Global Ocular Melanoma Patient Registry

Bertil Damato, MD, PhD, FRCOphth, is an ophthalmologist specializing in ocular oncology. He received his undergraduate medical training in Malta, where he was born, and his post-graduate training in Glasgow, Scotland. Professor Damato is currently Senior Clinical Research Fellow at the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Oxford, Honorary Consultant Ophthalmologist at Oxford Eye Hospital, and Locum Consultant Ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK. He is also an Honorary Professor at the University of Liverpool and Emeritus Professor at the University of California, San Francisco. He has served as President of the European Ophthalmic Oncology Group, the European Vision and Eye Research Association and the International Society of Ocular Oncology. Professor Damato has published more than 300 peer-reviewed articles, numerous chapters and authored or co-edited several textbooks. He has received a number of awards, including the Bjerrum, Cohen, Ashton, and Watson Medals and the NHS UK Platinum Award.

Dr. Armin Afshar is a vitreoretinal surgeon and ocular oncologist with an academic career blending clinical practice, research, teaching and administration. He is an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology. Dr. Afshar serves as the Director of the Ocular Oncology Service at UCSF and the Director of Tele Ophthalmology for the San Francisco Department of Public Health. His research program is funded by the National Eye Institute at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Research to Prevent Blindness, and That Man May See.

Dr. Afshar's specialty is in the treatment of eye tumors and disorders of the retina and vitreous. In addition to expertise in retinal diseases and surgery, he has special training and experience in the management of ocular surface tumors of the conjunctiva and cornea, as well as intra-ocular tumors involving the iris, ciliary body, choroid, retina, vitreous and optic nerves. The UCSF Ocular Oncology Service is an internationally renowned center of excellence with longstanding programs of distinction in Retinoblastoma and Uveal Melanoma, and is one of only a handful of centers world-wide offering both Ocular Proton Therapy and plaque brachytherapy.

Dr. Afshar earned his bachelor of science and medical degree in the accelerated honors medical program at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago, and a master's degree in business administration at the University of Chicago. He completed a residency in ophthalmology at the University of Chicago and fellowships in vitreoretinal surgery and ocular oncology at UCSF. He also completed a master's degree in clinical research in epidemiology & biostatistics at UCSF. He is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, American Society of Retinal Specialists, American Association of Ophthalmic Oncologists and Pathologists, and International Society of Ocular Oncology.

Dr. Afshar has served as the president of the medical board for the Insight Registry following Dr. Damato’s return to the U.K.

Melody Burchett is the founder and president of A Cure In Sight. Melody founded the organization out of frustration of the lack of patient support and education that was available. Diagnosed in 2010, the information that was available was grim at best. Before her diagnosis, Melody was an Interior and landscape designer along with a history in sales and marketing.

Amy Edgecomb has served as a volunteer on the ACIS registry board since July 2021. She currently works as an Associate Director in the US Value, Evidence and Outcomes group at GlaxoSmithKline. Her primary focus is on generating real-world research within the company’s respiratory, rare diseases, and anti-infectives portfolio by using data from registries, medical and pharmacy claims, and electronic health records. She is a state registered pharmacist, holding licenses in both Florida and North Carolina and practices part-time as an emergency medicine pharmacist at Lee Health Coconut Point Hospital & Surgical Center in Estero, Florida. In prior roles, Amy has experience conducting both academic and clinical research in the areas of neurology, general medicine, infectious disease, and breast oncology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University. She holds a Doctor of Pharmacy and Master of Public Health from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida.

Jeff Howard has worked in the healthcare industry for over 20 years in various imaging specialties, including radiology, oncology, and cardiology. Since being diagnosed with ocular melanoma in 2018, he has volunteered with A Cure in Sight to assist with the creation of a patient registry, partnering with the National Organization for Rare Diseases (NORD). He lives out of Sparks, NV with his wife, Rhonda and two sons.

Lucy Innes was diagnosed with uveal melanoma in 2022, during the first year of her PhD studying genomics. After her diagnosis, she dedicated her research to understanding the complex biology of uveal melanoma, in order to help improve the future of therapies for other patients like her.