The Importance of Pursuing the PRRF Mission
Dr. Michael Trese shares why pursuing the PRRF mission is so important to the future of children, families and future patients.
About
Pediatric Retinal Research Foundation
Our Mission
Championing Hope: Supporting Families and Pursuing Cures for Pediatric Retinal Diseases
The mission of the Pediatric Retinal Research Foundation (PRRF) is to raise awareness of pediatric retinal diseases, drive research, and support the community of affected individuals and their families.
Our Vision
We aspire to transform lives through cure-focused translational research, and to empower those impacted by rare pediatric retinal diseases to realize their full potential.
Our Values
The Foundation is guided by six core values that define who we are and how we strive to make an impact: Excellence, Innovation, Advocacy, Engagement, Inclusion, and Compassion. These values shape our actions and reflect our commitment to serving our community with integrity and purpose.
Our Team
Board of Director Officers
Dr. Capone is President of the PRRF. His primary role is developing PRRF’s strategic plan while making sure its program and operations support its mission on a daily basis. Dr. Capone is an internationally recognized clinician, surgeon and educator. He has authored or co-authored over 300 publications in peer-reviewed medical journals, book chapters, and publications from clinical trials. He is currently a Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Oakland University, and Professor at the European School for Advanced Studies in Ophthalmology, Lugano, Switzerland. Dr. Capone is recognized in particular as a surgical innovator. He also serves as Co-President of Associated Retinal Consultants (ARC), the leading academically-oriented private retina practice in the world, and has held a number of leadership positions in ophthalmology over the last 25 years. He completed his undergraduate and medical degrees at Brown University, his residency at the University of Pittsburgh, and fellowship at Emory University.
Alex J. Dobin is the director and senior partner for HR business strategic partnerships at NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE), a leading clean energy company. In his role, Dobin oversees strategic people capital initiatives for key business areas and was appointed to the role in October 2024.
Prior to his current role, Dobin was the director and head of the HR business advisory team, responsible for HR employee relations functions across the US and Canada. Prior to that role, Dobin served as a senior HR business partner, where he was responsible for providing counsel regarding employment & labor relations, leadership development, training, mergers & acquisitions, succession planning, targeted recruiting, and organizational effectiveness for multiple business units with corporate and operational responsibilities. Dobin has held multiple roles with expanded scope during his tenure at NextEra Energy, Inc.
Prior to joining NextEra Energy in 2015, Dobin served as the corporate HR manager for North American Programs at Office Depot, Inc., responsible for HR initiatives, program design and implementation with the U.S. retail division. He also worked for the Target Corporation in multiple roles with increasing responsibility in the HR, investigation, safety and assets protection divisions, ultimately serving as a senior manager for HR and market resource leader.
Dobin serves as board vice president of Families First of Palm Beach County, vice president of operations of the Pediatric Retinal Research Foundation and a director of CareerSource Palm Beach County. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from Florida Atlantic University and is a graduate of Leadership Palm Beach County, class of 2021 where he also served as a governor (2022-2024). Dobin resides in Palm Beach County, Florida with his wife and two children.
Dr. Drenser is dedicated to promoting translational research in retina, making benchtop to bedside a reality. She has an extensive background in retinal research, which started with her PhD thesis (completed at the University of Florida Neuroscience Center and UC San Francisco Beckmen Vision Center) which created a gene therapy for an inherited retinal degeneration. The foundation of this gene therapy has been developed into an FDA approved therapy which is now available for a rare blinding disease. While completing her ophthalmology residency at the Jules Stein Eye Institute followed by a vitreoretinal fellowship at Associated Retinal Consultants she continued to develop patient focused retinal research for therapeutic development. Her development of the Ophthalmic Biobank allowed for the discovery of the role of Wnt-signaling, and specifically norrin, in eye development and retinal regeneration. Dr. Drenser has over 100 publications in peer-reviewed medical journals, book chapters, and publications from clinical trials, including Nature and Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. She continues to treat children with blinding retinal disease and extend research opportunities to collaborators at Oakland University and other Institutions.
