Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative

Spring 2025 Workshop

The Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative’s virtual workshop, “Developing Novel Endpoints for Diabetic Retinal Disease Based on the Neurovascular Unit”, kicked-off The Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative – Collaborative Community on Ophthalmic Innovation “DRD Cure Accelerator” Working Group’s consensus building on endpoints and biomarkers for DRD diagnosis, risk prediction, progression and treatment efficacy assessment. The identification, validation, and further development of these endpoints will concentrate on measures that recognize that DRD affects the entire retinal neurovascular unit and can assess the relationships between retinal structure and function.

Welcome

S. Robert Levine, MD, Founder and CEO, Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative (MTM Vision).
Setting the Stage: The need for new, consensus, DRD endpoints to facilitate medical product development and transform the clinical capacity to save and restore vision in people with diabetes.

Session 1: Clinical Assessment of Retinal Structure

Moderator: Jennifer Sun, MD, MPH, Scientific Co-Director, MTM Vision

Speakers:

Session 2: Cellular and Molecular Markers of DRD

Moderator: Patrice Fort, PhD, Director, MTM Vision Ocular Biorepository & Resource Center

Speakers:

Session 3: Assessment of the Function of Retinal Neurovascular Unit

Moderator: Thomas Gardner, MD, MS, Science Co-Director, MTM Vision.

Speakers:

Session 4: Validating Novel Clinical Outcome Assessments

Moderator: S. Robert Levine, MD, Founder and CEO, MTM Vision.

Speakers:

Session 5: Translation to Action

Moderator: Malvina Eydelman, MD, CEO, Collaborative Community on Ophthalmic Innovation (CCOI).

Speakers:

Concluding Remarks

Thomas Gardner, MD, MS, Science Co-Director, MTM Vision.

Jean Smart Honored With Mary Tyler Moore Visionary Award at 2025 Variety FYC TV Fest

May 12, 2025

By: Lauren Coates

For the second year in a row, Variety partnered with the Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative to present the Mary Tyler Moore Visionary Award, presented this year to Jean Smart at the 2025 Variety FYC TV Fest. Introduced last year, the Visionary Award honors women who carry on Moore’s legacy through “groundbreaking achievements in storytelling.” Vision Initiative founder Dr. Robert Levine opened the 2025 ceremony with introductory remarks about the award and his late wife.

“I was married to my sweetheart, Mary Tyler Moore, for over 33 years. When she died in 2017, I promised that I would do all I could to honor her legacy, and I can’t think of a better way to honor her than to celebrate a woman who is Mary’s Hollywood icon peer, Jean Smart. Jean is a brilliant comedic actress with extraordinary dramatic range,” he said. “Beautiful, yet accessible, brave, and kind, a risk taker, a trailblazer, generous, possessing great grace.”

Levine ended his introduction with a quote from Smart’s “Babylon” character Elinor St. John. “‘A child born in 50 years will stumble across your image flickering on a screen and feel he knows you like a friend. You’ve been given a gift. Be grateful.’ Jean, I am so grateful that you’ve shared the gift of your great talent with us, and that we have it on film to treasure forever.”

Smart’s “Hacks” co-star Kaitlin Olson took to the stage to present her Smart with the award. “Working with Jean and making her laugh or cry or impress her in any way is truly the highest compliment. Jean sets the bar, it just doesn’t go any higher. She’s also the only woman I’ve worked with on screen who’s taller than me, and I like that a lot too,” Olson joked.


The “Always Sunny” star revealed a surprise video message from Carol Burnett, who made a cameo in the most recent season of “Hacks.” “I’m so happy that Jean’s receiving Variety’s Mary Tyler Moore Award today. Mary shattered the glass ceiling with her talent and changed the way women are depicted on screen. She was also known for her extraordinary compassion, and it’s fitting that Jean receive this award since she too is famous for her kindness. From ‘Designing Women’ to ‘Watchmen,’ to ‘Mare of Easttown,’ to ‘Hacks,’ Jean is shaping cultural views about women for a whole new generation of viewers. Congratulations Jean, we’re all looking forward to watching you on screen for many, many more years to come. To put it simply, you are the best. Love you.”

