The Albert C. Muse Prize for 2006 is awarded to Daniel M. Albert, M.D., M.S., internationally recognized as an outstanding scholar and pioneering researcher, educator, author, and historian in the field of ophthalmology.   Dr. Albert is currently Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical School, and specializes in research on ocular tumors, particularly melanoma and retinoblastoma.

“Dr. Albert’s scientific and medical research have opened new pathways for the treatment of ocular tumors,” said Joel S. Schuman, M.D., F.A.C.S., Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Director, UPMC Eye Center.  “Perhaps just as importantly, his dedication and leadership in education has inspired so many of us and helped shape the way we teach and learn.”

Dr. Albert’s contributions to the field began at Yale University School of Medicine where he joined the faculty in 1969 and became Professor of Ophthalmology in 1975.  He was also Chief of the Eye Pathology Laboratory at Yale-New Haven Hospital and Chief of the Hospital’s Section of Ophthalmic Tumor Research and Pathology. 

In 1976, Dr. Albert moved to Harvard Medical School as Professor of Ophthalmology, with a Surgery appointment at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.  He served as the Director of the Eye Pathology Laboratory from 1979-1992 and was Associate Chief of Academic Affairs for the Infirmary from 1989-90.  He was also appointed to the Dr. David G. Cogan Chair in Ophthalmology.  During his tenure at Harvard, Dr. Albert conducted research in the Howe Laboratory focusing on the molecular biology and clinical management of retinoblastoma and ocular melanoma.  He was the first to successfully grow continuous cell lines of human retinoblastoma and melanoma in tissue culture.  In addition, he participated in the cloning of the retinoblastoma gene with Dr. Thaddeus P. Dryja and Dr. Steven Friend.  This was followed by the development of the transgenic retinoblastoma mouse.

In his research to develop effective anti-tumor therapies, Dr. Albert established that vitamin D compounds caused apoptosis and blocked tumor angiogenesis, and thus, inhibited the growth of retinoblastoma cells in vitro, in transgenic mouse models, and in athymic mice.

In the early 1980s, Dr. Albert was instrumental in initiating the Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study (COMS), a multicenter, longitudinal study funded by the National Eye Institute to determine the most effective treatment—enucleation or radiation—for ocular melanoma.  Throughout the study, from 1985-2003, he served as head of the Pathology Center for the COMS and continues today as curator of the specimens collected during the study.

Dr. Albert’s continued research efforts at the University of Wisconsin focus on improving the treatment of retinoblastoma utilizing vitamin D compounds, specifically a newly invented class of noncalcemic vitamin D compounds, the 19-nor analogs, that have shown preclinical effectiveness in inhibiting growth, inducing regression, and preventing metastasis of retinoblastoma with minimal toxicity.  Dr. Albert’s research group is preparing to bring this compound to clinical trials, to test its effectiveness on large tumors and in long-term treatment. 

Widely acknowledged as one of the leading ophthalmology scholars in the world, Dr. Albert has authored more than 500 scientific publications and 20 books.  His Principles and Practice of Ophthalmology received the Association of American Publishers Best Medical Book award after its publication in 1993; he is currently preparing the third edition of this multi-volume text.  Dr. Albert has also served on the editorial boards of nine scientific medical journals and presently is editor of the Archives of Ophthalmology.  Dr. Albert also served as director of the American Board of Ophthalmology from 1997-2005 and is currently the President of the American Ophthalmological Society.
 
Dr. Albert has been the recipient of numerous awards during his career, including the Friedenwald Award from the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (1982); Doctor Honoris Causa, Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France (1992); Edward Jackson Memorial Lecturer, American Academy of Ophthalmology (1996); Distinguished Graduate Award, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (2001); and  Fight for Sight/Mildred Weisenfeld Award for Lifetime Achievement in Vision Research (2002). 

Dr. Albert received his B.S. degree cum laude in 1958 from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  He received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1962 and in 1966 completed his residency in ophthalmology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. 

In 1992, Dr. Albert accepted the position of Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Wisconsin Medical School in Madison, Wisconsin, along with the Frederick Allison Davis Professorship in Ophthalmology. In 1999, he was also named to the Lorenz E. Zimmerman Professorship, and he also holds affiliate professorship appointments in the Departments of Medical History and Bioethics and of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.  He became Chair Emeritus of the Department of Ophthalmology in 2002.

“The Muse Prize is intended to inspire and educate by recognizing those whose profound vision and unfailing courage truly change the world of medicine,” said B. Gordon Nelson, Chairman of the Eye and Ear Foundation.  “Dr. Albert’s selection honors that purpose and provides a legacy of leadership for generations of students, physicians and researchers to come.”