The fund was established by research scientist Dr. Jane Sayer to honor her family and the memory of her parents, Winthrop and Laura Sayer. It incorporates Dr. Sayer’s desire to contribute to groundbreaking medical research at NIH while specifically raising the profile of vision research. In partnership with NEI, the fund supports the Sayer Lecture, given by a scientist of national or international prominence in a discipline with relevance to this research area. Past lecturers have included Dr. Martin Friedlander, Dr. Krzysztof Palczewski, Dr. Sally Temple and Dr. Roger Tsien.