Mark Humayun

In 2002, Mark Humayun and his colleague Eugene de Juan implanted a permanent retinal prosthesis — known as the "eye chip" — into their first patient, as part of a feasibility trial. They hope the retinal prosthesis, which stands in for damaged retinal cells, will one day be able to restore vision to people suffering from such blinding diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration.

Humayun and de Juan, who conceived and developed this cutting-edge medical device, joined the Doheny Eye Institute and the Keck School of Medicine in August of 2001 to establish the Doheny Retina Institute and continue their work. The team is also behind the development of a new microsurgical technique known as macular translocation, which is designed to treat patients suffering from macular degeneration, a blinding disease of the retina.

Says Humayun, "I have found USC as a university to be very forward-thinking and flexible. Because of this, it has a unique environment for medical research and the application of that research to develop new products and services for patients."