BrightFocus Foundation, a leading nonprofit funder of innovative research to defeat Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration and glaucoma, has appointed John S. Penn, PhD, professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, to its board of directors. Penn is the holder of the Knights Templar Eye Foundation Directorship in Pediatric Vision Research.
“We are honored to welcome Dr. Penn to the BrightFocus board of directors,” said President and CEO Stacy Pagos Haller. “His deep expertise in research and strategic leadership will help drive our mission forward as we continue to support groundbreaking scientific discoveries to protect mind and sight.”
A leader in the field of retinal disease research, Penn has been continuously funded as a principal investigator by the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health since 1984. His distinguished career includes serving on the governing boards of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology and the International Society for Eye Research, as well as scientific advisory panels for multiple vision research organizations, including previous service to BrightFocus as a member of its Macular Degeneration Research Scientific Review Committee.
With nearly 150 original scientific publications and a legacy of mentorship, Penn has made significant contributions to the eye research community.
“I’ve dedicated my professional life to understanding blinding eye diseases and developing effective treatments to address them,” Penn said. “I am honored by the invitation to serve on the BrightFocus board and look forward with excitement to helping BrightFocus address its mission and achieve its goals.”
