoctoral fellow at McGill University
Director: Dr. Uri Saragovi
Axis: Vision Neurosciences
Title : Selective inhibitors of the TrkC.T1 receptor reduce retinal inflammation, and delay neuronal death in a model of Retinitis Pigmentosa– abstract #46
2nd position – Postdoctoral Felows / Residents
Mélanie HÉBERT, resident at the Université Laval
Director: Dr. Ali Dirani
Axis: Biology and Pathology of Vision
Title : Happy patients after macula off rhegmatogenous retinal detachment: Predictive factors of 20/25 recovery after Pars Plana Vitrectomy – abstract #68
These awards were also supported by the University de Montreal Faculty of Medicine.
—–
Sponsors
This activity has benefited from an unrestricted educational grant from the following companies:
- SILVER Category: Hoffman-La Roche, Sun Pharma
- BRONZE Category: Alcon, Bayer, Bausch + Lomb, Biogen
Excellence Awards for the best student presentations were supported by the Faculty of Medicine of the Université de Montréal.
The Network would like to thank all the participants, volunteers, evaluators, moderators, presenters and organizers who helped make this day such a success!
26th Annual Meeting of the Vision Health Research Network (VHRN)
The 26th annual meeting on November 1, 2023, held at the Pierre-Péladeau Amphitheatre of the CHUM in Montreal, was crowned with success thanks to the participation of more than 220 students, postdoctoral fellows, researchers, physicians, specialists, etc. In total, more than 110 presentations (oral and poster) took place throughout the day.
Thank you very much for your great participation!
The Network was very pleased to welcome Dr. Krzysztof (Kris) Palczewski, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA, who honored us with a presentation of his latest research. His presentation was entitled: “Eye on genome editing.” Dr. Palczewski is a distinguished biochemist, pharmacologist, and molecular biologist, recognized in particular for his major multidisciplinary scientific contributions to the biology and chemistry of vertebrate vision and to the therapy of retinal diseases.
The Network took the opportunity to recognize the scientific career and involvement of two RRSV researchers. The Network Director, Dr. Michel Cayouette, paid tribute to the Chair of the Scientific Committee for the past 7 years, Dr. Patrick Rochette (Université Laval). Dr. Christian Casanova highlighted the considerable contribution of Dr. Hélène Boisjoly as a “builder” of the Network from the very beginning of its existence in 1995.
A section dedicated to the Network’s strategic partners generated a lot of interest, stimulating interesting discussions with Network members.
Present were:
- Joanne Matsubara – University of British Columbia (UBC) – Research Excellence Cluster in Vision
- Larissa Monitz and Jennifer Jones – Fighting Blindness Canada (FBC)
- Eric Trudel – INO (National Institute of Optics)
- Kathleen Beitz – Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB)
- Mathieu Boulanger – National School of Aerotechnics (ENA) / Aerospace Technology Center (CTA) / Cégep Édouard Montpetit)
At the end of the day, the Network rewarded the best student presentations, either oral or poster, by awarding a total of 16 excellence scholarships.
Excellence Award for Best Oral Presentations
1st Prize – My Research in a Wink
Marissé Masís Solano, University de Montreal
PhD Student (Drs Mark Less, Santiago Costantino)
Theme: Retina and Posterior Segment
Title: Optic nerve pulsatile displacement in open angle glaucoma after intraocular pressure manipulation measured by optical coherence tomography – abstract #10
2nd Prize – My Research in a Wink
Victoria Anne Purdy-Millaire, University of Ottawa, Centre de recherches de l’Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont / Université de Montréal
MD Student (Dr. Isabelle Brunette)
Theme: Cornea and Anterior Segment
Title: Conception d’une approche méthodologique à l’analyse quantitative de la réinnervation suivant une chirurgie de neurotisation cornéenne : Enjeux, progrès et implications pratiques de la sélection et du traçage d’images de microscopie confocale in vivo – abstract #8
1st Prize
Valentina Parra, Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CRCHUM)
Postdoctoral Fellow (Dr. Cynthia Xin-Ya Qian)
Theme: Retina and Posterior Segment
Title: The Long Term Structural and Functional Impact of Retinopathy of Prematurity – abstract #19
2nd Prize
Tasnim Tabassum, Université de Sherbrooke
MD Student (Dr. Qianqian Wang)
Theme: Cornea and Anterior Segment
Title: Comparison between micropulse transscleral cyclophotocoagulation and continuous-wave transscleral cyclophotocoagulation in glaucoma patients: a tertiary centre experience – abstract #1
3rd Prize ex æquo
Monir Modaresinejad, Université de Montréal
PhD Student (Dr. Sylvain Chemtob)
Theme: Retina and Posterior Segment
Title: Lactate Receptor, HCAR1 Deficiency Leads to Cellular Stress Compromising Choroidal Integrity of the Developing Outer Retina – abstract #14
3rd Prize ex æquo
Elizabeth Leduc, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)
PhD Student (Drs Nicolas Pilon, Malika Oubaha)
Theme: Retina and Posterior Segment
Title: FAM172A regulates eye development through an interaction with AGO2 – abstract #6
Excellence Award for Poster Presentations
1st Prize ex æquo – MD Students / Undergraduate
Philippe Morneau-Cartier & Félix Plamondon, Centre de recherche du CHU-Québec / Université Laval
Supervisor: Dr. Vincent Raymond
Theme: Retina and Posterior Segment
Title: Sélection et criblage de gènes candidats comme modificateurs de l’âge d’apparition du glaucome primaire à angle ouvert au locus MOG2 sur le chromosome 20p12 – abstract #41
1st Prize ex æquo – MD Students / Undergraduate
Dasha Vanichkina, McGill University
Supervisor: Dr. Alexandre Reynaud
Theme: Brain and Perception
Title: Asynchronous binocular summation – abstract #101
*1st Prize – MSc Students
Pénélope Abram, Centre de recherches de l’Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont / Université de Montréal
Supervisor: Dr. Sylvain Chemtob
Theme: Retina and Posterior Segment
Title: Targeting mast cell alleviates subretinal inflammation and photoreceptor loss in a model of retinal degeneration – abstract #48
*2nd Prize – MSc Students
Louis Berillon, Université de Montréal
Supervisor: Dr. Jean-Sébastien Joyal
Theme: Retina and Posterior Segment
Title: Enhancing autophagy rescues pathological angiogenesis and improves vision in neovascular age-related macular degeneration – abstract #54
1st Prize – PhD Students
Anli Ren, McGill University, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University
Supervisor: Drs Jean-Sébastien Joyal, Yan Gong
Theme: Retina and Posterior Segment
Title: Glia-derived lipid metabolites drive pathological angiogenesis in proliferative retinopathy – abstract #80
2nd Prize – PhD Students
Samantha Boudreau, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM)
Supervisor: Dr. Michel Cayouette
Theme: Retina and Posterior Segment
Title: Uncovering the role of Podocalyxin-like Protein (Podxl) in photoreceptor polarity and function – abstract #59
3rd Prize – PhD Students
Charlotte Betus, Centre de recherches de l’Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont – Université de Montréal
Supervisor: Dr. Jean-Sébastien Joyal
Theme: Cornea and Anterior Segment
Title: Rôle neuroprotecteur des corps cétoniques dérivés de l’endothélium dans les rétinopathies prolifératives – abstract #55
4th Prize – PhD Students
Fatima Kassem, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM)
Supervisor: Dr. Michel Cayouette
Theme: Retina and Posterior Segment
Title: Photoreceptor Reprogramming to Prevent Retinal Degeneration – abstract #72
1st Prize – Postdoctoral Fellows / Residents
Mathilde Bizou, Centre de recherche du CHU de Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal
Supervisor: Dr. Alexandre Dubrac
Theme: Retina and Posterior Segment
Title: SGOL1 regulates angiogenesis and endothelial senescence in the retina – abstract #57
2nd Prize – Postdoctoral Fellows / Residents
Yukihiro Shiga, Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CRCHUM)
Supervisor: Dr. Adriana Di Polo
Theme: Retina and Posterior Segment
Title: Calcium clearance deficits linked to endoplasmic reticulum stress are signature features of early retinal ganglion cell damage in glaucoma – abstract #62
In order to know your appreciation of the Annual Meeting, an evaluation form is available online. All your comments are also welcome:
Subsidies
This activity received an unrestricted educational grant from the following companies:
- SILVER Category: Alcon, Bayer, Hoffman-La Roche, Sun Pharma
- BRONZE Category: Glaukos, Bausch + Lomb
Accreditation
A certificate of attendance will be provided to participants upon request. PHYSICIANS : We invite you to complete the evaluation form and add comments related to your practice – see the “Continuing Specialized Education” section of the form.
