Visvanathan Ramamurthy, Ph.D., to be named WVU Health Sciences Chair in Research and Scholarships
In recognition of outstanding achievement, Visvanathan Ramamurthy, Ph.D., has been honored with the inaugural West Virginia University Health Sciences Chancellor’s Chair in Research & Scholarships by Health Sciences Chancellor and Executive Dean Clay Marsh, M.D.
An investiture ceremony honoring Ramamurthy will be held on Thursday, March 27, at 3 p.m. in the Health Sciences Center Pylons Commons. This event is open to the WVU Health Sciences community and no registration is required. The event will also be streamed online via the WVU MDTV YouTube Channel.
The event will feature several speakers including
- James Hurley, Ph.D., from the University of Washington, Department of Biochemistry;
- Silia Yanardag, Ph.D., post-doctoral researcher in Ramamurthy’s lab;
- Peter Mathers, Ph.D., associate professor of bichemistry, molecular medicine and neuroscience;
- and Thomas Mauger, M.D., chair, WVU Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences.
Ramamurthy is the professor and chair for the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, and a professor for the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. He also serves as the Director of Research for the WVU Eye Institute, where he plays a pivotal role in the groundbreaking vision research taking place in West Virginia.
He specializes in research related to the mechanisms of underlying blinding diseases, hearing loss and ciliopathies, with the ultimate goal of translating mechanistic insights into treatments for sensory disorders.
WVU is the second university in the United States to receive NIH funding for a Visual Sciences Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (CoBRE), for which Ramamurthy serves as principal investigator. Leading this proposal inspired him to work collaboratively toward reducing visual disability in West Virginia, which has the second-highest rate of visual impairment in the U.S. Visual disability is a known contributor to other comorbidities, including higher rates of falls and dementia, further emphasizing the importance of this research.
Beyond COBRE, Ramamurthy has played a key role in securing grants for WVU from organizations such as Research to Prevent Blindness, the Lions Club of West Virginia and Lions International.
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sh 3/24/25