Cynthia Owsley, Ph.D., professor and vice-chair for clinical research in the Department of Ophthalmology at the UAB School of Medicine, has been named a Gold Fellow by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

Owsley is one of 33 doctors recognized as 2013 ARVO Fellows. The fellowship recognizes current ARVO members for their accomplishments, leadership and contributions to the organization. Fellows will be inducted at the ARVO annual meeting this spring.

Owsley was named a Silver Fellow in 2009, along with fellow UAB faculty Christine A. Curcio, Ph.D., professor of ophthalmology; Thomas T. Norton, Ph.D., professor of vision science and Kent T. Keyser, Ph.D., professor of vision science.

Owsley is the director of the Clinical Research Unit in the Department of Ophthalmology and also serves as co-director of the Center for Research on Applied Gerontology at UAB.

Her research program focuses on aging-related eye disease and vision impairment and is funded by a number of organizations including the National Institutes of Health, Research to Prevent Blindness, the EyeSight Foundation of Alabama, Prevent Blindness America and General Motors Corporation. Her research program embodies many approaches including methodologies from psychophysics, epidemiology, clinical trials and health services research.