Dr. Daniel Albert, Founding Director of the McPherson ERI, received the prestigious Laureate Recognition Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the highest honor given by the Academy. The award to Dr. Albert was presented on Sunday, November 17, 2013, during the Opening Session of during the opening session of the AAO annual meeting in New Orleans, LA. The Laureate Award recognizes an ophthalmologist who has made extraordinary scientific contributions toward preventing blindness and restoring sight worldwide. In celebration of the AAO Award, and of the full establishment of the Retina Research Foundation/Daniel M. Albert Chair, the McPherson ERI and the Department of Ophthalmology co-hosted a lecture and reception in honor of Dr. Albert and Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito, Dean of the Keck School of Medicine at USC, gave a wide-ranging talk about his Adventures in Eye Research and his longstanding relationship with Dr. Albert.