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Kentucky Lions Eye CenterUniversity of Louisville301 E. Muhammad Ali Blvd.Louisville, KY 40202Adult Clinic (502) 852-5466Pediatric Clinic (502) 852-7818
The Springs Medical Center6400 Dutchmans Parkway Suite 310 Louisville, KY 40205Adult and Pediatric (502) 742-2848
Summit Office 9700 Park Plaza Avenue Suite 110 Louisville, KY 40241 Pediatric Only (502) 852-7818
EditorsHarry H. Schulman,
Executive DirectorCynthia Brock,
Executive Assistant Lauren Williams,
Communications & Marketing Specialist
2Eye to Eye Vo l . 4 , No .1 Sp r i ng /Summer 2011
A p u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e K e n t u c k y L i o n s E y e C e n t e r a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f L o u i s v i l l e
We enter 2011 amid an ever-changing health care landscape, spurred by political and economic trends. Unchanged is the commitment of the University of Louisville’s Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences to outstanding research, clinical care and training of the next generation of physicians.
Last year we saw an explosion of growth clinically within the department, particularly with regard to our pediatric services, with the addition of Rahul Bhola, MD, to our faculty. Dr. Bhola, who trained at UofL as an ophthalmology resident and had previously completed fellowships at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and at the University of California, Los Angeles, assumed the roles of director of pediatric ophthalmology and chief of ophthalmology at Kosair Children’s Hospital this past summer. In the last couple of months, we have opened pediatric clinics at The Springs Medical Center on Dutchmans Parkway and in Louisville’s East End at The Summit. Together with our flagship clinic at the Kentucky Lions Eye Center downtown, the addition of these new locations allows us to conveniently serve more pediatric patients from all over the metropolitan area, with a variety of conditions including refractive errors, tear duct obstruction, strabismus, amblyopia, diplopia, cataracts, glaucoma and other ocular disorders. We are also more readily accessible for families seeking well-eye care and school eye exams for their children.
Dr. Bhola also has a special interest in international outreach; as a resident here at UofL, he completed a rotation in India and was moved by the experience, which he said allowed him not only to serve in a teaching role, by bringing newer treatments and techniques to this remote area of the world, but also to learn from the patients and providers with whom he interacted, who
were dealing with illnesses and conditions we don't see frequently in the States. Together with Ali Haider, DO, Dr. Bhola is heading up our efforts to help more of our residents participate in international rotations as part of their training.
Since our last issue of Eye to Eye, many of our faculty members have won grants for their ground-breaking research, from institutions
and organizations including the National Institutes of Health, Research to Prevent Blindness, the Rounsavall Foundation and the Kentucky Science and Engineering Foundation. We have seen research from our department published in prestigious journals. We have received notable philanthropic gifts, and marked the retirements of esteemed colleagues. We have, sadly, marked the passing of a pioneer in the field of ophthalmology and a noted leader of this department, Thom Zimmerman, MD, PhD, and also were sad to learn of the tragic death of one of our former residents, Eric Schwietz, MD.
I invite you to read on for more information, stories and tributes as our department commemorates 2010 and looks ahead to the future.
Five faculty members honored as Best Doctors in America 2010Five department faculty members have been recognized as Best Doctors in America, an honor conferred by their national peers, who view them as being among the top three to five percent of physicians in their specialties.
The 2010 honor was given to:
• Henry Kaplan, MD, FACS• William Nunery, MD, FACS• Charles Barr, MD• Tongalp Tezel, MD• Gary Foulks, MD, FACS
Chairman’s Perspective
Introducing our new Director of Pediatric Ophthalmology
Contact Information
Donor Geneva Matlock continues to make significant contributions to the department... See page 10.
