2009 Woman of the Year Honoree

Dr. Cheryl M. Craft

The Mary D. Allen Chair in Vision Research, DEI Professor, Departments of Ophthalmology and Cell & Neurobiology, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California

Cheryl M. Craft, Ph.D. is the founding holder of the Mary D. Allen Endowed Chair for Vision Research at the Doheny Eye Institute. In this capacity, she is the Executive Scientific Director of the Mary D. Allen Laboratories for Vision Research and a Senior Scientist at the Doheny Eye Institute. As a neuroscientist, her research focus is on understanding the genes expressed in the eye and pineal gland that interact with the environment for normal vision to occur. When these genes are abnormal, the defect may lead to loss of sight through photoreceptor cell death and the uncoupling or desynchronization of the body’s “biological clock.”Her NEI-NIH funded research program focus is on understanding the delicate balance of the photoreceptor in health and disease, especially age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa.

Dr. Craft began research in high school as a NSF Research Scholar and was Valedictorian. She graduated with honors from Valdosta State University. In 1984, she earned her doctorate in human anatomy and neuroscience from the Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, the Biomedical Graduate School, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. She was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship to study molecular neurobiology and neurogenetics at the National Institutes of Health in the Laboratory of Developmental Neurobiology, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the Laboratory of Molecular and Developmental Biology, National Eye Institute. Her previous academic faculty appointment was in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas where she was the founding Director of Molecular Neurogenetics for the Affective Disorders Center and the Dallas Veterans Affairs Schizophrenia Research Center.

In addition to her leadership role at the Doheny Eye Institute, Dr. Craft is Professor with tenure and served as the founding Chairman of the Department of Cell and Neurobiology (1994-2004) and co-creator of interdepartmental doctoral graduate PIBBS. In this capacity, she had oversight responsibility of a major reorganization structure of the basic and clinical science curriculum for medical students. She was founding Co-Director of the Neurological Institute and an integral team leader in the creation of the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. In preparing the students of today to be research scientists, physicians and informed citizens of tomorrow, she personally mentors high school, undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students in science education and bench research. For her scientific expertise and achievements, Dr. Craft has received academic awards, major research funding from both public and private foundations, and has appeared on national network television. She has been an invited speaker at national and international scientific conferences. She serves on national committees, NIH study sections, executive advisory boards of John Douglas French Alzheimer’s Foundation and VASIX Corporation, the MUSES, and Los Angeles Founding Chapter of Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS).