Honor Dr. Hao Wang

Senate Resolution No. 1191 BY: Senator BRESLIN HONORING Hao Wang, MD upon the occasion of her designation as recipient of the 2017 Professional of the Year Award by the Northeastern Association of the Blind at Albany on April 8, 2017 WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and pay tribute to those individuals within the medical field who distinguish themselves through professional excellence and who have made significant contributions to the quality of life of citizens in the State of New York; and WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Hao Wang, MD upon the occasion of her designation as recipient of the 2017 Professional of the Year Award by the Northeastern Association of the Blind at Albany, to be celebrated at its Annual Visionary Gala, on Saturday, April 8, 2017, at the Franklin Plaza Ballroom in Troy, New York; and WHEREAS, Since 1908, the Northeastern Association of the Blind at Albany (NABA) has provided comprehensive services and programs to residents of the greater Capital Region who are blind or visually impaired; in 2016, they helped over 900 individuals of all ages across

11 counties adapt to vision loss, maximize remaining vision, achieve their goals, and expand their independence; and WHEREAS, In addition, NABA offered screenings to over 3,640 children between 18 months and five years of age for possible vision problems; and WHEREAS, Dr. Hao Wang is a longtime friend and volunteer of the NABA; for the past several years, she has graciously devoted her time and energies to helping the NABA fulfill its mission of providing critically needed support, guidance and assistance to the blind and visually impaired across the Capital Region; she truly believes that NABA is an indispensable partner to her patient care and her community; and WHEREAS, Dr. Hao Wang is a board certified ophthalmologist and fellowship trained vitreoretinal specialist; she provides comprehensive medical and surgical treatment for disorders of the retina, macula and vitreous at Capital Region Retina with two her partners; and WHEREAS, After graduating from Tongji Medical University in Wuhan, China, Dr. Hao Wang moved to the United States where she obtained a master's degree in Physiological Optics and Vision Science from the University of Houston in Texas; she went on to complete a research fellowship in retina with Dr. Marco Zarbin at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey; and WHEREAS, Dr. Hao Wang then completed her ophthalmology residency and vitreoretinal surgery fellowship at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Texas, one of the most prestigious training programs in the country; and WHEREAS, Dr. Hao Wang's research interests include age-related macular degeneration and retinal pigment epithelium transplantation; results of her work have been published in highly acclaimed journals such as Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science and Current Eye Research; she is also a contributing author for the widely circulated textbook Stephen Ryan's Retina; and WHEREAS, This exceptional woman is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Society of Retinal Specialists, and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology; and WHEREAS, As a leader in her profession, Dr. Hao Wang has proven herself to be a great asset to medicine and to the health and welfare of the citizens of the State of New York; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to honor Hao Wang, MD upon the occasion of her designation as recipient of the 2017 Professional of the Year Award by the Northeastern Association of the Blind at Albany; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Hao Wang, MD.