The Network would like to thank all the participants, volunteers, evaluators, moderators, presenters and organizers who made this day run smoothly!
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us: reseau.vision@ircm.qc.ca
25th Annual Meeting of the Vision Health Research Network (VHRN)
The 25th annual meeting on November 9, 2022, held at the Pierre-Péladeau Amphitheatre of the CHUM in Montreal, was crowned with success thanks to the participation of more than 210 students, post-doctoral fellows, researchers, physicians, specialists, etc.
In total, more than 105 presentations (oral and poster) took place throughout the day.
Thank you very much for your great participation!
The Network took the opportunity to recognize the scientific careers and involvement of three researchers within the RRSV. Dr. Christian Salesse was honored by Dr. Stéphanie Proulx of Université Laval, Dr. Christian Casanova was honored by Dr. Jean-François Bouchard of the School of Optometry – Université de Montréal, and Dr. Pierre Lachapelle was honored by the Network Director, Dr. Michel Cayouette, and Dr. Jacqueline Orquin. Dr. Lachapelle was also named “Member Emeritus of the RRSV.”
We were honored to attend the presentation of our keynote speaker, Dr. Michele Rucci from the University of Rochester (New York, USA), entitled: “Seeing space through time.” Dr. Rucci is a leading researcher in the field of computational mechanisms of visual function and cognitive neuroscience. He has implemented novel tracking systems between the head, eyes, and visual display, as well as the design of efficient machine vision systems.
At the end of the day, the Network rewarded the best student presentations, either oral or poster, by awarding a total of 14 certificates and scholarships.
Excellence Award for Oral Presentations
1st Prize – My Research in a Wink
Nicolas Blais, School of Optometry – Université de Montréal
MSc Student (Dr. Jean-Marie Hanssens)
Theme: Visual Impairment and Rehabilitation
Title: Comparison of Refractive Outcomes Between a Tele-Eye Care Comprehensive Eye Exam and a Gold Standard In-Person Eye Exam
1st Prize
Typhaine Anquetil, Centre de recherche du CHU de Sainte-Justine – Université de Montréal
Postdoctoral Fellow (Dr. Alexandre Dubrac)
Theme: Retina and Posterior Segment
Title: Role of the transcription factor SOX9 in vascular specialization
2nd Prize
Jennyfer Zapata-Farfan, Centre de recherches de l’Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont / École Polytechnique – Université de Montréal
PhD Student (Drs Isabelle Brunette and Michel Meunier)
Theme: Cornea and Anterior Segment
Title: Optimisation de l’injection intracamérale chez la souris
3rd Prize
Anne Xuan-Lan Nguyen, McGill University
MD Student (Dr. Isabelle Hardy)
Theme: Not applicable
Title: A gendered analysis of academic rank and research productivity in Canadian academic surgery
Excellence Award for Poster Presentations
1st Prize – MD Students / Graduates
Charlotte Betus, Centre de recherche du CHU de Sainte-Justine – Université de Montréal
Supervisor: Dr. Jean-Sébastien Joyal
Theme: Retina and Poster Segment
Title: Endothelial Cells derived-Ketone Bodies Plays a Key Role in Proliferative Retinopathy
1st Prize – MSc Students
Samantha Boudreau, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM)
Supervisor: Dr. Michel Cayouette
Theme: Retina and Posterior Segment
Title: Uncovering the role of Podxl in photoreceptor cell function and survival
2nd Prize ex æquo – MSc Students
Camille Gagnon, Université Laval
Supervisor: Dr. Christian Salesse
Theme: Retina and Posterior Segment
Title: Surexpression, purification et liaison membranaire de la forme non-farnésylée des sous-unités bêta-gamma de la transducine
2nd Prize ex æquo – MSc Students
Daniel Gurman, McGill University
Supervisor: Dr. Alexandre Reynaud
Theme: Brain and Perception
Title: Measuring interocular delay and investigating its link to visual acuity in amblyopia
1st Prize – PhD Students
Rui Wang, Centre de recherche du CHU de Sainte-Justine – Université de Montréal
Supervisor: Dr. Pierre Hardy
Theme: Retina and Posterior Segment
Title: Investigation of the anti-uveal melanoma effect of miR-181a and combinational therapy
2nd Prize – PhD Students
Élizabeth Leduc, Université du Québec à Montréal
Supervisor: Drs Malika Oubaha and Nicolas Pilon
Theme: Retina and Posterior Segment
Title: Fam172a regulates eye development through interaction with Ago2
3rd Prize – PhD Students
Alex Camacho, Centre de recherches de l’Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont – Université de Montréal
Supervisor: Dr. Isabelle Brunette
Theme: Cornea and Anterior Segment
Title: Conjunctival Neuroma after Corneal Neurotization – A Case Report
4th Prize ex æquo – PhD Students
Pedro Santos-França, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM)
Supervisor: Dr. Michel Cayouette
Theme: Retina and Posterior Segment
Title: Ikzf2 regulates amacrine cell diversification in the developing mouse retina
4th Prize ex æquo – PhD Students
Mathilde Champagne-Hamel, Université du Québec à Montréal
Supervisor: Dr. Dave Saint-Amour
Theme: Brain and Perception
Title: Exposition aux écrans durant l’enfance et fonctions visuelles à l’adolescence
1st Prize – Postdoctoral Fellows
Heberto Quintero, Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CRCHUM)
Supervisor: Dr. Adriana Di Polo
Theme: Retina and Posterior Segment
Title: Restoration of mitochondria axonal transport prevents neurodegeneration and rescues visual function in experimental glaucoma
In order to know your appreciation of the Annual Meeting, an evaluation form is available online here (please respond before December 9)
Journal “VISION” Journal
All interested presenters will be invited to participate in the special edition of the Vision Journal in conjunction with the 25th Annual Meeting in the near future. As presented at the meeting, all RRSV members will be granted a 50% reduction in publication costs for an original or journal article. Special Edition Guest Editors: Drs Dave Saint-Amour and Alexandre Reynaud.
Special Edition Guest Editors: Drs Dave Saint-Amour and Alexandre Reynaud
Subsidies
- GOLD Category: Alcon, Abbvie
- SILVER Category: Hoffman-La Roche, Santen, Sun Pharma
- BRONZE Category: Glaukos
Accreditation
A certificate of attendance will be given to participants upon request.
PHYSICIANS : We invite you to complete the evaluation form and add comments related to your practice – see the “Continuing Specialized Education” section in the form.
The Network would like to thank all the participants, volunteers, evaluators and organizers who made this day run smoothly!
Vision Health Research Network Virtual Meetings 20-21
News – COVID-19: As the 25th Annual Meeting of the RRSV could not be held in person in June 2020, the Network offered you a series of virtual meetings that took place over a period of 6 months.
All programs
The interactive schedule (access to summaries) of all meetings can be found on the Fourwaves Platform
The hybrid format – Zoom Conference and Fourwaves Platform – allowed the Network to present a total of 36 oral presentations and 69 poster presentations (student presentations and posters from the RRSV Common Infrastructures). In addition, 18 presentations focused on age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Special thanks to our 25 evaluators who judged these presentations, allowing the Network to award 32 prizes to Network students for a total of $6,150.
Thank you for your great participation!
