Three University of Iowa researchers have received national honors for their work in virology and vision science, marking significant contributions in their respective fields.
Stanley Perlman, MD, PhD, professor of microbiology and immunology and pediatrics at the UI Carver College of Medicine, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Membership in the NAS is considered one of the highest honors in U.S. science and is granted through nomination and election by current members in recognition of distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.
Dr. Perlman, who also holds the University of Iowa Distinguished Chair, has spent more than 40 years studying coronaviruses, including SARS, MERS, and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. His research focuses on the respiratory and neurological diseases caused by these viruses.
“This is truly a well-deserved honor,” said Denise Jamieson, MD, MPH, UI vice president for medical affairs and the Tyrone D. Artz Dean of the Carver College of Medicine. “Dr. Perlman’s dedicated years of research on coronaviruses gave us a vital research foundation when the pandemic began in 2020, and have reaped enormous benefits for society. He embodies Iowa’s ethos of collaboration, and his willingness to share his time and expertise have advanced science for all of us and created new generations of scientists to carry his legacy forward.”
Separately, Val C. Sheffield, MD, PhD, and Edwin M. Stone, MD, PhD, both faculty members at the UI Carver College of Medicine and researchers in the UI Institute for Vision Research, have been named recipients of the 2025 Helen Keller Prize for Vision Research. The award is presented by the BrightFocus Foundation and the Helen Keller Foundation for Research and Education.
Dr. Sheffield, a professor of pediatrics and ophthalmology and visual sciences, is recognized for his work identifying genes responsible for inherited blindness and for developing tools that contributed to the Human Genome Project. His current research involves developing therapies for genetic diseases that affect vision.
Dr. Stone, a professor of ophthalmology and director of the Institute for Vision Research, has worked to identify the genetic basis of blinding eye diseases including macular degeneration, glaucoma, and rare inherited disorders. He also established the Carver Nonprofit Genetic Testing Laboratory, which offers low-cost genetic testing in the U.S. and internationally, and created a web-based diagnostic teaching resource for retinal diseases.
“Drs. Sheffield and Stone are shining examples of academic medicine at its best, where passionate researchers make breakthroughs that go on to change people’s lives,” Dr. Jamieson said. “Both faculty members have had a transformative impact on the treatment of blinding eye diseases by uncovering the genetic drivers of blinding eye diseases like macular degeneration and glaucoma. I am proud they are being recognized for their remarkable discoveries, which will continue to shape the treatment of eye diseases for decades to come.”
