Aaron Kaufman, MD, a second-year cornea fellow at Mass Eye and Ear, was selected as the Abelson Family Fellow in Cornea at Mass Eye and Ear for the 2023-2024 academic year. This fellowship was established by Dr. Mark Abelson and his family in 2011 to support new clinical research and translational research initiatives, while encouraging early-stage clinicians and scientists to pursue academic careers in medicine. Dr. Abelson is an alumnus; former Professor of Ophthalmology, part-time, at Harvard Medical School; and a Mass Eye and Ear Trustee.
Dr. Kaufman also received the Best Clinical Trainee Research Award in Cornea and Refractive Surgery for the 2022-2023 academic year for his overall contributions to corneal research. Presented by the Harvard Ophthalmology Cornea Center of Excellence, this award honors a trainee who has conducted the best research, as judged by a committee, in cornea or refractive surgery.
Under the mentorship of Ula Jurkunas, MD, and Roberto Pineda, MD, Dr. Kaufman is pursuing clinical research in limbal stem cell transplantation, Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy, and ocular monkeypox.