Guest Speakers
Name
Axis
Institution
David Attwell, PhD
Retina axis and posterior segment
University College London,
England, United Kingdom
Name
Axis
Institution
Aurélie Calabrèse, PhD
Visual impairment and rehabilitation
Inria Sophia Antipolis Research Center,
Mediterranean, Biovision Lab, France
Name
Axis
Institution
James Chodosh, MD, MPH
Axis Cornea and anterior segment
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
(MEEI), Harvard Medical School,
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Name
Axis
Institution
Christopher Pack, PhD
Brain and Perception Axis
Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital
The Neuro, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Virtual Meeting of December 4, 2020
Excellence Award – Group 1 – Oral Presentations
1st Prize
Luis Alarcon-Martinez, postdoctoral fellow under the supervision of Dr. Adriana Di Polo Centre de recherche du (CRCHUM) – Université de Montréal
Presentation Title: Inter-pericyte tunneling nanotubes regulate neurovascular coupling
Authors: Luis Alarcon-Martinez, Deborah Villafranca-Baughman, Heberto Quintero, Benjamin Kacerovsky, Florence Dotigny, Keith K. Murai, Alexandre Prat, Pierre Drapeau, Adriana Di Polo
2nd Prize
Alexandre Abid, PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Christos Boutopoulos Centre de recherches de l’Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont – Université de Montréal
Presentation Title: Development of a miniaturized fiber optic probe coupled to a needle for intraoperative subretinal injections
Authors: Alexandre Abid, Renaud Duval, Christos Boutopoulos
3rd Prize
Michel Fries, PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Michel Cayouette Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM) – Université de Montréal
Presentation Title: Transcriptional regulation establishes the contra- and ipsilateral fates of retinal projections during development
Authors: Michel Fries, Thomas Brown, Awais Javed, Christine Jolicoeur, Camille Boudreau-Pinsonneault, Penelope Abram, Michel Cayouette
Excellence Award – Group 2 – Poster Presentations
1st Prize ex æquo
Ange Tchatchouang, PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Stéphanie Proulx Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec – Université Laval
Presentation Title: Expression of matrix proteins in Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy and their impact on cell adhesion
Authors: Ange Tchatchouang, Mathieu Thériault, Stéphanie Proulx
1st Prize ex æquo
Harrison Watt, medical student under the supervision of Dr. Paul Harasymowycz McGill University
Presentation Title: Three-year outcomes of second-generation trabecular micro-bypass stents (iStent inject) with phacoemulsification in various glaucoma subtypes and severities
Authors: Harrison Watt, Ali Salimi, Paul Harasymowycz
2nd Prize ex æquo
Marc-Antoine Millette, PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Christian Salesse Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec – Université Laval
Presentation Title: Farnesylation of the C-terminal segment of rhodopsin kinase plays an essential role in its membrane binding
Authors: Marc-Antoine Millette, Christian Salesse
2nd Prize ex æquo
Sarah Roy, PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Christian Salesse Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec – Université Laval
Presentation Title: Membrane affinity of segments of lecithin retinol acyltransferase
Authors: Sarah Roy, Olivier Gosselin, Stéphane M. Gagné, Christian Salesse
3rd Prize
Clara Amillac, Master’s student under the supervision of Dr. Aaron Johnson School of Optometry – Université de Montréal
Lucie Mathieu, Master’s student under the supervision of Dr. Judith Renaud School of Optometry – Université de Montréal
Presentation Title: The impact of a cognitive task on postural control in elderly individuals, with and without visual impairment
Authors: Clara Amillac, Lucie Mathieu, Alexander Lestage, Sophie Hallot, Stephanie Pietrangelo, Caitlin Murphy, Judith Renaud, Ross Clark, Karen Li, Aaron Johnson
Virtual Meeting of January 29, 2021
Excellence Award – Group 3 – Oral Presentations
1st Prize
Sheetal Pundir, medical student under the supervision of Dr. Jean-Sébastien Joyal Centre de recherche de l’Hôpital du CHU de Sainte-Justine – Université de Montréal
Presentation Title: Metabolic shift to glycolysis leads to physiologic angiogenic revascularization
Authors: Sheetal Pundir, Gael Cagnone, Emilie Heckel, Jim Sung Kim, Candace Yang, Jean-Sébastien Joyal
2nd Prize
Natalina Martiniello, PhD under the supervision of Dr. Walter Wittich School of Optometry – Université de Montréal
Presentation Title: Exploring the influence of reading medium on the braille performance outcomes of younger and older adults using a case series approach
Authors: Natalina Martiniello, Walter Wittich
3rd Prize ex æquo
Aliona Fezoua, Master’s student under the supervision of Dr. Pia Wintermark McGill University
Presentation Title: Fractional anisotropy measurements along the visual pathway are correlated with visual evoked potentials in term asphyxiated neonates treated with hypothermia
Authors: Aliona Fezoua, Suna Jung, Parissa Owji, Allison Dorfman, Pierre Lachapelle, Pia Wintermark
3rd Prize ex æquo
Maeva Langouet, postdoctoral fellow under the supervision of Dr. Michel Cayouette Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM) – Université de Montréal
Presentation Title: BCOR is a co-repressor of the retinal transcription factors OTX2/CRX associated with pediatric inherited retinal degeneration
Authors: Maeva Langouet, Christine Jolicoeur, Pierre Mattar, Awais Javed, Robert Koenekoop, Michel Cayouette
Excellence Award – Group 4 – Poster Presentations
1st Prize
Vanessa Soldano, undergraduate student under the supervision of Dr. Aaron Johnson Concordia University
Presentation Title: Validation of the International Reading Speed Texts in a Sample of Older (60+) Canadian Adults
Authors: Vanessa Soldano, Elliott Morrice, Cynthia Addona, Caitlin Murphy, Aaron Johnson
2nd Prize
Cynthia Addona, Master’s student under the supervision of Dr. Aaron Johnson Concordia University
Presentation Title: Determining optimal lighting conditions for reading in low vision
Authors: Cynthia Addona, Elliott Morrice, Caitlin Murphy, Vanessa Soldano, Walter Wittich, Aaron Johnson
3e prix ex æquo
Maxime Bleau, étudiant à la maîtrise sous la supervision du Dr Maurice Ptito École d’optométrie – Université de Montréal
Titre de la présentation: Is there a real advantage in using 3D printing to produce tactile maps for blind individuals?
