Sailor hats and a six-figure gift set the tone Thursday morning as The Luminaires launched their 2026-27 season at a private club in Pasadena, kicking off a year of fundraising for vision research at the Doheny Eye Institute. Benefit chair Peggy Schmid handed out the nautical headwear to every member of her benefit committee, previewing the group's March 12, 2027 Anchors Away! luncheon at The Langham Huntington in Pasadena.
The gathering, built around a nautical theme, doubled as both a season launch and a farewell for one of Doheny's most prominent researchers. As reported by Pasadena Now, Doheny's director of artificial intelligence and imaging research, Dr. SriniVas R. Sadda, delivered the keynote, explaining how AI is changing early detection and treatment of macular degeneration. He was introduced by Dr. Alfredo Sadun, who holds the Flora L. Thornton Endowed Chair in Vision Research at Doheny.
Dr. Sadda's appearance carried extra weight: he is departing for Duke University, where he will chair the university's Department of Ophthalmology, according to Pasadena Now's reporting. Luminaires president Jennifer Cooper presented him with a farewell gift during the event. The move caps a run at Doheny that also earned him the American Academy of Ophthalmology's 2026 Heed-Gutman Award, awarded in October, as he prepares to take the Duke post effective November 10, per Duke Department of Ophthalmology.
A Season-Opening Gift and an Honorary Title
The kickoff wasn't just ceremonial. Melinda Rogers made a $100,000 underwriting gift for the upcoming benefit and was named honorary fleet admiral in recognition, the same Pasadena Now account detailed. It's a strong early marker for a group that has spent decades anchoring philanthropic support behind Doheny's research pipeline.
That track record includes a notable high point earlier this year: in June, Doheny Eye Institute announced that The Luminaires Founders delivered an unrestricted gift of $292,500 following their spring gala, the group's largest single contribution on record, according to Doheny Eye Institute. Unrestricted funding like that lets researchers direct money straight into laboratory vision science rather than earmarked programs.
Nearly Five Decades of Backing Vision Research
The Luminaires trace their roots to 1976, when San Marino resident Mary Crary founded the group specifically to raise money for vision research at Doheny, taking its name from celestial bodies that emit light. The organization launched following an inaugural luncheon at the California Club in downtown Los Angeles, as the Los Angeles Times reported in its coverage of the group.
Doheny itself dates back even further: Carrie Estelle Doheny founded it in 1947 after losing vision in her left eye in 1944. The organization planned to move its headquarters and labs in the fourth quarter of 2018 to a 123,200-square-foot, seven-acre campus at 150 N. Orange Grove Blvd. in Pasadena, purchased for $50 million, according to the Los Angeles Business Journal. That building previously served as corporate headquarters for Fortune 500 manufacturer Avery Dennison.
The Science Behind the Send-Off
Dr. Sadda discussed how AI is changing early detection and treatment of macular degeneration.
The National Eye Institute estimates the annual U.S. economic burden of vision loss and eye disorders at $139 billion.
Doheny has operated in clinical affiliation with UCLA's Jules Stein Eye Institute since 2013; in 2016, the institutes were ranked among the nation's top five eye care programs by U.S. News & World Report, Doheny Eye Institute has noted. Doheny's formal affiliation with USC ran from 1971 until 2012, before it joined forces with UCLA.
Setting Sail for March
With the season now officially underway, The Luminaires are pointing toward their March 2027 benefit at The Langham Huntington. The hotel will serve as the backdrop for the group's continuing fundraising mission.