The original founder of Diversified Portfolios, Inc. in 1993, Bob has more than 25 years of experience helping families and individuals meet the challenges of investing to ensure a secure financial future. He served as president of the company until 2023. Diversified Portfolios, Inc. is a fee-only investment advisory firm, primary focused on retirement planning and investment management.
A graduate of University of Detroit High School, Albion College (Economics) and the University of Detroit (JD and MBA combined program), Bob is a CFA charter holder, an attorney and a member of the CFA Society of Detroit. Bob and his wife, Anne, have two great kids, Ellen and Daniel. Bob is recently retired and enjoys skiing, cycling and tennis.
Board of Directors
Dr. Al-Shabrawey is an expert on the study of diabetic retinopathy, a major cause of blindness worldwide, and has published more than 65 refereed articles on the disease in the past 20 years. His research funding since 2007 has included major grants from the National Eye Institute and the American Heart Association, and he currently possesses an NIH R01 grant that extends to 2024. Dr. Al-Shabrawey has garnered both national and international recognition for his work, as evidenced by his frequent invitations to speak at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) and the International Society of Eye Research (ISER). His research area is perfect for stimulating future scientific collaboration with ERI basic science and clinical vision researchers. In addition, Dr. Al-Shabrawey has exhibited an impressive record of mentoring graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and medical students in his laboratory. He was appointed to Director of the Oakland University Eye Research Institute in August 2021.
Patrick J. Droste, M.S., M.D. graduated medical school from Wayne State University in 1980, completed his residency in ophthalmology at Henry Ford Hospital, and a fellowship in Pediatric ophthalmology at Indiana University. He returned to Michigan in 1987 to begin his practice in Grand Rapids, Michigan now known as Pediatric Ophthalmology, P.C. Dr. Droste is a Clinical Professor at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine in the Departments of Neurology, Ophthalmology, and Surgery as well as a Clinical Professor at Michigan State University College of Osteopathy in the department of Neurology and Ophthalmology. He has served as past president of the Michigan Society of Eye Surgeons and Physicians, and serves on many committees for county, state and national medical/ophthalmology societies. Dr. Droste has published numerous articles in peer review journals, presentations and courses, and lectured internationally. He actively participates in clinical research at the community level with our local hospitals, and at the national level as a principal investigator for Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group (PEDIG). Philanthropy has been an important focus throughout Dr. Droste’s career. He created the Visually Impaired Sports Day which has occurred annually since 2002 in sponsorship with Spectrum Health, was a charter board member of Project Access which provides free medical services to the disadvantaged in Kent County, has cared for indigent children of third world countries through Heal the Children, and was a charter member of the ROPARD Board.
Nicole Guidici joined the PRRF Board of Directors and immediately jumped to action by growing the Podcast, participating in the Research Advisory Committee, as well as helping the Fundraising Committee establish clear goals and programs. Nicole’s professional background includes work as a physician assistant and, most recently, as a Senior Medical Science Liaison with expertise in neurology. Nicole loves to run and just completed her first marathon in fall 2024.
Dr. Trese is an adult and pediatric vitreoretinal surgeon at Associated Retinal Consultant, and assistant professor at Oakland University’s William Beaumont School of Medicine.
Dr. Trese is an active member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Society of Retina Specialists, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, and Michigan Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons. He graduated from Michigan State University with a Doctorate in Osteopathic Medicine and Boston University School of Medicine with a Master of Art’s in Medical Sciences. Additionally, he is the son of PRRF Founder, Dr. Michael Trese, and is passionate about honoring his father’s legacy through his involvement in the Foundation.
Chuck Walls first came to Associated Retinal Consultants PC (ARC) in 2007 after his son, Collin, was diagnosed with X-Linked Juvenile Retinoschisis. He is passionate about treatment for this retinal disease, and wanted to do more, so he joined the VRRF Board in 2014. More recently he is excited to work with families who have children with retinal diseases as the Family Development Chair on the PRRF Board. Chuck is a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel and a combat veteran aviator with multiple combat and peace keeping tours. Chuck is also an Experimental Test Pilot, and after his retirement in 2009, continues to serve the US Army as a Department of the Army Civilian working as the Chief, Engineering Design and Analysis and still flies as an Experimental Test Pilot conducting tests for the Aviation Applied Technology Directorate at Fort Eustis, VA.. LTC(R) Walls received a Bachelors degree in Aerospace Engineering from the United States Military Academy in 1989, and a Masters degree in Engineering Management from University of Central Florida in 2002, and a Masters degree in Computer Resources and Information Management from Webster University in 2002. Chuck, and his wife, Donna, also have experience as Co-Founders and Co-Directors of an educational non-profit 501(c)(3) foundation for 10 years.