Auteurs: Maxime Bleau, Natalina Martiniello, Joe Nemargut, Maurice Ptito
3rd Prize ex æquo
Caitlin Murphy, postdoctoral fellow under the supervision of Dr. Aaron Johnson Concordia University
Presentation Title: Drusen of Low Reflectivity and Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Caitlin Murphy, Sophie Hallot, Stephanie Pietrangelo, Michael Kapusta, William Seiple, Aaron Johnson
Virtual Meeting of March 26, 2021
Excellence Award – Group 5 – Oral Presentations
1st Prize
Dominique Geoffrion, PhD student under the supervision of Drs Mona Harissi-Dagher and Robert Koenekoop McGill University
Presentation Title: Tear Film Cytokine Profile of Boston Keratoprosthesis Type 1 Patients with Glaucoma
Authors: Dominique Geoffrion, Marie-Claude Robert, Adriana Di Polo, Robert K. Koenekoop, Younes Agoumi, Mona Harissi-Dagher
2nd Prize
Gabrielle Raîche-Marcoux, Master’s student under the supervision of Dr. Élodie Boisselier Université Laval
Presentation Title: Drug loading and release studies with gold nanoparticles as new drug delivery systems in ophthalmology
Authors: Gabrielle Raîche-Marcoux, Alexis Loiseau, Elodie Boisselier
3rd Prize
Pascale Desjardins, PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Sylvain Guérin Université Laval
Presentation Title: Gold nanoparticles as slow-release drug delivery system for two pharmacological agents to improve corneal wound healing in rabbits
Authors: Pascale Desjardins, Alexis Loiseau, Élodie Boisselier, Lucie Germain, Sylvain Guérin
Excellence Award – Group 6 – Poster Presentations
1st Prize
Anne Xuan-Lan Nguyen, medical student under the supervision of Drs Isabelle Hardy and Patrick R. Boulos McGill University
Presentation Title: Public perception of “laser-assisted” blepharoplasty versus “blade-assisted” blepharoplasty
Authors: Anne Xuan-Lan Nguyen, Victoria C. Leung, Fares Antaki, Isabelle Hardy, Rafic Antonios, Patrick R. Boulos
2nd Prize
Diana Khair, MD fellow under the supervision of Dr. Mona Harissi-Dagher Université de Montréal
Presentation Title: Retroprosthetic Membrane Formation in Boston Keratoprosthesis Type 1: Incidence, Predisposing Factors, Complications and Treatment
Authors: Diana Khair, Roy Daoud, Mona Harissi-Dagher
3rd Prize ex æquo
Stephanie Pietrangelo, Master’s student under the supervision of Dr. Aaron Johnson Université de Montréal
Presentation Title: The Effect of Simulated and Real Vision Impairment on Balance & Posture of Older Adults
Authors: Stephanie Pietrangelo, Sophie Hallot, Caitlin Murphy, Ross Clark, Karen Li, Aaron Johnson
3rd Prize ex æquo
Ahmed Amayen, medical resident under the supervision of Dr. Isabelle Brunette Université de Montréal
Presentation Title: Validating A Non-Contact Corneal Aesthesiometer (NCCA) in Normal Eyes
Authors: Ahmed Amayem, Hamid Orimi, Sharifa Beroual, Charles-Édouard Giguère, Christos Boutopoulos, Isabelle Brunette
Virtual Meeting of May 21, 2021
Excellence Award – Group 7 – Oral Presentations
1st Prize
Anne Xuan-Lan Nguyen, medical student under the supervision of Drs Vincent Quoc-Huy Trinh and Albert Y. Wu McGill University
Presentation Title: Association Between Urinary Thallium and Diabetic Retinopathy
Authors: Anne Xuan-Lan Nguyen, Leonardo Landó, Xuan-Vi Trinh, Jerry Kurian, Albert Y. Wu, Vincent Quoc-Huy Trinh
2nd Prize
Seung Hyun (Sam) Min, PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Robert Hess McGill University
Presentation Title: Ocular dominance plasticity in amblyopia: The shift in ocular dominance depends on the duration of deprivation
Authors: Seung Hyun (Sam) Min, Yiya Chen, Zhifen He, Jiawei Zhou, Robert Hess
3rd Prize
Shikha Gupta, postdoctoral fellow under the supervision of Dr. Walter Wittich School of Optometry – Université de Montréal
Presentation Title: Assistive device use and employment among people with visual impairment in Canada
Authors: Shikha Gupta, Mahadeo Sukhai, Walter Wittich
Excellence Award – Group 8 – Poster Presentations
1st Prize ex æquo
Thomas Brown, PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Michel Cayouette Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM)
Presentation Title: The role of neuron-glia communication in postnatal retinal development
Authors: Thomas Brown, Adele Tufford, Michel Cayouette
1st Prize ex æquo
Aurélie Fuentes-Rodriguez, Master’s student under the supervision of Dr. Solange Landreville Université Laval
Presentation Title: Generation of isogenic lines for GNAQ/GNA11 and BAP1 mutations using CRISPR/Cas9 as models for ocular melanoma
Authors: Aurélie Fuentes-Rodriguez, Andrew Mitchell, Solange Landreville
2nd Prize
Philippe Germain, Master’s student under the supervision of Dr. Jean-François Bouchard School of Optometry – Université de Montréal
Presentation Title: Contribution of the GPR55 receptor to synaptogenesis
Authors: Philippe Germain, Aurélie Stil, Samuel Laroche, Jean-François Bouchard
3rd Prize
Atul Jaiswal, postdoctoral fellow under the supervision of Dr. Walter Wittich School of Optometry – Université de Montréal
Presentation Title: Enablers and Barriers in the Continuum of Care for Older Adults with Concurrent Vision and Hearing Loss: A Scoping Review
Authors: Atul Jaiswal, Peter Holzhey, Chantal Kreidy, Abinethaa Paramasivam, Sangeetha Santhakumaran, Shirley Dumassais, Gabrielle Aubin, Shikha Gupta, Walter Wittich
4th Prize ex æquo
Véronique Chouinard, Master’s student under the supervision of Dr. Matthieu Vanni School of Optometry – Université de Montréal
Presentation Title: Impact of cortical visual area inactivation on perception in mice
Authors: Véronique Chouinard, Matthieu Vanni
4th Prize ex æquo
Samuel Paré, PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Maurice Ptito Université de Montréal
Presentation Title: A Quantitative Analysis of the Atrophy of the Retinofugal Projections in Congenital and Late-Onset Blindness
Authors: Samuel Paré, Maurice Ptito, Laurence Dricot, Carlo Cavaliere, Francesco Tomaiuolo, Ron Kupers
Accreditation
The virtual meetings have been accredited by the Accreditation Bureau of the University of Montreal for Physicians of Quebec. Certificates will be issued after the last meeting.
You will find further important details on our partner’s website: Fourwaves
Additional documentation
ANNALS of eye science journal
Mandatory if publication authorized by the main author – must be completed by all authors
If you have difficulty opening the journal’s COI disclosure form, refer to this link and follow the instructions: ICMJE, http://www.icmje.org/conflicts-of-interest/
24th Annual Meeting of the Vision Health Research Network
The 24th annual meeting of the RRSV, held on March 18, 2019, at Université Laval, was a great success thanks to the participation of more than 200 students, postdoctoral fellows, researchers, physicians, specialists and other professionals involved in vision health research. This meeting allowed our recently appointed director, Michel Cayouette, to introduce himself to the members of the Network present at the meeting. For the occasion, Dr. Cayouette paid tribute to our outgoing director, Dr. Isabelle Brunette, who completed a 6-year term as director of the Network in 2018.
Students and researchers from the Network presented more than 40 oral presentations and more than 60 poster presentations.
For the occasion, our guest speaker, Dr. Shigeru Kinoshita, professor at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, did us the honor of presenting his most recent work (biography below).
The popular science competition “My research in a Wink” was a huge success with our members. Six students from different academic levels (MSc, PhD and MD student) managed to popularize their research work in less than 3 minutes! Congratulations to our participants!
We would like to thank the five speakers for their involvement in the “Information and research strategies for residents” component. Thanks to them, ophthalmology residents were able to learn more about clinical research as an option in their academic curriculum.
At the end of the day, the Network awarded 15 prizes for the best presentations, two of which were presented by the “Interdisciplinary Research Center in Rehabilitation of Metropolitan Montreal” (CRIR)
Category Oral Presentations
Group 1 – Brain and Perception Session
Excellence Award
Alexandre Reynaud, Postdoctoral fellow, McGill University (Lab: Dr. Robert Hess)
Title: Interocular normalization in the primary visual cortex of the monkey
Excellence Award
Seung Hyun Min, Master’s student, McGill University (Lab: Dr. Robert Hess)
Title: The effects of monocular deprivation do not accumulate across days in adults with normal vision
Group 2 – Cornea and Anterior Segment, Visual Impairment and Rehabilitation Session
Excellence Award
Sébastien Méthot, PhD student, Université Laval (Lab: Dr. Patrick J. Rochette)
Title: Mitochondrial “burnout” of corneal endothelial cells in Fuchs’ dystrophy
Excellence Award – Presented by CRIR
Andrea Urqueta Alfaro, Postdoctoral fellow, Université de Montréal (Lab: Dr. Walter Wittich)
Title: Sensitivity and specificity of an interview-based assessment for identifying dual vision and hearing loss in older adults with and without risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment
Group 3 – Retina and Posterior Segment Session
Excellence Award
Michael Housset, Postdoctoral fellow, McGill University (Lab: Dr. Michel Cayouette)
Title: Planar polarization of cone photoreceptors in the mouse retina
Excellence Award
Heberto Quintero, Postdoctoral fellow, Université de Montréal (Lab: Dr. Adriana Di Polo)
Title: Altered mitochondria transport and reduced expression of mitochondrial trafficking proteins in glaucoma
Groupe 4 « My Research in a Wink » Session
Excellence Award
Diane Sayah, PhD student, Université de Montréal (Lab: Drs Mark Lesk and Santiago Costantino)
Title: Ocular rigidity is correlated with glaucomatous structural damage
Category Poster Presentations
Excellence Award – Group 5
Corina Lacombre, Undergraduate student, Concordia University (Lab: Dr. Aaron Johnson)
Title: The impact of affect on environmental scene perception
Excellence Award – Group 6
Hugo Ladret, Master’s student, Université de Montréal (Lab: Dr. Christian Casanova)
Title: Learning dynamics in a neural network model of the primary visual cortex
Excellence Award – Group 7
Jiaru Liu, Master’s and Medical student, McGill University (Lab: Dr. Ayesha Khan)
Title: Assessment of WINROP algorithm as a screening tool for detection of retinopathy of prematurity: the Montreal experience
Excellence Award – Group 8
Maude Vinette, Master’s student, McGill University (Lab: Dr. Michel Cayouette)
Title: The endocytic adaptor protein Numb functions in Müller glia to maintain retinal polarity and photoreceptor survival through the polarity determinant Crumbs
Excellence Award – Group 9
Anne-Sophie Laurin, PhD student, Université de Montréal (Lab: Dr. Aarlenne Khan)
Title: Reliance on central vs. peripheral vision for visual search in younger and older adults
Excellence Award – Group 9, Presented by CRIR
Nathalie Martinello, PhD student, Université de Montréal (Lab: Dr. Walter Wittich)
Title: Exploring the facilitators and barriers encountered by adults and seniors with acquired vision loss who pursue braille training
Excellence Award – Group 10, Presented by CRIR
Tapan Agnihotri, McGill University (Lab: Dr. Jean-Sébastien Joyal)
Title: Pathological Neovascularization in Retinopathy of Prematurity is regulated by Heme-derived Iron Trafficking
Excellence Award – Group 11
Visou Ady, Postdoctoral fellow, Université de Montréal (Lab: Dr. Christian Casanova)
Title: How to optimize the visual contrast response of cortical neurons
For a second year, a special edition of the journal “Annals of Eye Science” gathering authorized abstracts is now available. Link to the special edition (December 2019) of the journal and the editorial, signed Michel Cayouette.