2
Henry J. Kaplan, MD, FACSChair and Director of the Kentucky Lions Eye CenterEvans Professor of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences
Kentucky Lions Eye Center
Faculty(By Specialty)
Cornea, External Disease and Refractive Surgery
M. Ali Haider, DOAssistant ProfessorMedical Director, Kentucky Lions Eye Bank Director, Cornea, External Disease and Refractive Surgery
Glaucoma
Judith Mohay, MDAssociate ProfessorDirector of Primary Care Center Chief of Ophthalmology, University of Louisville Hospital
Joern B. Soltau, MDAssociate ProfessorDirector of Glaucoma Service and Residency Program Director
Oculofacial Plastic & Orbital Surgery
William R. Nunery, MD, FACSAssociate ProfessorDirector of Oculofacial Plastic and Orbital SurgeryDirector of Fellowship Program in Oculofacial Plastic and Orbital Surgery
Pediatrics and Adult Strabismus
Rahul Bhola, MDAssistant ProfessorDirector of Pediatric Ophthalmology Chief of Ophthalmology, Kosair Children's Hospital
Retina and Uveitis
Charles C. Barr, MDProfessorDirector of Retina Service
Henry J. Kaplan, MD, FACSEvans Professor Chair, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences
Shlomit Schaal, MD, PhDAssistant Professor Director, Diabetic Retinopathy Service
Tongalp H. Tezel, MDAssociate Professor Kentucky Lions Eye Research Endowed ChairJoint – Department of Anatomical Sciences and NeurobiologyDirector of Fellowship Program in Vitreoretinal Diseases and Surgery
Research Faculty
Douglas Borchman, PhDProfessorJoint – Biochemistry, Chemistry and Physiology and Biophysics
Douglas Dean, PhDRounsavall Professor of Ocular Molecular OncologyJoint – James Graham Brown Cancer Center
Henry J. Kaplan, MD, FACS Evans Professor Chair, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences
Qiutang Li, PhDAssistant ProfessorJoint – James Graham Brown Cancer Center
Yongqing Liu, PhDAssistant Professor
Qingxian Lu, PhDAssistant ProfessorJoint – Biochemistry
Maureen McCall, PhDProfessorJoint – Anatomical Sciences & Neurobiology
Shlomit Schaal, MD, PhDAssistant Professor Director, Diabetic Retinopathy Service
Hui Shao, MD, PhDProfessorJoint – Microbiology and Immunology
Shigeo Tamiya, PhDAssistant ProfessorJoint – Biochemistry
Gülgün Tezel, MDProfessorJoint – Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology
Tongalp H. Tezel, MDAssociate Professor Kentucky Lions Eye Research Endowed ChairJoint – Department of Anatomical Sciences and NeurobiologyDirector of Fellowship Program in Vitreoretinal Diseases and Surgery
Wei Wang, MD, PhDInstructor
Emeritus Faculty
Parimal Bhattacherjee, PhDEmeritus Professor
Gary Foulks, MD, FACSEmeritus Professor
John W. Gamel, MDEmeritus Professor
Marcia Jumblatt, PhDAssociate Professor
Christopher A. Paterson, PhD, DScEmeritus Professor
Visiting Scholars
The Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences was pleased to welcome the following visiting scholars for grand rounds in 2010:
Pedram Hamrah, MD Assistant Professor, Henry Allen Cornea ScholarHarvard University
Dale Heuer, MD Professor and Chair of OphthalmologyMedical College of Wisconsin
Mark Johnson, MD Professor University of Michigan
Ron Klein, MD Professor University of Wisconsin
Lanning Kline, MD Professor and Chair of OphthalmologyUniversity of Alabama – Birmingham
Anat Loewenstein, MD, MHA Professor and Chair of OphthalmologySourasky Medical Center at Tel-Aviv University
John Shore, MD Adjunct Clinical Associate ProfessorUniversity of Texas
Dov Weinberger, MD Professor and Chair of Ophthalmology Rabin Medical Center – Beilinson Campus Tel-Aviv University
Thomas Weingeist, MD, PhD Emeritus ProfessorUniversity of Iowa
3
Purpose. To demonstrate the production
of hemoglobin by human retinal
pigment epithelium (RPE).
Methods. Proteomic analysis using 10
donor eyes identified hemoglobin as a
major constituent of soluble human RPE
proteome. Western blotting, RT-PCR
and immunocytochemistry were used
to confirm the results. Presence of
erythrocyte-specific proteins within
primary human RPE cytosol was
investigated to rule out phagocytosis as
the source of hemoglobin. ELISA was
used to determine the rate of hemoglobin
secretion from human RPE cells. Globin
mRNA expression of human RPE was
studied in comparison with a human
erythroblast cell line and a spontaneously
transformed human RPE cell line
(ARPE-19).
Results. Hemoglobin is a regular constituent
of soluble human RPE proteome.
RT-PCR and western blotting confirmed
the presence of hemoglobin in human
RPE. No other erythrocyte-specific
proteins were detected within human RPE
cytosol. Hemoglobin expression persisted
up to seven passages in vitro. Human RPE
globin expression was exceeding human
erythroblast and ARPE-19 cells. Immuno-
histochemistry revealed the presence
of hemoglobin within RPE and Bruch’s
membrane. Hemoglobin release rate was
calculated to be 1.9 ± 1.2 attamoles per cell
per hour.
Conclusions. Hemoglobin expression by
human RPE brings a new perspective on
our understanding of oxygen transport to
the outer retina. Malfunction of RPE-
hemoglobin production may underlie
the pathophysiology of ocular diseases
characterized by subfoveal hypoxia and
VEGF upregulation, such as age-related
macular degeneration and diabetic
retinopathy. Pharmacological modulations
of local hemoglobin production in RPE
cells will create new opportunities to
interfere with the course of these diseases.
