Ottawa-Gatineau Chapter
The Foundation Fighting Blindness
Ottawa-Gatineau Chapter AGM 2008
Ottawa-Gatineau Chapter
Main Page
David Kong, President
Carol Lithwick, Vice-President
Cindy Lim, Secretary
Jean-Charles Plante, Treasurer
Peter Wade, Communications
On January 17th, 2008, more than two dozen people gathered for the Ottawa/Gatineau chapter information session and Annual General Meeting at the Dovercourt Recreation Centre in Ottawa, ON.
David Kong, President of the local chapter, was the MC for the evening. Our guest for the event was, Melanie Lalonde, Ph.D., an FFB funded researcher at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. She gave a presentation titled, “Identifying the Genetic Determinants of Photoreceptor Development and Function.” In addition, there were exhibits by Frontier Computing, a company who provides products and solutions for the blind and visually impaired.
Dr. Lalonde gave an excellent talk and stated that the focus of her research is to understand the specific genes involved in the differentiation and function of photoreceptors (rods and cones), the retinal neurons exclusively affected in diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). She also explained the relevance of these findings to the aims of The FFB. In particular, they are to: identify photoreceptor-specific genes potentially involved in human rod and cone dystrophies, contribute to future therapeutic strategies such as stem-cell based transplantation, and treat or replace photoreceptors that have been lost to disease (RP and/or AMD). The presentation was very informative, engaging and highly interactive. Many excellent questions were asked by members of the audience.
Frontier’s exhibit showcased many of the different machines and other products which are new to the market for those with vision problems. During the intermission, there was a short yet very interactive demonstration of these products. Attendees were also given the opportunity to test the available products.
Following the break elections were held for the chapter Executive Board. The new board members are:
President: David Kong
Vice-President: Dr. Carol Lithwick
Secretary: Cindy Lim
Treasurer: Jean-Charles Plante
Communications: Peter Wade
In summary, the evening was a tremendous success. Many of those in attendance expressed their wish for more information evenings. A contact list was updated to ensure that these community members would be invited to all future events sponsored by the FFB, Ottawa-Gatineau Chapter.