Kay White is a community volunteer who began to work with ROPARD when she chaired its first fund-raisers, The Artful Garden". She joined the Board of ROPARD in 1996. Kay has been active in many organizations, including the DSO, American Heart, American Lung and especially Common Ground where she has answered the crisis line for 34 years and served 4 terms as Board Chair. Kay graduated from Colby College with a B.A. She is on the Advisory Board of The Art Experience and is a member of two garden clubs. She also loves to play tennis and is an avid gardener.
Our Team
Stephanie passion is partnering with community leaders to ignite meaningful and impactful change for the mission’s they care about most. With over 20 years working for nonprofit organizations, Stephanie is the guiding force behind millions raised for local and national organizations. Stephanie has led the Hope for Vision Walk since 2019 and is now serving as Foundation Manager for PRRF. She is also the owner of a nonprofit consulting company, Guiding Force Consulting, LLC. Stephanie is a proud graduate of Davenport University with a Master’s of business Administration and currently serves on the board of Guiding Harbor.
Luisa Recchia's passion for adding value to people who add value to others finds herself at the Pediatric Retinal Research Foundation. For years, she has worked with both for profit and non-profit organizations. Growing up in a large extended family, the phrase "it takes a village to raise a child" brings a lot of meaning. If one child suffered, we were all impacted and all pitched in and rolled up our sleeve. Luisa and her husband Jim have three adult sons working hard to pass on family traditions. As an entrepreneur, Luisa works as a coach for business owners and leadership teams helping them get what they want from their business.
Heather has been working in the nonprofit industry for over 17 years in various administrative roles. She brings a passionate, dedicated and thoughtful approach to every interaction with clients. She specializes in streamlining processes, anticipating client administrative needs, and keeping the PRRF team organized and on track with data management. You’ll also see Heather at outreach events and industry conferences. When Heather isn’t making a huge difference in the lives of her colleagues, she’s spending quality time with her husband and playing with her rambunctious dog, Murray.
Annie has always been fascinated by storytelling across cultures. It’s why she studied five languages, and how she launched her career in communications, telling stories that resonate globally.
Annie brings ten years of experience in writing and digital media expertise to the table, in setting communications strategies, managing brand reputations and crises, developing executive thought leadership, and producing high quality written and multimedia content.
Annie brings ten years of experience in writing and digital media expertise to the table, in setting communications strategies, managing brand reputations and crises, developing executive thought leadership, and producing high quality written and multimedia content.
She is passionate about elevating mission-driven brands and using social media to do social good. She works with nonprofit, philanthropy, and mission-driven private sector clients to increase brand visibility, polish messaging, produce engaging creatives, rally communities, and rigorously measure our results.
Our Founder
In 1990 Michael T. Trese, MD, founded what is now known as the Pediatric Retinal Research Foundation.
Dr. Trese is widely considered the father of modern pediatric vitreoretinal surgery. In a career spanning more than 40 years, he has been credited with significant breakthroughs and has taught many of today’s leading pediatric retina specialists.
In the 1980s, he revolutionized pediatric vitreoretinal surgery with his concept of lens-sparing vitrectomy for the treatment of complex pediatric retinal detachment due to advanced retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). His techniques have also been applied to diseases such as familial exudative vitreoretinopathy, juvenile X-linked retinoschisis and Coats disease. He led the way to the first FDA-approved drug for pharmacologic vitreolysis.
In addition to his achievements as a medical doctor, his impact on families world-wide through the work of the Foundation is significant. He championed early translational research in the quest for cures, was instrumental in bringing to reality the only research lab dedicated solely to pediatric retinal research and provided hope to countless families. We will continue this work in honor of our Founder, friend and colleague.
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