Check out a recap from the 2016 Glaucoma 360 gala!

Welcome to the 2016 Glaucoma 360 Annual Gala!! The Annual Gala raises money for the Glaucoma Research Foundation’s (GRF) research and education. The following pages capture the highlights of  the event, including a silent auction, banquet, live auction, and awards.

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Attendees participated in a silent auction where vacations, trips, and goods were up for auction.

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The Silent Auction raised $21,000. 

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Gala attendees were entertained during the Silent Auction by Patrick Smith (guitarist) and Alicia Venables (violinist) from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

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Local vendors also offered unique, handmade gifts for attendees.

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The Glaucoma 360 Annual gala featured a banquet that included a full-course dinner with a live auction and awards presentations.

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Attendees begin to flow into the Ballroom of the Palace Hotel for the evening banquet and festivities.

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Attendees enjoyed a full-course dinner, awards, and entertainment to kick off the Glaucoma 360 meeting.

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Andrew Iwach, MD, co-chairperson of Glaucoma 360 with Adrienne Graves, PhD, welcomes attendees to the 10^th Annual Gala.

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Thomas Brunner (right), president and CEO of GRF, and Nobuko Saito Cleary (not shown) presented the President’s Award to Masashi Oka, executive chairman emeritus, MUFG Union Bank and special advisor to the president and CEO of the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ. Masha Oka was honored for his assistance in generating support to forward GRF’s mission and in recognition for his outstanding involvement in the city of San Francisco as well as Northern California.

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Stuart McKinnon, MD, PhD (left), of Duke University, receives the Shaffer Prize for Innovative Glaucoma Research from James B. Wise, MD (center) and Thomas Brunner, president and CEO of GRF. Dr. McKinnon was honored for his study, “Neuroinflammation: The Role of Lymphocytes in Glaucoma.”

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Liam Mayclem, this year’s auctioneer for the Live Auction, opens the bidding for the “Ultimate Collection of Wine,” an assortment premium wines curated by the GRF Board of Directors. British-born Mayclem is a San Francisco television celebrity and chef, known as the “Foodie Chap.” Mayclem has strong interest in the work of GRF because he has a close friend with glaucoma.

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Bidding during the Live Auction got intense at times over the various items auctioned. Items auctioned included premium tickets to a San Francisco Giants game, the Ultimate Collection of Wine, a San Diego getaway, a wine-and-dine weekend in Sonoma, and a gourmet getaway with the “Foodie Chap,” Liam Mayclem. There was auction of sorts to help GRF “Fund-A-Scientist.”

The Live Auction and “Fund-A-Scientist” raised over $206,000. From the Glaucoma 360 Annual Gala, GRF raised $431,000 for its research and education.

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Thomas Brunner, president and CEO (left), presents the Visionary Award to James B. Wise, MD, for his many contributions to the field of ophthalmology, including the development of argon laser trabeculoplasty (ALT).

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Charlot and Dennis Singleton (center and right) accept The Catalyst Award, GRF’s highest honor, from Andrew Iwach, MD, co-chairman of Glaucoma 360. The Singletons received the award in recognition of their outstanding leadership and philanthropic contributions to medicine and education. The couple have been loyal donors to GRF and its mission to find cure for glaucoma for 25 years.

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The Glaucoma 360 Annual Gala concluded with a private performance from award-winning soprano Julie Adams, the 2016 alder fellow of the San Francisco Opera, and pianist John Churchwell, PhD (not shown), head of the music staff at the San Francisco Opera. The pair entertained Gala attendees with a collection of opera aria. 

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