Advance Conference Program

With the theme of "Making Connections", the 2025 Advance Conference will include sessions on topics to help you with networking, such as developing an elevator pitch, making yourself visible to others and finding connections. Other sessions will focus on collaboration-related topics, like finding new collaborators, building diverse networks while maintaining existing ones and participating in interdisciplinary projects.

By attending this Conference, you will benefit from access to:

• Keynote speakers: Thought leaders sharing their learned experiences
• Lightning talks: Snippets of advice to develop your professional skills
• Educational sessions: In-depth discussions of specific competencies and skills
• Expert sessions: One-hour small group discussions on timely topics
• Résumé review sessions: Private one-on-one sessions with ARVO member experts to help improve your CV or résumé (sign up here)

Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025

Opening Keynote: Making meaningful connects in the ’New Normal’
9 – 10:15am

As an NPR host and journalist, Celeste Headlee has interviewed hundreds of people from all walks of life. Through her work, she has learned the true power of conversation and its ability to both bridge gaps or deepen wounds. In a time when conversations are often minimized to a few words in a text message and lack of meaningful communication and dialogue abounds, Headlee sheds a much-needed light on the lost and essential art of conversation.

From connection to collaboration: Enhancing your networking skills
10:30 – 11:15am

In today’s fast-paced professional environment, effective networking is key to unlocking new opportunities and collaborations. This session will guide participants through essential strategies to enhance their visibility and make lasting impressions.

Session moderator: Maria Vittoria Cicinelli, MD, FEBO

• Creating an Elevator pitch: Introducing yourself quickly and effectively by Vinay Kumar Aakalu, MD, MPH
• How to get the most out of meetings. by Yanhui Ma, PhD
• Making yourself visible: Opportunities for engagement with others by Geeta K. Vemuganti, DNB, FAMS, MD, FARVO
• Finding potential research collaborators by Imre Lengyel, PhD

Case studies in collaboration
11:30am – 12:30pm

Collaboration is a cornerstone of innovation and impact, but the dynamics differ significantly between projects. This session explores these differences to uncover actionable insights. 

Session moderator: Brooke M. Harkness, OD, MS  

• Differences between local and global networks by Alex Hui, OD, PhD
• The Retinal Ganglion Cell (RGC) Repopulation, Stem Cell Transplantation, and Optic Nerve Regeneration (RReSTORe) consortium by Thomas V. Johnson, MD, PhD
• The Drug Discovery and Delivery Network for Oncology and Eye Therapeutics (3D-NEONET) consortium (academic and nonacademic partners) by Breandán Kennedy
• Sight Outcomes Research Collaborative (SOURCE) by Joshua D. Stein, MD, MS

Session with an expert
12:45 – 1:45pm

From Old Ties to New Connections: Networking Across Countries
Expert host: Jay Chhablani, MD

Résumé review
2 – 3pm 

Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025

Résumé review
8 – 9am

Maximizing collaborative success
9:15 – 10:15am

Collaboration drives innovation, but achieving success requires more than just shared goals. This session provides actionable insights into establishing, managing, and thriving in collaborative environments.

• Establishing and managing collaboration logistics by Gyan "John" Prakash, PhD
• Building trust and rapport within a collaboration by Jennifer P. Craig, PhD, FCOptom
• Collaborating across disciplines by Wolfgang Fink, PhD, FARVO

Closing Keynote: Transformative nature of collaborations
10:30 – 11:30am

Dimitri T. Azar, MD, MBA, FARVO, president and CEO of Twenty/Twenty Therapeutics, examines the transformative nature of collaborations through the lens of his research journey from Mass. Eye and Ear Infirmary and Harvard Medical School to the University of Illinois to Novartis to Alphabet Verily Life and now at Twenty/Twenty Therapeutics.

Exploring personal journeys in collaborative research
11:45am – 12:45pm

Collaboration often starts with a personal journey. In this inspiring and practical session, members will share their experiences creating new networks, maintaining connections across borders, and navigating industry partnerships. Participants will leave this session with a deeper appreciation for the human side of collaboration and practical advice to navigate their own networking and partnership journeys, no matter where they are in the world.

• Trusting Your Journey:  Maximizing Effective Collaborations with Industry Partners by Claire Mazow Gelfman, PhD
• Personal story: Collaborations across disciplines by Wolfgang Fink, PhD, FARVO
• Personal story: ARVO Foundation Collaborative Research Fellowship by Emiliano Terán-Bobadilla (Emiliano Teran, PhD)
• My journey with mentorship by Alecia K. Gross, PhD, FARVO

Session with an expert
1 – 2pm

Connecting with industry
Expert Host: Claire Mazow Gelfman, PhD

* Program topics and speakers are subject to change without notice.