Guest Speaker
Name
Axis
Department
Institution
Address
Phone
E-mail
Website
Dr. Shigeru Kinoshita
–
–
–
–
–
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Dr. Shigeru Kinoshita, a clinician-scientist, graduated from Osaka University School of Medicine in 1974. In 1992, he served as Professor and Chairman of Ophthalmology at Kyoto Prefectural Medical University. Due to his resignation from the Chair of Ophthalmology in March 2015, in April of the same year, he was elected Professor and Chairman of Advanced Medical Science and Technology in Ophthalmology at Kyoto Prefectural Medical University. He has always worked as a distinguished clinical scientist.
In the early 1980s at Harvard Medical School, in collaboration with Dr. Richard A. Thoft, he established the concept of centripetal movement of the corneal epithelium and his research work has emphasized the importance of the limbal epithelium. Over the past 40 years, his primary interest has been in the translational search for new therapeutic modalities for severe corneal diseases. Following this path, his group has recently established a cultured mucosal epithelial stem cell transplantation system for the treatment of severe ocular surface disorders, such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome and corneal endothelial cell transplantation for bullous keratopathy. His group has also demonstrated the clinical efficacy of a topical application of Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) inhibitor for partial endothelial dysfunction, aiming to develop new treatments for corneal endothelial dysfunction.
Dr. Kinoshita is a recipient of the Alcon Research Institute Award in 1999, the ARVO Gold Award in 2009, the Charles D. Kelman Innovation Award, ASCRS 2015, and has received several lecture awards (Castroviejo Lecturer Medal 2008 from the Cornea Society, Doyne Memorial Lecturer Award from the Oxford Congress of Ophthalmology in 2011 in the United Kingdom, The Coster Lecture Award from the Cornea Society of Australia and New Zealand in 2017, Friedenwal Award at ARVO in 2016, and the David Easty Lecture Award at Bowman’s Club in 2017). He was a member of the ARVO Cornea Section Program Committee from 1996 to 1999, a member of the ARVO Cornea Section Board of Directors from 2006 to 2011, and ARVO Vice President in 2010-2011.
Conference Title: Advanced Therapies for Corneal Endothelial Dysfunction
The Network thanks all the participants, volunteers, evaluators and organizers who made the day run smoothly.
23rd Annual Meeting of the Vision Health Research Network
The 23rd annual meeting on November 7, 2017, held at CHU-Sainte-Justine, was crowned with success thanks to the participation of more than 250 students, post-doctoral fellows, researchers, doctors, specialists, etc.
This year, thanks to your loyal involvement, we were able to reach an impressive number of presentations (posters and orals combined), namely 150, thus reaching a peak since the creation of the annual meetings of the network. At the end of this day, we were able to award 16 prizes to reward the best oral and poster presentations (link to winners ).
Category – Oral Presentations
Brain and Perception Session
Excellence Award
Marianne Groleau, Université de Montréal (Lab: Dr. Elvire Vaucher)
Title: Longitudinal mapping of the visual cortical network following partial optic nerve injury
Retina and Posterior Segment Session
1st Prize – Excellence Award
Mercedes Gauthier, École de technologie supérieure (Lab: Dr. Pierre Lachapelle)
Title: Full-field retinal activity localization using multi-angular ERG
2nd Prize – Excellence Award
Aïcha Dédé Djigo, Université Laval (Lab: Dr. Stéphanie Proulx)
Title: Bioengineering of choroidal substitutes to model the choroid
Cornea and Anterior Segment, Visual Impairment and Rehabilitation Session
Excellence Award
Bianka Lussier, Université de Montréal (Lab: Dr. Walter Wittich)
Title: Electronic glasses for reading music: the eSight assessment
Category – Poster Presentations
Excellence Award – Fondation Antoine-Turmel
Anne-Sophie Laurin, Undergraduate student, Université de Montréal (Lab: Dr. Aarlenne Khan)
Title: Peripheral attentional allocation during visual search in the presence of an artificial scotoma in younger and older adults
Excellence Award
Christelle Doyon, Undergraduate student, Université de Montréal (Lab: Dr. Isabelle Brunette)
Title: Étude rétrospective des cas de maladie de greffon contre hôte et leur association avec les maladies de greffon contre hôte oculaire chez les enfants avec greffe de moelle osseuse à l’hôpital Sainte-Justine entre 2000 et 2016
Excellence Award
Jia Yue You, Medical student, McGill University (Lab: Dr. Pierre Lachapelle)
Title: Comparing the RETeval™ portable ERG device with a more traditional ERG system: normal subjects and selected retinopathies
Excellence Award
Robert Tremblay-Laliberté, Master’s student, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (Lab: Dr. Denis Boire)
Title: Expression des transporteurs vésiculaires du glutamate VGluT1 et VGluT2 dans les circuits visuels de la souris
Excellence Award
Alexandra Bélanger, Master’s student, McGill University (Lab: Dr. Pia Wintermark)
Title: What Is The Role Of Sildenafil In Repairing Retinopathy Of Prematurity?
Excellence Award
Julius Baya Mdzomba, PhD student, Université Laval (Lab: Dr. Vincent Pernet)
Title: L’inactivation de Nogo-A améliore la récupération visuelle après une blessure excitotoxique induite par le N-méthyl-D-Aspartate dans la rétine de souris
Excellence Award – Fondation Antoine-Turmel
Caitlin Murphy, PhD student, Université de Montréal (Lab: Dr. Olga Overbury)
Title: Cognitive Impairment and Age-related Macular Degeneration: A Possible Genetic Link
Excellence Award
Rahmeh Othman, PhD student, Université de Montréal (Lab: Drs Réjean Couture and Elvire Vaucher)
Title: Le rôle de la synthase inductible du monoxyde d’azote dans les effets délétères du récepteur B1 des Kinines dans la rétinopathie diabétique
Excellence Award
Vanessa Harrar, Postdoctoral fellow, Université de Montréal (Lab: Dr. Aarlenne Khan)
Title: Audio-visual multiple object tracking
Excellence Award
Sheetal Pundir, Postdoctoral fellow, Université de Montréal (Lab: Dr. Jean-Sébastien Joyal)
Title: Glycolysis promotes retinal revascularization in a mouse model of proliferative retinopathy
Excellence Award – Fondation Antoine-Turmel
Erika Hooker, Postdoctoral fellow, Université de Montréal (Lab: Dr. Bruno Larrivée)
Title: Characterization of a novel anti-angiogenic protein for the treatment of exudative AMD
Excellence Award
Allison Dorfman, Research staff, McGill University (Lab: Dr. Pierre Lachapelle)
Title: Exploring multifocal electroretinography in pediatrics: a story of patients and patience
The annual meeting was preceded by the first International Symposium on Retinal and Choroidal Angiogenesis organized by Dr. Sylvain Chemtob and was also very unifying. About a hundred participants traveled to attend the presentations given by leading researchers in the field.
