Evangelos S. Gragoudas, MD, the Charles Edward Whitten Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, has been inducted into the prestigious Academy of Athens as a Corresponding Member.
Established in 1926, the Academy is Greece's national academy and the highest research establishment in the country. The Academy aims to cultivate and advance the sciences, humanities, and fine arts. Dr. Gragoudas was inducted at a special Academy session on October 18 in Athens.
Dr. Gragoudas is an international authority and pioneer in the diagnosis and management of retinal diseases and intraocular tumors. His early translational work focused on uveal melanoma, for which he developed the use of proton beam irradiation, a treatment method that has been used in tens of thousands of patients to date as a safe alternative to enucleation.
In collaboration with Joan W. Miller, MD, Dr. Gragoudas also developed photodynamic therapy (Visudyne®), the first pharmacologic treatment approved by the FDA for treating age-related macular degeneration (AMD). He also a key member of the group who identified vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in retinal vascular diseases and AMD, and for his contributions was a co-recipient of the 2014 Champalimaud Vision Award.
Dr. Gragoudas has been recognized with numerous other awards and honors, including the J. Donald M. Gass Medal and the Arnall Patz Medal from the Macula Society and the Mildred Weisenfeld Award for Excellence in Ophthalmology from the Association for Research and Vision in Ophthalmology. In 2013, he was inducted into the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center's The One Hundred, which honors 100 individuals and groups for their discoveries, philanthropy, and passion to advance the fight against cancer. He has also received honorary Doctorate degrees from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University of Patras, and the University of Athens.