Following Burnett’s well-wishes, Smart took to the stage to accept her award from Olson. Smart began her speech reflecting on her and Moore’s shared status as diabetics. “We were both type-one diabetics. I was 13 when I developed my diabetes, and of course, that was the worst thing that could ever happen to you as a kid. They tell you, ‘not only can you not eat sugar, you have to take shots.’ I mean, what’s the worst two things you can say to a child?”

In addition to having personal ties to the Vision Initiative’s cause, Smart says she was honored to receive the award because of how highly she thinks of its namesake. “I only got to meet Mary a few times, and I always wished I could have gotten to know her better. I recently read something that reminded me of when I was a kid, because I was the family ham.”


“Mary said that her grandfather remarked when she was maybe eight or 10, cavorting and jumping and flipping, whatever she was doing. He said, ‘That child is either gonna go on the stage or go to jail.’ Well, thank God she went on the stage, and thank God I did too. I so wish that Mary could have seen ‘Hacks.’ I flatter myself to think she really would’ve enjoyed the show.”

Smart ended her speech reflecting on Moore’s legacy and passing on her words of wisdom. “I cannot tell you what a compliment this is in so many ways. I also wish my mom and dad were here, they would love this and appreciate this. Mary had one more thing that she said, which was, ‘It’s not my business to care about what other people think of me.’ I had to look at that a few times, because first it sounded kind of humorous, but it’s true. As an actor, you can’t preoccupy yourself with wondering how well people think of you, or how poorly people might think of you, and what you do. Just try to please yourself and the people around you. With Mary, it was obvious that her friends and family loved her, and her coworkers loved her just as much. I’m so, so, so humbled and honored. Thank you so much.”

Jean Smart adds Variety’s Mary Tyler Moore Visionary Award to the 6 Emmys and 2 Golden Globes on Her Mantle

May 6, 2025

The beloved actress adds Variety’s Mary Tyler Moore Visionary Award to the six Emmys and two Golden Globes on her mantle 

By Rosemary Rossi

Looking over Jean Smart’s oeuvre since her television debut in the 1979 TV movie “Before and After,” one thing is instantly noticeable — she has not stopped working. But over the last decade or so, momentum has picked up even more rapidly. It’s almost like producers and directors are shouting from the rooftops, “Get me Jean Smart!”

On May 7, the multi-award-winning “Hacks” actress will be presented with the second annual Mary Tyler Moore Visionary Award at the Variety FYC TV Fest for her groundbreaking achievements in storytelling and mirroring Moore’s impact on the entertainment industry. Although Smart jokes that the first thing she thought of when she heard of the honor was, “My boyfriend has always been madly in love with her,” her immediate reaction after that was, “My gosh!” 

“[‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’] was something else,” she says. “It takes you to a time that we think of as sort of a Golden Age of the sitcoms, and she absolutely epitomized the joy that we all got from these shows, and particularly her shows.”

Moore’s husband, Dr. S. Robert Levine, Founder and CEO of the Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative, a non-profit that advances research to preserve and restore vision in people with diabetes, will present Smart with the award. 

Unlike the title of her hit Max series, Smart is anything but a hack, having earned every bit of her six Emmy wins (and seven additional nominations), two Golden Globes, three SAG Awards, plus a Grammy nomination and a Tony nomination. And with her upcoming return to Broadway for 12 weeks at Studio 54 in June in the one-woman show, “Call Me Izzy,” her future is just screaming “EGOT!”

“From your mouth to you-know-where,” she says with a laugh. 

Although she has been graced with a career that has kept her very busy for more than four decades, the last 10-15 years are particularly notable not just for the quantity of projects, but also the variety of genres showcased in the likes of “Fargo,” “Watchmen,” “Mare of Easttown,” “Babylon” and, of course, “Hacks,“ which has been the gift that keeps on giving. 

“I never thought I’d be so happy to be called a hack,” she said earlier this year while accepting her second Golden Globe playing legendary stand-up comedian Deborah Vance, a role she knew she wanted to play immediately after reading the pilot script. “It was all right there. The comedy was obvious, but you could see beyond that, behind her defenses and her darker moments.”

