Gregory Hageman

Now a professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences and executive director of a center for translational medicine, Greg Hageman was raised in Central California, where his ancestors homesteaded as cotton farmers in 1885. “I grew up listening to my great grandparents’ stories about outlaws with guns coming into town. I was allowed to roam, to play, and to wonder.” Over the past quarter-century, Hageman has wondered mainly about the genetics and pathways involved in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), with great success. He has made major contributions to understanding the disease, briefed the US Congress on the subject on three occasions and initiated two biotechnology companies.