Ocular melanoma is a subtype of melanoma that starts in the eye and affects around 2,000 adults annually in the United States. When her husband (pictured here) was diagnosed with the disease, Sara Selig, MD, a Doris and Howard Hiatt Resident in Global Health Equity and Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, became devoted to advancing knowledge of this cancer among patients, their families and the medical community.
Dr. Selig began by spearheading the first global meeting of ocular melanoma researchers and clinicians. Convened in October 2009 at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the symposium created the Ocular Melanoma Research Consortium, a network of top researchers dedicated to accelerating research, improving patient outcomes and finding a cure for this harrowing disease. Dr. Selig joined forces with the Ocular Melanoma Foundation, and, as vice chair of the organization, has continued to help organize both the scientific community as well as the patient community.
The foundation was established in 2003 by the late Robert C. Allen, MD, himself an ophthalmologist. Dr. Allen became afflicted with ocular melanoma and in 2005 succumbed to the disease due to liver complications.
Dr. Allen’s son, Grant Allen, who chairs the foundation, writes, “Sara is a brilliant mind and an unstoppable force in this nascent field.”