Deborah makes no bones about it, she is a woman who takes charge of her own life — and frequently the life of those in her orbit. “Well, yeah, she is a bit of a control freak,” Smart laughs. “But she’s also — she’s just so lonely. It’s so sad how lonely she is, and she doesn’t even really realize it, and then she doesn’t have to be living that way, you know? But she is kind of fueled by her bitterness and anger. But at the same time, her saving grace is that she sees humor in everything, which is, I guess, the one thing I feel like I have in common with her. I try to do the same.”

When looking over her entire body of work — which is plentiful! — it is abundantly clear that she knows how to choose her roles. You might even say that she’s smart about it. (See what we did there?)

“To be able to choose a role, for an actor, is very rare, and I know how exceptionally fortunate I am to be able to try to be choosy,” she says. “I try to look for something that maybe I haven’t kind of really done before. ‘Fargo’ was one of those projects that I just was so thrilled [about]. I actually had to audition for that. I was thrilled when [creator] Noah [Hawley] offered me that after the audition. Luckily, I don’t haven’t had to do that since.”

Smart says that her “Fargo” role as Floyd Gerhardt, the matriarch and head of the Gerhardt crime family, was a character that she felt like she understood. “I knew that from the outside she appeared to be so many things that weren’t really what she truly was,” she says. “And I had this whole backstory of about her, her childhood and why she was named Floyd … So I had come up with this whole thing about how she’d been ‘the son’ that her father never had but that he wished he’d had, so she did everything with her dad. You know, she hunted, she fished, she was a rancher. She rode horses. She worked hard. He was determined to have a son named Floyd, and he never got a son. So, by God, he still named her Floyd.”

Floyd was just one in a string of many very distinct characters Smart has portrayed. At one point in 2021, she was featured in three shows at the same time in wildly different genres: “Hacks,” “Mare of Easttown” and the animated series “Big Mouth.” And that type of scheduling luck is when it becomes really apparent to those watching and listening to her just how good she is.

“I’m grateful, and I’m not gonna question it. I mean, obviously, if this had all come 20 years ago, that would’ve been nice. But better late than never,” she jokes. “I mean, I think that it would be terrible to really hit it when you’re like 35 or 30, and then people just stop calling and it just goes down, down, down, down, down. So it’s been a very steady sort of upward trajectory, which I am just so incredibly grateful. I can’t explain it because I don’t feel like I’m any different as an actor than I was 20 years ago.”

“Hacks” hasn’t officially been picked up yet for a fifth season — “I’d be kinda surprised if we didn’t” — but Smart has her summer hiatus book for another gig: a return to Broadway at Studio 54 in “Call Me Izzy,” a dark comedy about a rural Louisiana woman. It was sent to her a couple years ago, and she absolutely fell in love with it. But trying to find a time when she could do it was a little tricky.

“Doing a play in New York, it’s a big-time commitment. And it’s a big ask for my kids to come with me and the only time I could really do it was during a summer break, because my youngest is still in school. So it finally worked out this summer,” says Smart. “I can’t wait for people to see it. I just think it’s extraordinary. The writing is so gorgeous. Some of it is so fun and quirky and whimsical, and some of it is tragic. It’s this woman who got married at 17 in rural Louisiana, lives in a trailer park with her husband, and she writes extraordinary poetry. But she has to hide it from him because he’s very abusive and he hates that part of her. … Sometimes you see things like that in marriage, where one person hides their light from the other because it bothers the other spouse, and that’s not really love.”

The show is just her and the audience for a solid hour. 

“I’m so excited — and I’m a mildly terrified. Uh, more than mildly,” she laughs. “I just adore this character so much, but it’s 75 pages of just me talking. The longest speech I’ve ever done on stage was 15 pages and a half pages, and I thought that was scary. This is five times that.”

Jean Smart Will Receive the Mary Tyler Moore Visionary Award

April 23, 2025

By William Earl

Variety FYC TV Fest returns May 7 in Los Angeles for a day of genre-focused discussions featuring the creators and talent behind the year’s most talked about Emmy contending series. Join us for an exciting star-studded event, complete with engaging panel conversations and a special presentation of the Mary Tyler Moore Visionary Award.


