Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative

Nicole Johnson

When Nicole Johnson was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 19 years old, she “spiraled into hopelessness”. Flipping pain to purpose, Nicole volunteered, became Miss America, and obtained a Doctor of Public Health degree.

Before she became the first Miss America to publicly use an insulin pump, Nicole Johnson, DrPH, was a 19-year-old English student at the University of South Florida with the world at her feet. When diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, Nicole’s health care provider presented a negative forecast for her future.

Aside from physical symptoms like fluctuating blood sugar levels, Nicole felt alone—even amongst her family. It was hard not to notice the different place in the house where her food was kept and different preparation routines for only her meals.

Having to manage a chronic disease during this vulnerable life stage caused Nicole to “spiral into hopelessness” and she dropped out of school. Learning to live in the ambiguity of life with diabetes made Nicole angry, and “it felt like everything was being ripped away” from her. In hindsight, Nicole can appreciate the anger because it helped her move forward, a point that not everyone reaches.

“With diabetes, we learn to cope, but we don’t get resolve.”

One week post-diagnosis, Nicole was discharged from the hospital and went to a Breakthrough T1D office (then referred to as JDRF) to volunteer. Motivated by her desire to advocate for other people with diabetes, she also became a spokesperson for the American Diabetes Association and discovered pageants, winning the titles of Miss Virginia 1998 and Miss America 1999. Both times, Nicole sported an insulin pump and became the first contestant to do so.

“On the surface, you’d think I was into pageants. But I wanted to use my involvements to prove people wrong—those that said you can’t do all these things,” Nicole said.

It was during this time that Nicole met Dr. S. Robert Levine and Mary Tyler Moore at a JDRF Gala. “I was able to talk with someone who had first-hand experience of the vision issues, including vision loss, you can have from diabetes. Diabetic retinal disease is one of the scariest parts of diabetes,” she said. “But Mary showed me that despite the challenges, you can serve the greater good. She was such an iconic figure to me as a young woman.”

Advancing her advocacy work, Nicole went back to the University of South Florida for a Doctor of Public Health degree and later created a university program called Bringing Science Home, which helps young people with the transition of caring for their diabetes more independently—a full-circle moment.

Today, Nicole’s life looks a bit different—she’s the Community Education and Screening Education Manager at Sanofi and the mother of a college-aged daughter—but that hasn’t stopped her from staying actively involved with Breakthrough T1D and the American Diabetes Association.

“My daughter doesn’t have diabetes, but she’s the age I was when I was diagnosed. Now, my commitment to diabetes screening and research is no longer about myself, but her.”

“So much progress has been made thanks to organizations like The Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative. My wish is that science continues advancing so people with diabetes are given hope that the burdens known to previous generations will not be their reality.”

Spring 2024 Workshop

The Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative hosted a workshop titled “Data Harmonization, Standardization, and Collaboration for Diabetic Retinal Disease: Accelerating the Development of New Indications, Therapies, and Regulatory Pathways” on May 7, 2024, in Seattle, WA. We extend our gratitude to the more than 60 attendees, who brought together research expertise from industry, academia, government, and non-profit organizations. Collaborative efforts are essential to advancing the search for a cure for vision loss and blindness caused by diabetes. Effectively handling and managing both research and real-world patient data is crucial to achieving this goal.

Objective: To outline best practices and specific considerations for building a large, shareable MTM Vision data lake, including methods for clinical data standardization and harmonization of ‘omics analyses.

Setting the Stage (Introductions and Welcome)

S. Robert Levine, MD, Founder and CEO, The Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative
o Major goals of MTM Vision.
Michael Chiang, MD, Director, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health
o Importance of data harmonization, standardization, and collaboration.

