Hellman Fellow Awards
By Eric Craypo
UC Berkeley School of Optometry professors Teresa Puthussery and William Tuten have both received Hellman Awards in support of their research.
Professor Teresa Puthussery
Professor Puthussery’s lab uses optical imaging, electrophysiology and molecular methods to elucidate the structure and function of neural circuits in the normal and degenerating retina. Funding from the Hellman Fellows Fund will support her lab’s efforts to determine the functions of the diverse types of retinal ganglion cells that relay visual signals from the eye to the brain. The results will advance knowledge of how visual signals are processed in the normal human eye and provide a framework for understanding ganglion cell dysfunction and degeneration in diseases such as glaucoma.
Professor William Tuten
Professor Tuten, whose research interests include color vision; adaptive optics retinal imaging; and perimetry, will use the award to support his lab's research in "Advanced Optical Systems for Measuring Vision at the Cellular Level in the Human Eye."
About the Hellman Fellows Program
Established by Warren & Chris Hellman and their children in 1994, the purpose of the Hellman Fellows Program is to support the research of promising assistant professors who show capacity for great distinction in their chosen fields of endeavor.