On January 15th over 50 members attended our General Membership meeting at the newly renovated Capital City Club in Brookhaven. Our speaker was Dr. Jiong Yan who is both a practicing physician and a researcher at Emory University. Her specialty is Retina and Vitreous disease, and her presentation focused on macular degeneration.
Dr. Yan began by discussing what defines the disease, the difference between wet and dry macular degeneration and the current treatment options for both. She told the group that anything you do to improve your cardiovascular health will also improve your chances of avoiding MD. She advised everyone to eat a colorful diet with lots of fruits and vegetables and to exercise regularly. She also cautioned the group not to smoke. The presentation concluded with a discussion of Dr. Yan’s research using stem cells to repair the damage done to eyes by macular degeneration.
Another highlight of the afternoon was the presentation of the 2025 ARCS Light Award to Sally McDaniel. In presenting the award, 2024 ARCS Light Leslie Petter said that Sally has consistently exemplified exceptional service and leadership within both the Atlanta Chapter and ARCS National and that we are grateful for her willingness to serve, her impactful leadership, and her unwavering dedication to ARCS.
