The Choroideremia Research Foundation (CRF) is an international not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting the choroideremia (CHM) community. There are an estimated 6,600 affected male CHMers in the United States.

Our Mission
To raise funds in support of scientific research leading to a treatment or cure of Choroideremia, a hereditary retinal-degenerative disease that causes blindness; to educate people affected by the disease; and to inform the public.
What’s new
CRF has funded nearly $4 million in research on the causes and potential cures for choroideremia since being granted nonprofit status in 2000.
The organization hosts a two-day conference for patients and family every other year and a research/scientific symposium on alternating years. It also offers one-day regional meetings several times a year around the world. Webinars and interactive online chats are offered (and recorded) several times monthly on topics such as emotional support, research, assistive technology, clinical trials and genetic testing.
CRF hosts a CHM patient registry at https://www.curechm.org/chm-patient-registry/ The organization advocates for patients legislatively nationally and internationally, provides education for medical professionals, and offers information and one-on-one support to patients and family members.
To learn more about CRF’s 2020 accomplishments, please view our “State of the CRF” webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Board of Directors
Officers At-Large
Directors
The Choroideremia Research Foundation has adopted a conflict-of-interest policy that prohibits or limits business transactions with board members and requires board members to disclose potential conflicts to promote transparency.
Choroideremia Research Foundation Staff
Science Advisory Board

Ian MacDonald, MD (chair) Professor, Department of Medical Genetics, University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Tomas Aleman, MD Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Kapil Bharti, PhD Senior Investigator, Ocular and Stem Cell Translational Research Unit, National Institutes of Health, Intramural Research Program Bethesda, Massachusetts

Sanford Boye, MS Associate Scientist, Department of Ophthalmology, Shannon E. Boye Laboratory, University of Florida Health Gainesville, Florida

Shannon Boye, PhD Associate Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, Shannon E. Boye Laboratory, University of Florida Health Gainesville, Florida

Frans Cremers, PhD Professor, Ophthalmogenetics, Department of Human Genetics and Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center Nijmegen, Netherlands

Jacque Duncan, MD Professor in Ophthalmology, University of California San Francisco San Francisco, California

Rachel Huckfeldt, MD, PhD Associate Surgeon and Director, Inherited Retinal Degenerations Fellowship, Massachusetts Eye and Ear; Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School Boston, Massachusetts

Alex Iannaccone, MD, MS, FARVO Director, Center for Retinal Degenerations and Ophthalmic Genetic Diseases, and Professor, Ophthalmology, Duke University Department of Ophthalmology Durham, North Carolina

Mark Pennesi, MD, PhD Assistant Professor in Ophthalmic Genetics, Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) Casey Eye Institute Portland, Oregon

Stephen Tsang, MD, PhD Professor of Ophthalmology and Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Department of Pathology and Cell Biology New York, New York

Ajoy Vincent, MBBS, MS Staff Ophthalmologist, Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences; Medical Director, Visual Electrophysiology Unit; Associate Scientist Genetics and Genome Biology Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Michael Young, PhD, FARVO Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Co-Director, Ocular Regenerative Medicine Institute; Director, Minda de Gunzburg Center for Retinal Regeneration, Harvard Medical School; Associate Scientist, Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear Boston, Massachusetts

Chris Moen, MD Chief Medical Officer, Choroideremia Research Foundation Medical Director, NaviHealth Wilmington, Delaware

Jess Thompson, MD, MS Chair, Research Committee, Choroideremia Research Foundation Yavapai Cardiac Surgery Prescott, Arizona
Contact Us
Mailing Address
Choroideremia Research Foundation, Inc.
23 East Brundreth Street
Springfield, MA 01109-2110
Phone
(800) 210-0233
Email
E-mail the CRF
International Contacts
Australia, Email Tim Galvin
United Kingdom, Email Emma Salisbury
France, Email Cecile du Colombier
Canada, Email Robert Hillier
New Zealand, Email Fraser Alexander
Germany, Email Michael Laengsfeld
What’s new
Choroideremia Research Foundation Announces Funding Grant for CHM Research
Dr. David Williams at UCLA to begin mitochondrial defects study to help find a cure for Choroideremia Springfield, MA., March 06, 2020 The Choroideremia Research Foundation recently announced a grant award for $61,000 to David Williams, PhD,
Cyclist with Blinding Eye Disease Biking 3,000 Miles Coast-to-Coast to Increase Choroideremia Awareness and Research Funding
Waseca, MN – December 15, 2019 Jason Folie, a 35-year-old man from Waseca, MN, is going blind, but his vision is saving sight. Folie was diagnosed with Choroideremia (CHM), an X-linked recessive retinal degenerative disease that affects
The Choroideremia Research Foundation Announces Funding Grants for CHM Research
The CRF awards three research grants totaling $219,000 to continue leading efforts to find a cure for Choroideremia Springfield, MA., November 25, 2019 The Choroideremia Research Foundation announced three grant awards for studies focused on helping to
The Choroideremia Research Foundation Announces First Annual Randy Wheelock Research Award
Researchers may submit proposals for projects related to finding a cure for CHM by November 15, 2019 Springfield, MA., October 7, 2019 The Choroideremia Research Foundation (CRF) is honored to announce the creation of the annual Randy
The Choroideremia Research Foundation Announces New Executive Director and Chief Medical Officer
The Choroideremia Research Foundation announced the appointment of Kathi Wagner to the position of Executive Director and Chris Moen, MD to the position of Chief Medical Officer. Kathi Wagner brings 25 years of fundraising and nonprofit management
Choroideremia Research Foundation Holds 2019 International Choroideremia Symposium
On June 6-7, the Choroideremia Research Foundation (CRF) hosted its 2019 International Choroideremia Symposium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With the support of the Center for Advanced Retinal and Ophthalmic Therapeutics at the University of Pennsylvania, CRF developed an