header-logo
Emergency Medicine
Emergency Medicine

MCW Vision Science Students Named Recipients of the 2025 VitreoRetinal Surgery Foundation Research Awards

December 22, 2025

The department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences is proud to share three of our medical students have been named recipients of the 2025 VitreoRetinal Surgery Foundation Research Awards!

The VitreoRetinal Surgery Foundation Research Award supports early stage investigators conducting relevant research projects in macular and retinal disease and to encourage a career devoted to retinal disease and research. Recipients receive $2,000 for their institution for use towards expenses related to the proposed project, $1,000 for laboratory expenses or other research related expenses, and a travel award of up to $1,000 will be available to cover expenses for presentation of research results at a national meeting.

Please join us in congratulating our award winners:

  • Samer Bilal is a medical student working closely with Dr. Baseer Ahmad on a project titled "Cytomegalovirus Retinitis in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients: Incidence, Retinal Outcomes, and Clinical Features in Belatacept-Exposed Patients."
  • Kamila Milejczyk is a member of Dr. Miranda Scalabrino's lab. Her project is titled, "Defining the Plasticity Window for Gene Therapy in Retinitis Pigmentosa."
  • Natalie Ungaretti is a member of the Dennis P. Han, MD, Adavanced Ocular Imaging Program, working with Dr. Joe Carroll. Natalie's project is titled, "Evaluating the Rod Photoreceptor Mosaic in Congenital Achromatopsia and Blue Cone Monochromacy."
Tagged: Award Ophthalmology Research – Clinical

© 2026 Medical College of Wisconsin.  All rights reserved.  | Terms and Privacy | Web Accessibility Statement

Non-Discrimination, Anti-Harassment, and Legal Compliance Statement
The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is committed to fostering a diverse community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students, as well as ensuring equal educational opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs, and activities, without regard to an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, sex, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristic, military status, or other legally protected classification. MCW maintains full compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations in pursuit of our missions. Consistent with federal guidance, we affirm our commitment to individual merit, fairness, and equal treatment in all aspects of academic and institutional decision-making.

MCW's policies, federal and state laws, and regulations prohibit unlawful discrimination and harassment. Employees, learners, students, applicants, or other members of the MCW community (including but not limited to vendors, visitors, and guests) may not be subjected to harassment that is prohibited by law or treated adversely or retaliated against based upon a protected characteristic.