ASCI / Young Physician-Scientist Awards, 2024

Lev Prasov, MD, PhD is a surgeon-scientist with clinical and research focus in ophthalmology and ophthalmic genetics.  He received his BS in Chemistry and Biochemistry and completed his MD/PhD training in Human Genetics at the University of Michigan.  He then completed residency training in Ophthalmology at the Kellogg Eye Center and fellowship in Ophthalmic Genetics at the National Institutes of Health.  During this time, Dr. Prasov established a research program in gene discovery, functional validation, and target therapies for ocular genetic disorders. He now continues as an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Human Genetics at the University of Michigan. After joining the faculty, Dr. Prasov developed a novel Multidisciplinary Ophthalmic Genetics Clinic to serve patients with multisystem disorders with ocular manifestations. His research efforts have led to the discovery of novel gene-disease associations and molecular mechanisms of severe forms of glaucoma and disorders of eye size. Dr. Prasov is active in mentorship of medical, graduate, and undergraduate students, including serving as primary mentor for 2 PhD graduate students, one of whom has secured an independent F31 grant from the NIH. He is active nationally and internationally as part of the ClinGen gene curation consortium, FDA grant review, and NEI clinical protocol review. Dr. Prasov has received a K08 Award from the NEI on his gene discovery work in eye size disorders along with research awards from the Bright Focus Foundation, Knights Templar Eye Foundation, Glaucoma Research Foundation, ARVO Foundation, and E. Matilda Ziegler Foundation for the Blind.