For the occasion, Dr. Anne Eichman, internationally renowned professor at Yale University, was the guest of honor at both events to present her most recent results (biography below).
Novelty
Following the initiative of Ms. Tianwei Ellen Zhou, medical student and president of the RRSV student committee, the journal ”Annals of Eye Science” was a partner of the event. A special edition (March 2018) is now available online and brings together the abstracts authorized by the authors presented at the Symposium and the annual meeting. The preface is signed by Drs. Isabelle Brunette, Sylvain Chemtob and Tianwei Ellen Zhou.
Dr. Anne Eichmann is a renowned vascular biologist who has made many important breakthroughs in the field of retinal neovascularization. Professor of cardiology at Yale University and faculty member of the Paris Cardiovascular Research Center, she has also served on the Scientific Research Council of INSERM, the European Research Council, the Lefoulon Delalande Foundation Grants Council, and on the editorial boards of several scientific journals, including Physiology Reviews and Endothelium. Following a master’s degree at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel, she obtained a PhD in molecular and cellular biology from the University of Paris XIII, followed by postdoctoral training in the Nicole le Douarin laboratory.
Anne Eichmann’s research focuses on discovering and characterizing factors that control blood vessel development, as well as understanding how the vascular and nervous systems influence each other during development. Her work, focusing on the molecular and cellular relationships between the nervous and vascular systems, has led to a better understanding of the mechanisms governing retinal vascularization. Important discoveries include demonstrating the role of Slit2 in retinal vascular development and preventing pathological retinal neovascularization. Her research has led to the publication of numerous scientific articles in prestigious journals such as Nature, The Journal of Clinical Investigation, Blood, and Nature Medicine.
Dr. Eichmann has been honored with numerous research awards throughout her career, including those of the Liliane Bettencourt Foundation for Life Sciences, the Chevalier de l’Ordre national du mérite, the Inserm research award and the Jean Bernard Prize from the Fondation de recherche médicale.
Conference Title: New Approaches for the Prevention of Pathological Retinal Neovascularization
The Network thanks all the participants, volunteers, evaluators and organizers who made the day run smoothly.
The network thanks you for being there in such large numbers!
22nd Annual Meeting of the FRQS Vision Health Research Network
The 22nd annual meeting of the RRSV was held on November 4, 2016 at Collège André-Grasset in Montreal. This event brought together 252 students, researchers, clinicians and other professionals involved in vision health research. For the occasion, we welcomed a renowned guest speaker, Dr. Denis Pelli who presented his work (biography below). The program also included 45 oral presentations and 83 posters. Congratulations to all the presenters for their excellent work!
Dr. Denis Pelli has been a professor of psychology and neuroscience at New York University since 1995. He serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Vision and Plos ONE. He began his studies in applied mathematics at Harvard University and later earned a PhD in the physiology of vision at the University of Cambridge, under the supervision of Campbell and Robson.
Dr. Pelli’s current research interests include object and letter recognition, visual crowding, and the experience of beauty. Dr. Pelli is recognized for his many major discoveries and theories in the field of vision research, as well as for the development of several tools, such as the Psychotoolbox, the QUEST algorithm, or the Pelli-Robson scale. During his career, Dr. Pelli has published several articles in prestigious journals including Nature and Science. His remarkable contribution to vision science has laid the foundations of our modern understanding of object recognition.
He is a recipient of the Leadership Award/New Focus Prize from the American Optical Society.
His talk focused on using psychophysics and machine learning to understand object recognition and detection.
Category – Oral Presentations
Brain and Perception Session
Excellence Award
Dave Liu, McGill University (Lab: Dr. Christopher Pack)
Title: The causal contribution of MT to motion perception is dependent on the motion attribute during training
Retina and Posterior Segment Session
1st Prize – Excellence Award – Fondation Antoine-Turmel
Elisabeth Andriessen, Université de Montréal (Lab: Dr. Mike Sapieha)
Title: High-fat diet exacerbates CNV by altering gut microbiota
2nd Prize – Excellence Award
Sheetal Pundir, McGill University (Lab: Dr. Jean-Sébastien Joyal)
Title: Lack of Sirt3 promotes faster revascularization by shifting energy metabolism in mouse model of retinopathy
Cornea and Anterior Segment, Visual Impairment and Rehabilitation, and Public Health Session
Excellence Award
Corinne Zinflou, Université Laval (Lab: Dr. Patrick Rochette)
Title: Caractérisation des effets précoces de l’oxydation induite par les rayons ultraviolets-A dans la cornée
Category – Oral Presentations by Graduating PhD Students
Excellence Award
Mira Chamoun, Graduating PhD student, Université de Montréal (Lab: Dr. Elvire Vaucher)
Title: Effet de la stimulation cholinergique sur la perception visuelle chez le rat et l’humain: études comportementales et électrophysiologiques
Excellence Award
Trésor Chiasseu, Graduating PhD student, Université de Montréal (Lab: Dr. Adriana Di Polo)
Title: The role of tau protein in retinal ganglion cell death: the cases of glaucoma and Alzheimer’s disease
Category – Poster Presentations
Excellence Award
Alexandra Beaudry-Richard, Undergraduate student, Université de Montréal (Lab: Dr. Sylvain Chemtob)
Title: A Non-Competitive Inhibitor of Interleukin-1 Receptor Improves Vascular Damage in Retina, Choroid and Brain of Neonates and Adolescents Induced by Gestational Inflammation in a Murine Model of Premature Birth
Excellence Award
Milime Keyeutat, Undergraduate student, Université Laval (Lab: Dr. Béatrice Des Marchais)
Title: Plan d’intervention visant la qualité de l’acte médical concernant l’iridotomie au laser
Excellence Award
Jade Marie Edenvirg Lasiste, Master’s student, McGill University (Lab: Dr. Miguel N. Bernier)
Title: Metformin inhibits survival, migration, and production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in human uveal melanoma cells
Excellence Award
Angela Zhang, Master’s student, McGill University (Lab: Dr. Reza Farivar)
Title: Monkeys see snakes like humans do: A comparative analysis of internal noise and efficiency in contour integration
Excellence Award
Sarah Bernier, PhD student, Université Laval (Lab: Dr. Christian Salesse)
Title: Systematic analysis of the expression, solubilization and purification of fusion proteins expressed in E. coli using the photoreceptor protein R9AP
Excellence Award
Loraine Georgy, PhD student, McGill University (Lab: Dr. Alain Ptito)
Title: The superior colliculus is sensitive to gestalt-like stimulus configuration in hemispherectomy patients
Excellence Award
Diane Sayah, PhD student, Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont (Lab: Dr. Mark Lesk)
Title: Ocular rigidity differences between myopic and non-myopic eyes as measured with a novel non-invasive method based on high-speed OCT imaging
Excellence Award – Fondation Antoine-Turmel
Javier Mazzaferri, Research staff, Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont (Lab: Dr. Santiago Costantino)
Title: Open source algorithm for automatic choroid 3D segmentation of OCT volume reconstructions
Excellence Award – Fondation Antoine-Turmel
Khalil Miloudi, Postdoctoral fellow, McGill University (Lab: Dr. Mike Sapieha)
Title: Non-canonical Notch signalling induces pathological vascular permeability in diabetic retinopathy
The Network thanks all the participants, as well as the team of volunteers having allowed the smooth running of this day.
21st Annual Meeting of the FRQS Vision Health Research Network
The 21st Annual Meeting of the RRSV was held on November 6, 2015 at Université Laval in Quebec City. This event brought together 220 students, researchers, clinicians and other professionals involved in vision health research. Two invited speakers presented their cutting-edge research and achievements, Drs. Jeffrey L. Goldberg and Margareta Claesson (bios below). The program included 37 oral presentations, 70 posters and 9 workshops and focus groups. Congratulations to all presenters for their excellent work!