The festival kicks off with “Meet the Makers” drama panel, including “The Day of the Jackal” and “Lockerbie: A Search for Truth”, featuring executive producers Gareth Neame and Nigel Marchant. The morning continues with a look into thrilling series “Yellowjackets,” followed by an ensemble conversation with the cast and executive producer of the acclaimed hit drama “Matlock”, including Kathy Bates, Skye P. Marshall, Jason Ritter, David Del Rio, Leah Lewis, and showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman.

Creators Michelle and Robert King will join actor Carrie Preston and showrunner Jonathan Tolins to discuss the dual creative worlds of “Evil” and “Elsbeth.”

“Jimmy Kimmel Live” head writer and executive producer Molly McNearney will then give an insider look at the late-night mainstay.

Following a mid-morning networking break, we continue with an engaging panel highlighting the “Women Who Wow: Spotlight on this Season’s Stellar Performances”.

This conversation will feature renowned actresses Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”); Niecy Nash-Betts (“Grotesquerie”); Kaitlin Olson (“High Potential”); Nicole Brydon Bloom (“Paradise”); and Ellen Pompeo (“Good American Family.”)

An in-depth conversation with the team from “Dark Winds” and “Interview with a Vampire” will follow.

Multiple award-winning actress and star of “Hacks” Jean Smart will be presented with the second annual Mary Tyler Moore Visionary Award. She will be introduced by Mary Tyler Moore’s husband, Dr. S. Robert Levine, Founder and CEO of the Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative which is a non-profit that advances research to preserve and restore vision in people with diabetes. The award, named in honor of the legendary actor, recognizes groundbreaking achievements in storytelling.

As we transition into the afternoon, we’re excited to present a lively “Meet the Makers” comedy session with funny-men stars, Joel McHale from “Animal Control” and Denis Leary of “Going Dutch”.

A “Behind the Laughs” session will follow with comedy supporting stars including Stephanie Koenig (“English Teacher”); Abby Elliott (“The Bear”); Jane Lynch (“Only Murders in the Building”); Janelle James (“Abbott Elementary”); Poorna Jagannathan (“Deli Boys”); and Matt Bomer (“Mid-Century Modern.”)

Additional “Meet the Makers” comedy panels will highlight fresh new titles like “Étoile”, with actors Gideon Glick and Luke Kirby, and “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage,” featuring Montana Jordan, Emily Osment and executive producer Steven Molaro.

The unscripted world takes the stage in the final section of the day. “The Challenge” stars Leroy Garrett, Aneesa Ferreira, CT Tamburello, Rachel Robinson will be joined by Bunim/Murray Productions & 51 Minds Entertainment CEO Julie Pizzi. Then, we will dive into glam and strategy of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and “The Traitors,” with appearances from “Boston Rob” Mariano and Dolores Catania, with more to be announced.

Conversations will be recorded and published across Variety’s digital & social platforms following the event.

20th Television, ABC, AMC Networks, CBS Studios, CBS, Fox Entertainment, FX Networks, Hulu, MTV, Onyx Collective, Paramount+, Peacock, Prime Video, and Warner Bros. Television are official partners of the event.

New Study Shows That Diabetic Eye Disease is Up, But the Most Severe Forms Are Down

April 17, 2025

Although the prevalence of diabetes-related eye diseases almost doubled since 2014, the rates of most severe forms of the disease have actually decreased, according to a new study led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The lead author Brian VanderBeek, MD, MPH, MSCE, an associate professor of Ophthalmology, received an RPB / Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative Physician-Scientist Award, which supported his work.

According to a report by the University of Pennsylvania, the researchers believe that their findings, published in Ophthalmology, demonstrate the adeptness of health care providers in the United States in diagnosing and treating diabetes over the years. At the same time, they believe it could also provide a glimpse of potential vision-threatening diseases lying in wait in the future.  

