Ludwig von Sallmann Clinician-Scientist Award
This award recognizes Ludwig von Sallmann, MD, a distinguished international ophthalmologist and ophthalmic investigator whose contributions greatly increased the basic and clinical understanding of vision and ophthalmology. Dr. von Sallmann served as chief of the Intramural Program of the National Eye Institute and was an ARVO Proctor Medal recipient in 1951. He also served on the staffs of Vienna, Beijing and Columbia Universities. First presented in 2011, the Ludwig von Sallmann Clinician-Scientist Award is supported by an anonymous donor through the ARVO Foundation.
Awardees will receive a $1,250 honorarium, an inscribed award and invitations to several special events at the ARVO Annual Meeting.
Eligibility
Eligible candidates are invited speakers to the ARVO Annual Meeting who hold an MD or MD/PhD (or equivalent) and who are age 45 or younger at the time of presentation. Award recipients will present a lecture at a scientific session, symposium or minisymposium at the ARVO Annual Meeting.
Application process
There is no application process for this award.
Review and selection process
Eligible candidates will be contacted by ARVO staff to self-nominate for this award. A selection committee evaluates and selects the recipient.
Timeline
Recipients are notified in March.
2025 recipient
Swathi Kaliki, MD, heads the Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer, LV Prasad Eye Institute, India. A clinician-scientist par excellence, her career path in ocular oncology is studded with immense and noteworthy contributions, notably in retinoblastoma. She has delivered more than 350 lectures in various national and international forums, published over 300 peer-reviewed articles, contributed 35 oncology book chapters, and holds editorial board positions in various international journals. She was recognized among India's top five highly cited ophthalmologists in 2023, based on a Stanford University study, and was among the top 2% of scientists worldwide. Kaliki was elected recently as co-chair for AAO-BCSC (Ophthalmic Tumors and Pathology Section) for 2025 - 2030 and is an elected member of the ARVO AMPC committee (2024 - 2027). She is a recipient of the prestigious Shakuntala Amir Chand Prize (2017) and Novartis Oration Award (2020) from the Indian Council of Medical Research and the IAPB Vision Excellence Award (2020) for her contribution to the field of ocular oncology. Beyond being a clinician-scientist, Kaliki is an entrepreneur and the brain behind 'Whitathon' — an annual awareness and fund-raiser run she kickstarted to improve community awareness about retinoblastoma and support the treatment of underprivileged children with retinoblastoma.