The keynote speaker for the plenary session was Dr. Jeffrey L. Goldberg. Dr. Goldberg is an ophthalmologist and Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford University in California. His clinical practice focuses on patients requiring medical or surgical intervention for glaucoma and other diseases of the retina and optic nerves, as well as cataracts. His research focuses on neuroprotection and regeneration of retinal ganglion cells and other retinal neurons. In addition, his laboratory develops novel stem cell and nanotherapeutic approaches for ocular treatment.
Dr. Goldberg received his BS magna cum laude from Yale University and his MD from Stanford University, where he made important discoveries about optic nerve regeneration failure. He completed his clinical training in ophthalmology and then glaucoma at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and was a Heed Foundation Fellow. He was named Scientist of the Year in 2010 by the Hope for Vision Foundation and received the Cogan Award from the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology in 2012. He was elected to the American Society of Clinical Investigation, an honor society of physician scientists, in 2010. He directs an NIH-funded laboratory and oversees research in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of California, San Diego. His goal is to translate scientific discoveries into medical practice for application to patients. He has already developed significant experience with the implementation of clinical trials, having successfully completed two Investigational New Drugs with the FDA for Phase I trials for neuroprotection and optic nerve regeneration.
His lecture focused on recent technological advances applied to optic nerve regeneration in the context of glaucoma and other optic neuropathies, and on cell therapy in corneal endothelial diseases.
The guest speaker for the Cornea and Anterior Segment session was Dr Margareta Claesson. Dr Claesson has been a surgical ophthalmologist at Sahlgrenska University Hospital since 1979 and a senior consultant since 1996. Her main interests are corneal diseases and corneal surgery. She is the medical director of the Cornea Clinic, as well as the medical director of the Eye Bank at Sahlgrenska Hospital. She is responsible for the Swedish Cornea Register, which she founded in 1996, and she is president of the Swedish Cornea Surgeon Society, which she also founded in 1994.
Dr Margareta Claesson completed her medical and PhD studies at the University of Gothenburg Medical School, Gothenburg, Sweden. Her research interests are corneal transplantation outcomes and factors influencing graft survival and visual outcome. She was awarded the Serving Sister of the Order of St John, for her work at St-John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem.
His presentation focused on the establishment and maintenance of a corneal transplant registry for clinical and research purposes.
Category – Oral Presentations
Session – Retina and Posterior Segment
Excellence Award
Anthony Flamier, (Lab: Dr. Gilbert Bernier)
Title: Derivation of human retinal sheets from pluripotent stem cells
Excellence Award
Khalil Miloudi, (Lab: Dr. Mike Sapieha)
Title: Truncated netrin-1 induces vascular permeability in diabetic retinopathy
Session – Cornea and Anterior Segment and Visual Impairment and Rehabilitation
Excellence Award
Marie Dorr, (Lab: Dr. Patrick Rochette)
Title: Absence de cancer UV-induit dans la cornée humaine; comparaison de la réponse au stress génotoxique de l’épithélium cornéen et de l’épiderme humain
Session – Brain and Perception
Excellence Award
Daniel Spiegel, (Lab: Dr. Reza Farivar)
Title: Abnormal visual processing in mild traumatic brain injury patients identified by quick contrast sensitivity function
Category – Oral Presentation by a Graduating PhD Student
Excellence Award
Mathieu Gauvin, (Lab: Pierre Lachapelle)
Title: Unmasking ERG ON-OFF interactions with the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT)
Prix d’excellence
Ankush Madaan, (lab: Sylvain Chemtob)
Titre: GPR81 (HCA1), a Novel Lactate Receptor, mediates the Development of Vasculature in Mice Retina
Category – Poster Presentations
Session – Retina and Posterior Segment
Excellence Award
Ali Belayachi, (Lab: Dr. Bruno Larrivée)
Title: Rôle dans l’angiogenèse des BMP-récepteurs de type-II dans la signalisation d’ALK1
Excellence Award
Mustapha Lhor, (Lab: Dr. Christian Salesse)
Title: Retinol dehydrogenases, membrane binding enzymes for the visual function
Excellence Award
Kalo Ntumba, (Lab: Dr. Bruno Larrivée)
Title: Rôle de l’axe BMP9/ALK1 dans l’angiogénèse pathologique rétinienne
Excellence Award
Sarah Roy, (Lab: Dr. Christian Salesse)
Title: Analyses spectrofluorimétriques du segment transmembranaire de la RGS9-1 Anchor Protein (R9AP) bovine
Session – Cornea and Anterior Segment
Excellence Award
Jean-Michel Bourget, (Lab: Dr. Isabelle Brunette)
Title: Amélioration de la densité des cellules endothéliales cornéennes en monocouche
Excellence Award
Diane Sayah, (Lab: Dr. Mark Lesk)
Title: Validity testing of a novel non-invasive clinical method to measure ocular rigidity
Excellence Award
Mathieu Thériault, (Lab: Dr. Stéphanie Proulx)
Title: Caractérisation de fonctionnalité endothéliale cornéenne dans un modèle in vitro de la dystrophie de Fuchs
Session – Brain and Perception
Excellence Award
Ian Massé, (Lab: Dr. Denis Boire)
Title: Effets de l’énucléation sur les connexions corticocorticales directes et réciproques entre le cortex visuel et somatosensoriel primaire de la souris
Session – Visual Impairment and Rehabilitation
Excellence Award
Michel Fries, (Lab: Dr. Michel Cayouette)
Title: Uncovering the mechanisms of childhood retinal degeneration mediated by Neuropathy Target Esterase mutations
Category – Presentation by a Research Assistant
Excellence Award
Sandrine Joly, (Lab: Dr. Vincent Pernet)
Title: S1PR1 est impliqué dans la résistance des cellules ganglionnaires de la rétine à la blessure du nerf optique chez la souris adulte
The Network thanks all the participants, as well as the team of volunteers having allowed the smooth running of this day.
20th Annual Meeting of the FRQS Vision Health Research Network
The 20th annual meeting of the RRSV was held on November 28, 2014 at the Montreal Hilton. This event brought together nearly 300 students, researchers, clinicians and other professionals working in the field of vision health. The day’s program included 46 oral presentations and 96 posters.
Guest speaker Gislin Dagnelie, associate professor of ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, presented recent discoveries in the field of retinal implants. These state-of-the-art devices offer hope for blind people to partially regain their sight.
The Network congratulates all the presenters for their excellent work. The Network would also like to give special thanks to the team of volunteers who made the day run smoothly.
Category – Oral Presentations
Session Retina and Posterior Segment
Excellence Award – 1st Place
Khalil Miloudi, (Lab: Dr. Mike Sapieha)
Title: Une molécule issue de la dégradation de la nétrine-1 lors de la rétinopathie diabétique est impliquée dans l’augmentation de la perméabilité vasculaire
Excellence Award – 2nd Place
Marine Lacomme, (Lab: Dr. Michel Cayouette)
Title: Numb regulates axonal homeostasis
Session Cornea and Anterior Segment
Excellence Award
Cristina Bostan, (Lab: Dr. Isabelle Brunette)
Title: In vivo functionality of a corneal endothelium transplanted by cell-injection therapy in the anterior chamber of a feline endothelial deficiency model
Session Brain and Perception
Excellence Award – 1st Place
Gunnar Schmidtmann, (Lab: Dr. Frédérick Kingdom)
Title: Shape recognition: convexities, concavities and things in between
Jerome Carriot, (Lab: Dr. Kathleen Cullen)
Title: Vestibular coding strategies for representing natural self-motion
Category – Oral Presentation by a Finishing PhD
Excellence Award
Sébastien Tremblay, (Lab: Dr. Julio Martinez-Trujillo)
Title: Instantaneous filtering of visual information by neuronal ensembles in the primate prefrontal cortex
Category – Visual Impairment and Rehabilitation Oral and Poster Presentations
CRIR-RRSV Award Best Presentation in the Visual Impairment and Rehabilitation Axis
Jonathan Jarry, (Lab: Dr. Walter Wittich)
Title: Training of Occupational Therapists in Sensory Impairment: Are we doing enough?
