Knights Templar Eye Foundation 2024 ARVO Annual meeting

This year the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) held its annual meeting in Seattle, Washington this May, having the largest attendance since 2019 over 10,000 members.

 On behalf of the ARVO’s Board of Governors, the Knights Templar Eye Foundation was selected as one of the 2024 ARVO Foundation Honorees.

ARVO Foundation Honorees are recognized for their commitment to ARVO and the ARVO Foundation, including financial support, exemplary leadership of an ARVO Foundation initiative or dedication to endeavors that represent the mission of the ARVO Foundation.  KTEF was selected in recognition of the Foundations support of the Travel Grant program and our long-standing commitment to the global vision research community.

President David Kussman of the Knights Templar Eye Foundation accepted this award and gave a message of the Foundations continued support to ARVO and the Travel Grant Program.

As the KTEF has grown since its 1955 inception, we have expanded the number and size of our grants, and we have commenced new initiatives in ophthalmology research and education.  Our Career Starter research grants are targeted to these new researchers attending ARVO which are those in the early stages of their careers.

For these PhD and MD students, travel grants can make all the difference in whether they can attend and present their research.

 After years of funding and observing the ARVO program we dramatically increased our funding over the years which is now $100,000 annually. We believe this is an ideal expansion of our funding concept. By stretching out a helping hand to those just starting their careers, we hope to encourage and expedite successful careers.

This year ARVO awarded 95 travel grants to help student/trainee members attend the 2024 annual meeting. These funds from the KTEF represent 25.5% of the total travel grants awarded by ARVO and the ARVO Foundation annually. In total, ARVO and the ARVO Foundation supported 373 travel grants in 2024.

Knights Templar Eye Foundation
Travel Grant Recipients  

Representing the Knights Templar Eye Foundation, Inc. at this year’s ARVO Annual meeting pictured above with the travel grant recipients was David J Kussman, President and Trustee, Robert W. Bigley, Assistant Secretary and Marci L. Martinez, Director of Operations KTEF Office