Current Patron
Professor Santa J. Ono, Ph.D., FRSC, FCAHS
Professor Santa J. Ono is a distinguished scientist and academic leader whose career has combined biomedical research, university leadership and innovation on a global scale.
He currently serves as President of the Ellison Institute of Technology Oxford, where he leads efforts to translate scientific discovery into practical solutions across health, artificial intelligence, climate and other major societal challenges. He is also Professor of Ophthalmology & Immunology at the University of Oxford and Senior Research Fellow at Worcester College, Oxford.
Professor Ono previously served as President of the University of Michigan, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of British Columbia, and President of the University of Cincinnati. During his leadership of these institutions, he became widely recognised for promoting research excellence, scientific innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration and public engagement.
Alongside his leadership roles, Professor Ono has maintained an active scientific career focused on immunology, inflammation and eye disease. His research has contributed to understanding retinal autoimmunity, immune biomarkers and inflammatory pathways involved in retinal degeneration, including AMD, helping to advance understanding of the relationship between the immune system and retinal health.
Over the course of his career, Professor Ono has held academic appointments at the University of Oxford, University College London, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University and Emory University. He has published more than 170 scientific papers and served on the editorial boards of leading biomedical journals.
His contributions to science and medicine have been recognised through election to the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and the Royal Society of Chemistry, among numerous international honours and awards.
As Patron of Action Against AMD, Professor Ono brings a unique combination of scientific expertise, international leadership and commitment to public benefit, supporting the charity's mission to advance research and collaboration for people affected by AMD.
Former Patron (2021-2022)
In Memoriam: Professor Sir Colin Blakemore, FRS, FMedSci, HonFRCP, Hon FRSM, FRSB, FBPhS (1944 - 2022)
A dedicated supporter of AAAMD and one of Britain's most influential neuroscientists, Sir Colin served as a Founding Trustee and Patron during a formative period in the charity's development. His advocacy for science, public engagement and research into blinding diseases helped shape AAAMD's mission and legacy. His contribution continues to inspire our work today.
Professor Sir Colin Blakemore was a world-leading scientist and an inspirational science communicator.
He was knighted in 2014 for services to scientific research, policy, and outreach. He was a member of twelve Academies of Science and the recognition he achieved in Britain and overseas has been expressed in numerous awards and accolades, including the 2018 President’s Research Medal from the College of Optometrists for ‘his pioneering work into vision, in particular stereoscopic vision, and neuronal plasticity, which are fundamental to our understanding of how vision works with our brain to create our visual experience.’
Sir Colin specialised in vision and neuroplasticity, or how the brain continues to change even into adulthood in response to stimulation, experience, and injury.
Sir Colin held academic appointments in leading institutions, including the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Warwick, London, and City University of Hong Kong, as well as frequent visiting appointments held across the world.
He was also Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council, President and Chair of the British Science Association, President of the British Neuroscience Association, President of the Physiological Society, among several others.
His prolific public engagement activities include written, broadcast, and public presentations on neuroscience. He published several books about science for a general readership, hundreds of radio and television broadcasts, including the 1976 BBC Reith Lectures, a 13-part series on brain and mind for BBC2, and the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, and worked with the Science Museum, London, the European Dana Alliance for the Brain, the Cheltenham Festival of Science, the Science Media Centre and Sense about Science.