Jena Steinle, Ph.D., professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology and of Ophthalmology for the Wayne State University School of Medicine, has been appointed a member of the Diseases and Pathophysiology of the Visual System Study Section at the Center for Scientific Review of the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Steinle, a resident of Davisburg, Mich., will serve as a member of the study section from July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2021.

"It is an honor that I was asked to serve as a permanent study section member, as it shows that my work has been well received by the vision community," said Dr. Steinle, whose lab focuses on cellular pathways involved in retinal damage in response to diabetes. Her lab has developed a novel drug to test the role of beta-adrenergic receptors in the diabetic retina.

Study sections review NIH grant applications, make recommendations to the appropriate national advisory councils and survey the status of research in their respective fields. Members, said Richard Nakamura, Ph.D., director of the Center for Scientific Review, are selected on the basis of their demonstrated competence and achievement in their scientific discipline as evidenced by the quality of research accomplishments, scientific publications and other achievements and honors.

The Diseases and Pathophysiology of the Visual System Study Section reviews grant applications using basic and clinical approaches to study the retina and optic nerve, with a focus on etiology, pathophysiology, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases and disorders.