From the Chair


Shahzad I. Mian, M.D. F. Bruce Fralick Professor of Ophthalmology Chair and Professor, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Director, W.K. Kellogg Eye Center

We have experienced a remarkable year at the U-M Kellogg Eye Center in 2025. This annual report celebrates the many ways that we are advancing vision care and making a profound impact on the lives of our patients, their families, and the broader communities we serve. Our discovery science, translational, and clinical research teams continue to earn national recognition, consistently securing competitive federal grant support. This year, our faculty received several prestigious NIH awards, including the Director’s New Innovator Award and multiple new R01 grants, underscoring the strength of our programs. Equally vital to our progress is the support we receive from a variety of foundations, including the National Science Foundation, the Thome Memorial Foundation, Foundation Fighting Blindness, and five new research awards from the Vitreoretinal Surgery Foundation. Kellogg faculty also received distinguished honors from the Macula Society, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and The Retina Society. Our commitment to advancing vision care is reflected in a number of recent milestones. The Kellogg Eye Center is leading the nation’s first-in-human adult RPE stem cell therapy for age-related macular degeneration. Our partnerships within and beyond U-M continue to drive progress in areas such as robot-assisted imaging technology and the development of innovative prosthetic retina devices. In addition, the Kellogg Clinical Research Center, a 5,000-square-foot research unit on the fifth floor of the Kellogg Tower, is proudly celebrating its 10th anniversary, marking a decade of groundbreaking clinical research. We also officially opened our new microsurgical classroom, which provides state-of-the-art training for ophthalmology learners at all stages, from residents to community practitioners. This facility propels our efforts to build a surgical curriculum, which is critical for surgical proficiency, patient safety, and innovation in eye care. Few milestones have been as significant as the addition of the Brehm Tower to the Kellogg Eye Center. This year, we remembered William “Bill” Brehm, who died in July at age 96. Bill and his wife Delores (Dee) generously supported Kellogg, leaving a lasting impact on vision research and care. We are grateful for the partnerships with so many of our patients. Longtime patient Susan Lane contributed $1.5 million to establish the Lane Family Corneal Clinical Endowed Research Fund. Thank you for your continued interest and support of our work. We look forward to sharing even greater accomplishments in the years ahead.