By Jennifer M. Bonck

Jayakrishna Ambati, M.D.

Ambati conducts novel research in angiogenesis, the growth of blood vessels in the eye, and targeted drug delivery for ocular disorders. He is the director of research for the ophthalmology department and head of the Ocular Angiogenesis Laboratory.

April 4, 2003 (Lexington, Ky.) -- Jayakrishna Ambati, M.D., assistant professor of ophthalmology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, has been awarded a 2003 Dennis W. Jahnigen Career Development Scholars Award from the American Geriatric Society, the leading clinical society devoted to the care of older adults.

The Jahnigen Scholars program addresses the urgent need to create a structure for developing leaders in geriatrics in academic surgery and related medical specialties.

Each program award provides two-year salary and research support ($200,000) intended to assist young clinical research faculty in initiating or sustaining careers in research and education in the geriatric aspects of their disciplines.

Ambati conducts novel research in angiogenesis, the growth of blood vessels in the eye, and targeted drug delivery for ocular disorders. He is the director of research for the ophthalmology department and head of the Ocular Angiogenesis Laboratory. Research in Ambati’s laboratory has led to discoveries about the mechanisms underlying age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness among the elderly in the U.S. Ambati and P. Andrew Pearson, M.D., associate professor and chair, Department of Ophthalmology, are currently testing potential therapies for AMD in two ongoing clinical trials.

To learn more about these clinical trials, call Michele Reg in the Department of Ophthalmology at (859) 323-5868. For more information about the American Geriatric Society, visit www.americangeriatrics.org.