Building a Data Lake

Speakers: Aaron Lee, MD MSCI, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Washington, PI of NIH’s Bridge2AI AI-READI project.
Panel Moderator: Jennifer Sun, MD, MPH, Science Co-Director, The Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative; Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School; Chair, Diabetes Initiatives, DRCR Retina Network.
Panelists:
o Sally Baxter, MD, MSc, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, University of California San Diego.
o Drew Lewis, Co-Founder/President, Estenda Solutions, Inc.
o Paolo Silva, MD, Assistant Chief of Telemedicine, Beetham Eye Institute, Joslin Diabetes Center; Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School.

Topics for Consideration:
o What are the important considerations in data acquisition for clinical data, images, and ‘omics data?
o How do we structure the data lake to best promote future sharing of this resource?
o Who will contribute to the data lake? How does this relate to other ongoing efforts?
o What are the qualifications that will make data/cohorts eligible or ineligible for participation?
o Will the data lake be centralized or decentralized?

Data Standardization

Speakers: Kerry Goetz, MS, Associate Director, NEI Office of Data Science and Health
Informatics and Brian VanderBeek, MD, MPH, MSCE, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Pennsylvania Scheie Eye Institute.
Panel Moderator: Thomas Gardner, MD, MS, Science Co-Director, The Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative; Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan.
Panelists:
o Michelle Hribar, PhD, DATA Scholar, National Eye Institute; Associate Professor of
Ophthalmology and Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology, Oregon Health &
Science University.
o Emily Chew, MD, Director of the Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications, National Eye Institute.

Topics for Consideration:
o What will it take to standardize the data in the MTM Vision data lake?
o To which common data element models should MTM Vision data be mapped (e.g. CDISC,
OMOP, etc.)?
o What are the considerations in mapping clinical trial/study data vs electronic
health record datasets?
o What is the status of other major ophthalmic data efforts in terms of
standardization and are there opportunities to collaborate with these groups?
o What are the potential use cases for reuse of the data that are collected?

Standardization of Sample Collection, Characterization, and Storage and ‘Omics Analyses for Ocular Tissues and Fluids

Speaker: Jeffrey Sundstrom, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Pennsylvania State College of
Medicine.
Panel Moderator: Patrice Fort, PhD, MS, Director, The Mary Tyler More Vision Initiative Biorepository & Resource Center; Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan.
Panelists:
o Vinit Mahanjan, MD, PhD, Professor of Ophthalmology, Stanford Medicine.
o Stephen Kim, MD, Phyllis S. and William B. Snyder Chair and Retina Division Chief,
Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
o Remko Bakker, PhD, Director CardioMetabolic Diseases Research, Boehringer Ingelheim.

Topics for Consideration:
o What ‘omics analyses should be performed/encouraged for ocular tissues and fluids in
eyes with DRD?
o What are the best ways to encourage collaboration between groups performing ‘omics
research in ophthalmology?
o What are the considerations in creating ‘omics data sets that will ensure harmonization of data and the ability for easy sharing?

Opportunities for Collaboration with NIH, FDA, Foundations, International Organizations, and Industry

Panel Moderator: S. Robert Levine, MD, Founder and CEO, The Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative.
Panelists:
o Thomas Brunner, President and CEO, Glaucoma Research Foundation.
o Ulrich Luhmann, PhD, Biomarker Experimental Medicine Leader, Translational Medicine Ophthalmology, Roche Innovation Center.
o Tunde Peto, MD, PhD, Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology, Queens University Belfast, EA Study of Diabetic Eye Complications Study Group; ESAB.

Topics for Consideration:
o How can MTM Vision coordinate efforts with NEI and FDA to encourage the standardization of ophthalmic data and build shareable data warehouses for ophthalmic efforts?
o How can we strengthen existing or build new collaborative efforts with NIH, regulatory agencies, industry, and international organizations that encourage data standardization and sharing of datasets?
o Are there potential RFAs that would be of interest to NEI and/or NIDDK around the creation of data lake resources? Are there any funding mechanisms available from regulatory bodies for these types of activities?
o How do we incentivize data sharing across clinical practices and academic centers? Are there NIH initiatives that can be developed to encourage a data-sharing culture?

