Dr. Mark Humayun was recently bestowed the National Medal of Technology and Innovation by The White House for his exceptional contributions to medicine and technology. U.S. President Barack Obama presented Dr. Humayun with top honours at an event held earlier this week in Washington D.C. His work on the development of the advanced retinal prosthesis system Argus II has earned him great recognition from the scientific community, as it is the first procedure of its kind to allow individuals suffering from certain blindness diseases to regain a percentage of useful vision, and the only one so far to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Humayun, a Pakistani immigrant who is the grandson of the personal physician of Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah, is a renowned ophthalmologist, engineer, and scientist, currently employed at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. Speaking on his revolutionary work, President Obama stated, “Humayun helped create the ‘Argus II’, a ‘bionic eye’ that has restored vision to patients who’ve been blind for up to 50 years.”

This great accolade is a magnificent achievement for the humble Dr. Humayun. “I am very honored to receive the National Medal of Technology and Innovation,” he states. “Medical breakthroughs such as the Argus II come after long periods of research and development, and I am grateful to have been and continue to be surrounded by teams of very talented individuals.”