As business and community leaders came together for the Toronto Visions Gala, CNIB awarded the first recipient of the Chanchlani Global Vision Research Award to Professor Hugh R. Taylor.
Professor Taylor is a passionate advocate for indigenous health and the elimination of trachoma – the world's leading cause of preventable blindness. Committed to prevention strategies and infectious causes of blindness, Taylor’s research looks at the intersection between medicine, public health and health economics.
Taylor is Melbourne Laureate Professor at the University of Melbourne and Chair of Indigenous Eye Health, where he was formerly Professor of Ophthalmology and department head and is founder of the Centre for Eye Research Australia. He is the Vice President of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness and Treasurer of the International Council of Ophthalmology.
“Professor Taylor has demonstrated how research can be used to drive public health policy,” says Dr. Keith Gordon, CNIB's Vice President, Research. “In doing so, he has made a major contribution to the prevention of blindness in the Asia Pacific Region and around the world.”
Established last year in by Vasu and Jayshree Chanchlani in collaboration with the Toronto Netralya Lions Club and the Toronto Doctors Lions Club, the prestigious CNIB Chanchlani Global Vision Research Award supports the best research in the field of vision science and rehabilitation worldwide. Valued at $25,000, the award reinforces CNIB’s dedication to promote vital, world-class research to explore the causes of blindness and vision loss, potential cures, treatments and prevention.
“This award is a major step forward in reaching our goal to eliminate avoidable vision loss and enhance quality of life for Canadians who are blind or partially sighted,” says John Rafferty, President and CEO, CNIB.
The award was made possible by a $100,000 research endowment by Vasu and Jayshree Chanchlani, founders of the Chanchlani Foundation, and by the generous support of our donors, who raised an additional $50,000 for the award and endowment.
Read more about this award
Photo above right (from left to right): John Rafferty, President and CEO, CNIB, Dr. Keith Gordon, CNIB's Vice President, Research, Professor Hugh Taylor
(2011 recipient of CNIB Chanchlani Global Vision Research Award), Dr. Jaya and
Mr. Vasu Chanchlani.