“Our work shows that more than 30 percent of all patients with diabetes now have some form of diabetic retinal disease, which means that the number of people at risk for vision loss continues to grow,” said Dr. VanderBeek. “But our work has maybe also revealed that the most severe forms of the disease are becoming less common, suggesting clinicians may be getting better at treating systemic diabetes.” 

Since more than 10 percent of the United States population, 38 million people, are now diagnosed with diabetes, and over 98 million have pre-diabetes—numbers that have been steadily growing for decades—it is vital to obtain a full picture of the risks associated with the disease, including development of diabetic retinal disease that could ultimately lead to vision loss so that health workers and public health officials can accurately assess and address them.  

Learn more about the study in the University of Pennsylvania’s news release.

Cassie Maxwell

Meet Cassie Maxwell—diagnosed with T1D at just 18 months old.  As a kid, she found comfort in knowing that one of her favorite actors, Mary Tyler Moore, shared this ‘special thing’ in common. Cassie admired Mary so much that she dressed up as her for Famous Americans Day—and even had the incredible opportunity to personally interview her for her presentation.  

When Cassie asked what she should wear, Mary’s response was iconic:

“You should wear pants because I fought for us to wear pants.” 👏

A true trailblazer, in every way.

BreaththroughT1D’s Mary Tyler Moore Award

February 11, 2025

New York, Feb. 12, 2025—Breakthrough T1D, formerly JDRF, the leading global type 1 diabetes (T1D) research and advocacy organization, proudly presented awards to seven outstanding volunteer leaders whose impact has pushed the organization’s mission forward. The volunteers were recognized with the awards at Breakthrough T1D’s annual One Conference on Feb. 11, 2025. Award recipients include: 

  • Jordan Amis, Carol and Erwin Lurie Award 
  • Dayton Coles, Dr. Gerald Fishbone Award
  • Natalie Stanback, Huntsman Family Community Engagement Award 
  • Joseph P. Lacher, Jr., Jim Tyree Award
  • Shelley and Doug Lowenstein, John Brady Award for Innovation
  • Carol Oxenreiter, Mary Tyler Moore Award

Mary Tyler Moore Award

The Mary Tyler Moore Award recognizes courageous women willing to take risks to promote positive change. The award is focused on pioneering female leadership that delivers meaningful impact in the T1D community. Breakthrough T1D is proud to honor Carol Oxenreiter’s remarkable contributions to the T1D community and her roles as a founding member of the Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative’s Steering Committee and organizer and first Lay Advisory Board Chairman.

Carol’s involvement with Breakthrough T1D began shortly after her daughter, Monica, was diagnosed with T1D at 13 months old. Three years later, the goal to find a cure became even more crucial when her son, John, was diagnosed with T1D at the age of eight. 

Carol currently serves as the Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative Lay Advisory Committee Chair and as a member of the Breakthrough T1D Global Mission Board and Directors Emeritus. Carol is also a former member of the International Board of Directors, past chair of the Research Committee, and immediate past president of the Directors Emeritus. She has been a valued volunteer in the Western Pennsylvania and Georgia and South Carolina chapters, where she has served in various roles to further the organization’s impact and outreach. She was a founding member of the Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative’s Steering Committee, organizer, and first Chairman of the Lay Advisory Board. Her peers recognize her for her tireless commitment to Breakthrough T1D and the quest to find a cure, as a talented speaker who engages audiences with tailored research presentations and a skilled mentor who provides wise counsel with integrity to both volunteers and staff.

Read more here.

Twenty Year Trends in Prevalence and in Incidence of Diabetic Retinal Disease

Ophthalmology Science (January 2025) published a paper titled, “Twenty Year Trends in Prevalence and in Incidence of Diabetic Retinal Disease.” An in-depth review that explores an overview of how the rates of diabetic retinal disease (DRD) and its vision-threatening components (VTDR), diabetic macular edema (DME), and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) among patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) have changed over the past 20 years. The lead author is Brian L. VanderBeek, MD MPH MSCE.

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University of Michigan’s Kellogg Eye Center Annual Report

Personal Experience | Kim Hartman

Preserving an artist’s vision after diabetic retinal disease

For one artist with Type 1 diabetes, losing her vision was her biggest fear. Specialists helped preserve her sight and aim to stop the disease before it starts for others.

