As Ohio State continues to expand its role in the commercialization of research, it is important to create an environment that facilitates and rewards research creativity and entrepreneurship. To support and stimulate entrepreneurial activity among Ohio State researchers, three university-wide innovator awards are presented as part of the Research and Innovation Showcase hosted by the Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge. Join us in congratulating our 2022 Innovator of the Year.
Melissa Bailey, OD, PhD
Ohio State’s Innovator of the year for 2022 is Melissa D Bailey, OD, PhD, an associate professor in the College of Optometry. Bailey’s research career is devoted to developing new technologies for use in eye care as well as studying the role of the ciliary muscle in the development of myopia and accommodative function in children.
Bailey was recognized for her work on two innovations she’s developed at the university that have been the basis for two Ohio State startup companies: Lentechs and OcuDoc, Inc. Lentechs is developing a novel soft-contact lens that works like a pair of bifocal glasses. This technology is currently in clinical trials. OcuDoc is developing a smartphone application that can help get an estimate of a patient’s prescription. This is helpful for children and in areas where vision services are not available.
In 2015, Bailey was selected as Ohio State’s Early Career Innovator of the Year for her work in developing patented methods for measuring the ciliary muscle. She received her doctorate of optometry and PhD in vision science from Ohio State.
The Innovator of the Year award recognizes Ohio State researchers who are actively working to promote commercialization of university intellectual property, through invention disclosures filed, patents applied for and/or received, technologies licensed or spin-off companies formed.