Professor Klaus Grätz Dean Faculty of Medicine and Professor Klara Landau, Chair Department of Ophthalmology and Vice President of the Gender Equality Commission at the University of Zurich, have selected Moran’s , as that university’s first Hedi Fritz Niggli visiting professor. Digre will be in residence at the university from February through July 2014. "This is a great honor for me and for the Moran Eye Center," she noted. "I will be working with the University of Zurich to lay the groundwork for future visiting professors and its goal of ‘Filling the Gap’—finding and promoting more women faculty and leaders. In addition to sharing all that we do in the areas of research, patient care, and education, I will be promoting Webvision and the Neuro-Ophthalmology Virtual Education Library (NOVEL) a partnership with the Eccles Library at the University of Utah and NANOS (North American Neuro-ophthalmology Society)."
Long known for her work in championing women’s health issues and women in science, Dr. Digre’s specialty is neuro-ophthalmology. She was the first woman president of NANOS, past councilor and secretary for the American Neurological Association, and currently sits on the board of directors as the secretary of the American Headache Society. She is the recipient of the Gender Equity Award, Linda Amos Award, the Martha Hughes Cannon Award, the NANOS Distinguished Service Award, and the Rosenblatt Award, the University’s highest honor.
Through Dr. Kathleen Digre's efforts, the University of Utah is one of the few institutions in the world with certified fellowship-training programs in neuro-opthalmology.