December 31, 2024 5:00 AM

Author | Annie Clarkson

Kim Hartman, a talented artist and Type 1 diabetes patient, has always expressed herself through her vibrant paintings and intricate sketches.

But as much as art was her passion, it was also the source of her deepest fear: losing her vision. 

Vision issues are a common but serious complication of all forms of diabetes. 

Since her diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes as a young adult, Hartman had spent years managing the condition’s daily challenges. 

Still, the thought of developing diabetic retinal disease (formerly referred to as diabetic retinopathy) was her worst nightmare.

When vision problems, like eye floaters, began for her, Hartman sought care at Michigan Medicine. 

She was referred to Thomas W. Gardner, M.D., M.S., the Scientific Co-Director of The Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative and an ophthalmologist who specializes in diseases of the back of the eye, particularly those caused by diabetes like diabetic retinal disease.

From the moment she met Gardner, Hartman felt a sense of relief. 

“He listened to my fears without judgment and took the time to explain everything to me,” Hartman said. 

“I didn’t feel rushed or dismissed. Instead, I felt like I had someone on my team who genuinely cared about my health, and someone fighting for something deeply personal.”

Gardner’s brothers have Type 1 diabetes as well, driving his motivation to help others with the condition. 

As part of her treatment at Michigan Medicine, Gardner connected her with the multidisciplinary Metabolism, Endocrinology & Diabetes team, which includes diabetes education specialists and nutritionists, to ensure her overall diabetes management was optimized.

“Diabetes is a systemic disease, the eye part is just one manifestation of it,” Gardner said. 

“For ophthalmologists to get the best eye outcome, we want our care to be comprehensive, taking the whole patient into account, to make sure all systemic risk factors are minimized. That’s a real advantage we have here at Michigan Medicine because we have outstanding diabetes specialists.” 

Treating diabetic retinal disease  

While Hartman managed her condition with regular monitoring and lifestyle adjustments, Gardner completed laser treatments to correct bleeding blood vessels and hemorrhaging in the eye, common symptoms of diabetic retinal disease and culprits behind vision loss. 

Although the disease is typically treatable at this stage, these laser treatments often result in lasting vision loss, even as they stop the disease from worsening. 

“We treat diabetic retinal disease now at the equivalent stage of kidney failure,” Gardner said. 

Hartman’s treatment was a success and Gardner says she has a good prognosis for the future of her eyesight. 

“As an artist and parent, my vision is everything. When I was diagnosed with diabetes, I feared losing not just my sight but a part of who I am. Thanks to early intervention and the right care, I’ve been able to preserve my vision — and, with it, my passion for creating. I’m endlessly grateful for the research and treatments that made this possible.” 

A vision initiative

The Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative at Michigan Medicine, founded after the actress lost most of her vision from diabetic eye disease, aims to advance research and treatments for diabetic eye diseases.

The hope is to get to patients before retinal bleeding, like what Hartman experienced, begins.

“We put out the fire for Kim, but we want to prevent the fire,” Gardner said. 

“As part of an international initiative, there are clinical studies and analysis of the eyes of people who had diabetes who have donated their eyes to better understand it. We’re working hard to change the whole understanding of the disease and help people like Kim be able to retain their vision.”

“The point is to help Kim and, in doing so, help other people who have diabetes know that they can keep good vision through getting their eyes examined and taking the best possible care of their diabetes,” Gardner said.

Patients like Hartman can also benefit from and contribute to the work of the U-M Elizabeth Weiser Caswell Diabetes Institute, a world leader in Type 1 diabetes research. 

CDI researchers seek to prevent, treat, and cure the burdensome complications that diabetes can cause, including efforts to prevent and restore vision loss.  

By continuously working with and learning from patients and partners like Hartman, CDI will continue to lead innovative and collaborative research that focuses on prevention, treatment, and cures for Type 1 diabetes and its devastating complications. 

“Being at an academic medical center like Michigan Medicine made all the difference for me,” Hartman said.

“They have the latest technology and access to research and education that most places don’t but, more than that, they have a collaborative approach that incorporated my needs and preferences.”

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