Rayment to receive GRF award

San Francisco-Cary Rayment, chairman, president, and chief executive officer (CEO) of Alcon Laboratories, will receive the most prestigious honor of the Glaucoma Research Foundation (GRF), the Catalyst Award, when the organization celebrates its 30th anniversary Jan. 23.

The gala benefit, held during National Glaucoma Awareness Month at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, also will feature scientific overviews of recent research advances by the four principal investigators of GRF’s Catalyst for a Cure consortium: David Calkins, PhD, Vanderbilt University, Nashville; Philip Horner, PhD, University of Washington, Seattle; Nicholas Marsh-Armstrong, PhD, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore; and Monica Vetter, PhD, University of Utah, Salt Lake City.

“The benefit gala is an important way for us to raise awareness and much-needed funds to support our ongoing educational programs and innovative research to find a cure,” said Thomas M. Brunner, GRF’s president and CEO.

National co-chairs of the event are Mona and Ed Zander, chairman and CEO of Motorola. Charles Munnerlyn, PhD, considered the father of laser refractive surgery, and his wife, Judy, are the event co-chairs. Event committee members include Deirdre Porter, GRF board president; Bradford Hall; Brunner; and Wallace Brunner. GRF co-founders H. Dunbar Hoskins Jr., MD, and John Hetherington, MD, and their respective wives, Ann and Susan, head the anniversary committee. June Behrendt is leading the auction committee.

Founded in 1978 in San Francisco, the Glaucoma Research Foundation claims to be the oldest national foundation working to prevent vision loss from glaucoma through research, education, and support, with the ultimate goal of finding a cure.