Kaplan delivers Derby Lecture

Though internal medicine and ophthalmology have plenty of differences, the duo of disciplines share many similarities.

With that in mind, on Thursday, Henry J. Kaplan, M.D., FACS, was the special guest lecturer at the University of Louisville Department of Medicine's Grand Rounds.

Kaplan is the Evans Professor of Ophthalmology and Chairman of the U of L Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, as well as the Director of the Kentucky Lions Eye Center.

Speaking at the annual Chairman's Derby Lecture hosted by Department of Medicine Chairman Dr. Jesse Roman, Dr. Kaplan presented "Hereditary Retinal Degeneration: Stem Cell Regeneration of Photoreceptors" to a large audience of department members and guests in the Ambulatory Care Building auditorium.

"At a time when Louisville is in celebration mode due to the upcoming Derby activities, the Derby Grand Rounds celebrates academia by hosting a guest speaker who is an international leader in a certain area of research and who embodies academic success," Roman said. "We are pleased that Dr. Kaplan accepted to serve as this year's Derby Lecturer."

The objectives of Dr. Kaplan's lecture were to identify the visual complaints of a patient with Retinitis Pigmentosa, describe the steps involved in somatic cell nuclear transfer to produce transgenic offspring, and understand the potential of embryonic retinal progenitor cells to repair the retina in Retinitis Pigmentosa.