Foundation Fighting Blindness to Honor UBS Vice Chairman Aryeh Bourkoff and Dr. Stanley Chang with Visionary Awards

“We’re thrilled to recognize two visionary leaders in the banking and retinal research fields with the Foundation Fighting Blindness’ signature award,” said Bill Schmidt, CEO, Foundation Fighting Blindness. “Their commitment to driving sight-saving research will help lead to brighter futures for the more than 10 million Americans affected by vision-robbing retinal diseases.”

Dinner co-chairs include Daniel G. Bergstein, Foundation Fighting Blindness Board Member who has three generations of family members affected by vision-robbing diseases, and Ehren Stenzler, Joint Deputy Head of US Mergers & Acquisitions and Head of Telecom, Media, and Technology Mergers & Acquisitions at UBS. The dinner’s trustee chair is Iris Spiegel, Foundation Fighting Blindness National Trustee, whose daughter Tali is affected with retinitis pigmentosa. Foundation-funded researchers in Israel have identified Tali’s mutated gene, which opens the door for potential gene therapy and other treatments. Tali, a longtime singer, and Justin Kauflin, a celebrated jazz pianist who also suffers from an eye disease, will perform at the event. NBC News Correspondent Peter Alexander, whose sister is affected with Usher syndrome, will serve as emcee.

Recognized as one of Fortune’s 40 under 40 in 2010, Bourkoff made the rare jump from media analyst to investment banker and is the first and only analyst to receive a top ranking across the equity, fixed income and hedge fund specialized areas of finance. He has been at the forefront of numerous innovative arrangements involving Comcast, NBC, Charter Communications and Sirius XM Radio, among others, shaping the way the modern world communicates and consumes entertainment. The Visionary Award will honor Bourkoff’s success in investment banking and his passionate commitment to the community.

Consistently named as one of America’s best doctors, Dr. Chang has developed and pioneered several revolutionary surgical approaches to treat complicated forms of retinal detachment, improving outcomes for patients worldwide. He is the Edward S. Harkness Professor and Chairman of Ophthalmology at Columbia University, as well as the K.K. Tse and Ku Teh Ying Professor of Ophthalmology.

Since its inception in 1971, the Foundation Fighting Blindness has raised over $400 million for retinal research. Most recently, the Foundation is funding gene therapy clinical trials treating patients affected with Leber’s congenital amaurosis, a severe form of retinitis pigmentosa that causes blindness or substantial vision loss at birth. Results from the breakthrough study showed that gene therapy has restored significant vision in children and young adults who were previously blind. The advancement paves the way for using gene therapy to treat a wide variety of retinal degenerative diseases, suggesting a cure is in sight.