Summation and Next Steps

Jennifer Sun, MD, MPH, Science Co-Director, The Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative; Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School; Chair, Diabetes Initiatives, DRCR Retina Network.

Thank You and Invitation to MTM Vision Fall Symposium

S. Robert Levine, MD, Founder and CEO, The Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative.

TVST Workshop Report

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.

(0:00) 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 faciliate medical product development and transform the clinical capacity to save and restore vision in people with diabetes.

(6:26) Session 1: Clinical Assessment of Retinal Structure

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

Speakers:

• (7:23) Paolo Silva, MD, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School. Retinal nonperfusion and future risk of vision threatening complications.
• (15:09) Yali Jia, PhD, Professor of Ophthalmology and Biomedical Engineering, Jennie P. Weeks Professor of Ophthalmology, and associate director of the Center for Ophthalmic Optics & Lasers, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). AI driven assessment of nonperfusion on optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).
• (24:04) Elliott Sohn, MD, FASRS, FARVO, Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Iowa. Retinal neurodegeneration may precede microvascular changes characteristic of diabetic retinopathy in diabetes mellitus.
• (33:16) Stela Vujosevic, MD, PhD, FARVO, FEBO, Professor and Head of the Medical Retina Unit, University Eye Clinic, San Giuseppe Hospital, Milano, Italy. Disorganization of retinal inner and outer layers (DRIL/ DROL) and visual function in diabetic retinopathy (DR).
• Discussion (Q&A)

(1:00:50) Session 2: Cellular and Molecular Markers of DRD

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

Speakers:

• (1:02:03) Chandra Balaratnasingam, MD, PhD, Clinical Professor, University of Western Australia Medical School, Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science (affiliated with the Lions Eye Institute). The pathophysiology of DRD and its relation to visual function.
• (1:12:17) Patrice Fort, PhD, Director, MTM Vision Ocular Biorepository & Resource Center. Changes in the retinal neurovascular unit at the cellular level in DRD.
• Discussion (Q&A)

(1:34:58) Session 3: Assessment of the Function of Retinal Neurovascular Unit

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

Speakers:

• (1:35:45) José-Alain Sahel, MD, Distinguished Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology University of Pittsburgh Medical School, The Eye and Ear Foundation Endowed Chair. Measuring functional vision through mobility testing and virtual reality (learning from IRD).
• (1:44:27) Jason McAnany, PhD, Professor; Director, Clinical Psychophysics and Electrophysiology Laboratory, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Illinois. Mechanistic insights from visual function testing in DRD.
• (1:52:31) Luis Lesmes, PhD, CEO, Adaptive Sensory Technology. Contrast sensitivity in DRD.
• Discussion (Q&A)

(2:13:46) Session 4: Validating Novel Clinical Outcome Assessments

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

Speakers:

• (2:16:25) Olivia Meyerhoffer, Global Value Lead, Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals. Priorities and concerns from patients with diabetes.
• (2:27:36) Amanda Bicket, MD, Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan. Gait assessment as an outcome to assess functional vision.
• Discussion (Q&A)

(2:51:15) Session 5: Translation to Action

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

Speakers:

• (2:51:15) Malvina Eydelman, MD, CEO, CCOI. Role of CCOI in building consensus on endpoints for DRD.
• (3:06:25) Michael Abramoff, MD, PhD, The Robert C. Watzke, MD Professor in Retina Research, Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Iowa. Practical matters in identifying/validating endpoints and biomarkers for medical product development.
• (3:14:50) Katie Capanna, MBA, Associate Office Director for Strategic Development, Office of Strategic Programs & Technology Innovation, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH). FDA Home as a Healthcare Hub: CDRH Initiative to Enable Healthier Living.
• Discussion (Q&A)

(3:45:08) 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.

Next Page »