New fellowship awarded to honour late expert in eye cancer

To honour the late Victoria Cohen, an expert in ocular oncology, we’re awarding a fellowship to Moorfields consultant, Guy Negretti, who will spend six months in the US researching and learning about eye cancer to further enhance patient care at the hospital.
In Memoriam — Victoria Cohen

Victoria was a much loved and internationally respected consultant at Moorfields Eye Hospital, specialising in ocular oncology, who sadly passed away in December 2020. A world expert in her field, Victoria was passionate about the delivery of excellent patient care and the advancement of women in medicine. She trained surgeons from all over the world in her specialty, helping to improve the standard of treatment for people with eye cancer.

Victoria’s contributions to ocular oncology are recognised across the globe, and the work she did led to her serving key roles within the field, including as the director of the National Oncology Service in London, chair of the Ocular Oncology Multidisciplinary Team and co-founder of Young Ocular Oncologists. In December 2020, she was also the serving president of the International Society of Ocular Oncology.

Moorfields Eye Charity Victoria Cohen Fellowship

Moorfields Eye Charity has awarded the fellowship as one of the ways in which Moorfields is honouring the life and legacy of Victoria. We are doing so in association with the Victoria Cohen Eye Cancer Charitable Trust.

“We are honoured to award this fellowship as our way of marking the life and legacy of Victoria, one of the foremost ocular oncologists. It is very fitting that the fellowship will enable Guy Negretti to follow in her footsteps and so join the team of Moorfields clinicians who provide world class care for patients with eye cancer.” — Robert Dufton, chief executive, Moorfields Eye Charity

The Recipient

Guy Negretti, consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields, will be spending six months at the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, US, and visiting several other major ocular oncology centres during his time there, including Memorial Sloane Kettering, New York; MD Anderson, Houston; Beyer Eye Institute, Stanford and the Children’s Eye Hospital of Los Angeles, LA.

The ocular oncology service at Wills is the largest in the US, seeing over half of all cases in the country. It is the ideal place for Guy to gain an international perspective on the clinical management of eye cancer patients.

“Receiving the Moorfields Eye Charity Victoria Cohen Fellowship is a particular honour, as Victoria was a great mentor to me. This fresh perspective will allow me to bring new knowledge and skills back to Moorfields to further establish innovative methods in the care of our patients, enhance their care through research and improve the teaching of other doctors and health professionals.” — Guy Negretti

The Victoria Cohen Eye Cancer Charitable Trust

Guy Negretti, consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields, will be spending six months at the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, US, and visiting several other major ocular oncology centres during his time there, including Memorial Sloane Kettering, New York; MD Anderson, Houston; Beyer Eye Institute, Stanford and the Children’s Eye Hospital of Los Angeles, LA.

The ocular oncology service at Wills is the largest in the US, seeing over half of all cases in the country. It is the ideal place for Guy to gain an international perspective on the clinical management of eye cancer patients.

“Receiving the Moorfields Eye Charity Victoria Cohen Fellowship is a particular honour, as Victoria was a great mentor to me. This fresh perspective will allow me to bring new knowledge and skills back to Moorfields to further establish innovative methods in the care of our patients, enhance their care through research and improve the teaching of other doctors and health professionals.” — Guy Negretti

  • Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the leading providers of eye health services in the UK and a world class centre of excellence for ophthalmic research and education. Our main focus is the treatment and care of NHS patients with a wide range of eye problems, from common complaints to rare conditions that require treatment not available elsewhere in the UK. Our unique patient case-mix and the number of people we treat mean that our clinicians have expertise in discrete ophthalmic sub-specialties.

    We treat people at locations in and around London, the south east and Bedford, enabling us to provide expert treatment closer to patients’ homes. We also operate commercial divisions that provide care to private patients in both London and the Middle East.

    With our academic partners at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, Moorfields is recognised as a leading centre of excellence in eye and vision research. Together we form one of the largest ophthalmic research sites in the world, with the largest patient population in Europe or the USA. We publish more scientific papers than any other eye and vision research site and have an extensive joint research portfolio. To find out more go to: https://www.moorfields.nhs.uk/

  • Moorfields Eye Charity supports the work of Moorfields Eye Hospital and its research partner, the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, making a difference for patients at the hospital and for people with sight problems around the world. It provides grants and raises money to help the hospital provide the best possible care for its patients, educate the researchers and clinicians of tomorrow and support cutting-edge research that aims to develop new treatments for blinding diseases. Philanthropy will be critical to the realisation of these ambitious plans and we’re pleased with the level of interest so far. To find out more go to: www.moorfieldseyecharity.org.uk

  • The Victoria Cohen Eye Cancer Charitable Trust was set up in memory of the late Vicky Cohen, an internationally renowned eye cancer specialist, who sadly passed away in 2020.

    Training to become an eye specialist takes many years. Each year, the Victoria Cohen Scholarship for aspiring Ocular Oncologists provides an award of US$25,000 to help an individual through their fellowship.

    There are not enough eye cancer surgeons in the world. The VCECCT will help identify and train the Vicky Cohens of tomorrow.

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