Category – Poster Presentations
Session Retina and Posterior Segment
Excellence Award
Jessica Agostinone, (Lab: Dr. Adriana Di Polo)
Title: Insulin promotes dendrite regeneration after axonal injury through activation of mTORC1 and mTORC2
Excellence Award
Ali Belayachi, (Lab: Dr. Bruno Larrivée)
Title: Role of type II BMP receptors in ALK1 signalling
Excellence Award
Marius Chiasseu, (Lab: Dr. Adriana Di Polo)
Title: Increased retinal tau is neurotoxic in experimental glaucoma
Excellence Award
Samy Omri, (Lab: Dr. Sylvain Chemtob)
Title: Discovery of novel CD36 receptor modulators as potential drug candidates for choroidal neovascularization
Session Cornea and Anterior Segment
Excellence Award
Julia Talajic, (Lab: Dr. Mark Terry)
Title: DSAEK : Endothelial Cell Loss is Greater for Pseudophakic Bullous Keratopathy than for Fuchs’ Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy
Session Brain and Perception<
Excellence Award
Tiphaine Dolique, (Lab: Dr. Frédéric Charron)
Title: Loss of depth perception by genetic silencing of ipsilateral retinal projections
Excellence Award
Vanessa Hadid, (Lab: Dr. Franco Lepore)
Title: Performance visuelle et réhabilitation chez le sujet hémianopsique
Excellence Award
Bruno Richard, (Lab: Dr. Aaron Johnson)
Title: The effects of trans-cranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on the Contrast Sensitivity Function
We look forward to seeing you in large numbers at the 21st Annual Meeting of the RRSV which will take place on November 6, 2015 at Laval University in Quebec.
19th Annual Meeting of the FRQS Vision Health Research Network
The 19th annual meeting of the FRQS Vision Health Research Network was held on November 22, 2013, at the Hilton Bonaventure in Montreal. Once again this year, this day broke its participation records and we are very proud of it.
Particular emphasis was placed on the new research program in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) that the Network is responsible for setting up. The afternoon sessions covered the different aspects of this issue, from the most fundamental to the most clinical. The expertise of the guest speaker, Martin Friedlander, MD, PhD, Scripps Research Institute, CA, helped to elaborate on the subject of stem cells, one of the very promising aspects for the future of AMD treatment.
Finally, the students also participated actively by submitting various proposals on how to develop a structured research program on AMD in Quebec. We would like to congratulate our students for the quality of their various interventions and their numerous presentations throughout the day. Several of them were awarded a prize for this purpose.
Category – Oral Presentations
Session Cornea and Anterior Segment / Visual Impairment and Rehabilitation
Best Oral Presentation – Finishing PhD Category
Renaud Manuguerra, (Lab: Dr. Mark Lesk)
Title: Thérapie cellulaire pour le glaucome : activation de cellules progénitrices oculaires par facteurs paracrines des cellules souches mésenchymales
Best Oral Presentation – Graduate Student Category
Virginia Kenyon, (Lab: Dr. Walter Wittich)
Title: Combined vision and hearing loss: exploring the stigma of assistive technology through discourse analysis of Canadian media
Best Oral Presentation – Graduate Student Category
Marie-Catherine Drigeard-Desgarnier, (Lab: Dr. Patrick Rochette)
Title: Étude comparative de la réparation des dommages mutagènes induits par les rayons ultraviolets dans les cellules épithéliales de la cornée et les kératinocytes de l’épiderme
Session Retina and Posterior Segment
Best Oral Presentation – Finishing PhD Category
Ankush Madaan, (Lab: Dr. Sylvain Chemtob)
Title: Regulation of retinal angiogenesis by a novel lactate receptor, gpr81
Best Oral Presentation – Graduate Student Category
Agustin Cerani, (Lab: Dr. Przemyslaw Sapieha)
Title: Neuron-derived semaphorin 3A is an early inducer of vascular permeability in diabetic retinopathy via neuropilin-1
Best Oral Presentation – Graduate Student Category
Suna Jung, (Lab: Drs. Pierre Lachapelle and Pia Wintermark)
Title: Contre toute attente, l’hypoxie-ischémie néonatale affecte aussi la rétine
Session Brain and Perception
Best Oral Presentation – Finishing PhD Category
Ashkan Golzar, (Lab: Dr. Erik Cook)
Title: Linking neural activity to visual correlation computations
Best Oral Presentation – Graduate Student Category
Chiara Perico, (Lab: Dr. Armando Bertone)
Title: Training the brain to learn using an automated attention task: assessing the role of feedback
Best Oral Presentation – Graduate Student Category
Gunnar Schmidtamann, (Lab: Dr. Gunter Loffler)
Title: Inferior superiority: shape discrimination is best in the lower visual field
18th Annual Meeting of the FRQS Vision Health Research Network
The 18th annual meeting of the FRQS Vision Health Research Network was held on October 19, 2012, at the Hilton Bonaventure in Montreal. This day was a success and we thank you warmly. Together, we demonstrated that Quebec is an important player in the field of vision health research by bringing together 300 participants who came to listen to 151 presentations (oral and poster) that mainly involved students.
Category – Oral Presentations
Session Cornea and Anterior Segment / Visual Impairment and Rehabilitation
Best Oral Presentation – Finishing PhD Category
Pascal Belleau, (Lab: Dr. Vincent Raymond)
Title: Mapping of the first modifier locus for glaucoma severity within the GLC1K region at 20p12
Best Oral Presentation – Finishing PhD Category
Kanawarpal Singh, (Lab: Dr. Mark Lesk and Dr. Santiago Costantino)
Title: Pulsatile movement of the optic nerve head and the peripapillary retina in normal subjects and in glaucoma
Session Brain and Perception
Best Oral Presentation – Finishing PhD Category
Mina Gheiratmand, (Lab: Dr. Kathy T. Mullen)
Title: A dual role for human color vision in shape processing: psychophysical evidence for isotropic and orientation-tuned responses
Category – Poster Presentations
Best Poster Presentation – Undergraduate Students in Clinical or Basic Research
Yasmin Kerouch, (Lab: Dr. Pierre Lachapelle)
Title: An environmental enrichment (EE) prevents the rodent light-induced retinopathy (LIR)
Best Poster Presentation – Graduate Students in Basic Research
Barbara Morquette, (Lab: Dr. Adriana Di Polo)
Title: mTOR activity rescues retinal ganglion cell dendritic arbors and glutamatergic inputs after axonal lesion in vivo
Best Poster Presentation – Graduate Students in Basic Research
Ariel Wilson, (Lab: Dr. Adriana Di Polo)
Title: p53 activators ASPP1 and ASPP2 regulate retinal ganglion cell death in vivo via regulation of Fas/CD95 and PUMA
Best Poster Presentation – Graduate Students in Basic Research
Hosni Cherif, (Lab: Dr. Jean-François Bouchard)
Title: Le récepteur gpr55 module le développement du système nerveux visuel
Meilleure présentation par affiche dans la catégorie étudiants gradués en recherche fondamentale
Agustin Cerani, (lab: Dr Mike Sapieha)
Titre: Semaphorin 3a induces vascular permeability in diabetic retinopathy
Best Poster Presentation – Graduate Students in Clinical Research
Mathieu Gauvin, (Lab: Dr. Pierre Lachapelle)
Title: Docteur, quand deviendrai-je aveugle? Étude rétrospective de cas choisis dans la banque de diagnostics fonctionnels de pathologies rétiniennes du RRSV
Best Poster Presentation – Graduate Students in Clinical Research
Simon Clavagnier, (Lab: Dr. Robert Hess)
Title: Long lasting contrast sensitivity improvement after daily cTBS sessions in adults with amblyopia
Best Poster Presentation – Research Assistants
Éric Lapalme, (Lab: Dr. Mike Sapieha)
Title: The omega-3 fatty acid metabolite 4-HDHA reduces VEGF-induced choroidal neovascularization in a VEGFR2-independent manner
We would like to congratulate our students for the quality of their presentations, which made this day so interesting and stimulating.