Birdshot Uveitis Society of North America is pleased to report that its final phase of the two-year Wilmer Eye – Johns Hopkins AI Birdshot study has been fully funded!
The 2026 campaign began in September and since then, members of the birdshot uveitis community have generously contributed $45,000 towards the project. This is in addition to the $45,000 donated in 2025.
Johns Hopkins Birdshot Specialist Jennifer E. Thorne, MD, PhD is leading the study in collaboration with the John Hopkins Data Science and AI Institute. The investigation is using artificial intelligence to assess countless characteristics of birdshot uveitis scans. It aims to develop a foundational AI model of this autoimmune disease of the eye.
After being informed of our news, Dr. Thorne sent the following message.
To BUSNA and its wonderful donors:
Thank you so much for your continued support of our AI project in birdshot chorioretinitis. This type of work would be impossible without all of your generosity. I look forward to sharing what we find as we continue to collect more data and look at new angles in this project.
With gratitude,
Jennifer E. Thorne, MD, PhD, FARVO
The members of BUSNA’s Board of Directors would also like to thank our generous community members. Christine Griffith, President, recently wrote, “It is amazing to see how the Birdshot community has come together to fund this research study. This marks the largest fundraising effort BUSNA has undertaken to date, and it is an incredible reminder of what we can accomplish together.”
Let’s keep up the momentum!