Jennifer K. Sun, MD, MPH, has been selected to become the 4th National Chair of the world-renowned Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network (DRCR.net), one of the most prestigious positions for a clinical researcher in diabetic eye disease. Her position as Chair-elect will commence immediately and she will assume the role of Chair for diabetes related studies in 2018 for a five-year term.
Dr. Sun has had a long association with the DRCR.net. She has been an investigator for the DRCR.net since 2005. She was previously a DRCR.net Vice-Chair, and has been responsible for DRCR.net protocol development for the past 6 years. She is a member of the Operations Group, the Executive Committee and is currently the Protocol Chair for the Ultrawide-field Imaging study (Protocol AA) and for the Anti-VEGF for PDR/DME Prevention Study (Protocol W). She also participates in numerous other studies and committees.
The DRCR.net was founded in September 2002 through a cooperative agreement with the National Institutes of Health to form a collaborative network dedicated to facilitating multicenter clinical research of diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, and associated conditions. The DRCR.net supports the identification, design, and implementation of multicenter clinical research initiatives focused on diabetes-induced retinal disorders. Principal emphasis is placed on clinical trials, but epidemiologic outcomes and other research may be supported as well. The DRCR currently includes over 115 participating sites with over 400 physicians throughout the United States, and has initiated more than 25 studies, enrolled more than 9,000 study participants, and has been responsible for many of the most important, care-changing clinical trials performed over the past 15 years. The network has been cited for excellence multiple times by the United States Congress. Lloyd Paul Aiello, MD, PhD, was the founding Chair of the DRCR.net.
This year for the first time, the Network received approval from the National Eye Institute to expand its scope of study to include any type of retinal disease. Dr. Sun will hold the ongoing position of Chair for diabetes related studies, and Dan Martin, MD, from Cleveland Clinic will oversee the new section on other retinal diseases.