Visionary Research
Synthesis and secretion of hemoglobin by retinal pigment epithelium
“The main oxygen consumers in the
retina are photoreceptors. Their oxygen
demand is the highest in the whole
body and even exceeds brain cells.
Impairment of oxygen delivery to retinal
cells is the common denominator for
several blinding disorders of the eye,
such as age-related macular degeneration,
diabetic eye disease and retinal vascular
occlusions. The high oxygen demand of
photoreceptors is supplied by a layer of
blood vessels underneath the retina.
However, the details of oxygen transport
to metabolically highly active photo-
receptors have not been explored in
detail. Hemoglobin is the most common
oxygen-transporter in the human body
and was accepted to be present solely
in the red blood cells. In this study, we
challenged this concept by demonstrating
synthesis and secretion of hemoglobin
in retinal pigment epithelial cells. Local
production of hemoglobin in the outer
retina revolutionized the view of oxygen
transportation to the outer retina. Our
findings will allow us to understand
the pathogenesis of several macular
diseases and develop effective preventive
and treatment strategies for currently
incurable macular diseases, such as
age-related macular degeneration.”
-Tongalp Tezel, MD, Lead Investigator
Macular Degeneration
Tezel TH, Geng L, Lato EB, Schaal S, Liu Y, Dean D, Klein JB, Kaplan HJInvest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2009 Apr;50(4):1911-9. Epub 2008 Dec 5.
Diabetic Retinopathy
4
Bhola and Haider join faculty
Rahul Bhola, MD, and M. Ali Haider, DO, joined the faculty of the University of Louisville Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences last summer.
Dr. Bhola is the director of the pediatric ophthalmology service and specializes in pediatric ophthalmology and treatment of adults with strabismus and diplopia. He is also the chief of ophthalmology at Kosair Children’s Hospital. He completed his residency training in ophthalmology at UofL where he served as chief resident, and completed fellowships in pediatric ophthalmology at the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Iowa.
Dr. Haider specializes in cornea, external disease and refractive surgery and is the new director of the cornea service. He recently completed a fellowship in cornea at the University of Rochester. Before that he completed a general ophthalmology residency at the University of Louisville, where he served as chief resident. Dr. Haider is medical director of the Kentucky Lions Eye Bank.
Dr. Bhola and Dr. Haider jointly direct the newly established Division of International Ophthalmology which coordinates outreach programs in other countries.
Paterson and Foulks retireThe department celebrated the careers of Christopher Paterson, PhD, and Gary Foulks, MD, in 2010, when both announced their retirements. Dr. Paterson has served on the research faculty since 1986 and made many important contributions both to the department and to the field of oph-
thalmology as a whole. He held the Kentucky Lions Eye Research Endowed Chair and is internationally recognized for his pioneering work in the area of lens and cataract research, and ocular inflammation.
Dr. Foulks has been a member of the clinical faculty since 2003, and served as the medical director of the Kentucky Lions Eye Bank and as director of the cornea service. He received the Castroviejo Medal in 2005 – awarded to the most outstanding individual in the field of cornea and anterior segment of the eye by The Cornea Society.
Vice President of Ghana visits Louisville
Department Chair Henry Kaplan, MD, met with former Vice President Aliu Mahama of Ghana and his guests during a November, 2010 visit to the University of Louisville hosted by the Pan-African Studies Department. Mahama and his associates were in town for four days of events highlighting various aspects of Africa and its connection to the Western world.
Former resident killed in California car accident
We are sad to report that Eric Schwietz, MD, a former resident in the department, was killed on September 18, 2009 in a single-car accident in California. He was 45. Dr. Schwietz was born in Maine but moved to Louisville when he was a teen, graduating from St. Xavier High School
in 1982. He attended Stanford University, and graduated from the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 2004, going on to com-plete an ophthalmology residency. He joined an ophthalmology group on the north coast of California in 2008.
Former director of the Eye Bank passes away James Martin, who served as director of the Kentucky Lions Eye Bank from 1986 until he retired in 2009, passed away on November 12, 2010. He was 64. Jim was a dedicated employee of the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation and the UofL Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences for over 20 years and will be missed.
Contribution honors memory of Lion Linda Smith
The Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences made a $100 contribution to the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation in memory of Lion Linda Smith, a past president of the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation who passed away in January. Linda was very active in the world of Lionism and conducted leadership training as recently as last year at the 2010 International Lions Convention in Australia. Linda was well-respected and is missed by all of those who knew her.
Rahul Bhola, MD M. Ali Haider, DO
Christopher Paterson, PhD Gary Foulks, MD
Eric Schwietz, MD
Linda Smith
Representatives of the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences conducted an outreach clinic through the Adult Social Club at Louisville’s Jewish Community Center as a service to the Jewish Community of Louisville.The clinic served about 30 elderly, non-English speaking Russian immigrants, providing eye exams and facilitating their access to eye care. With the help of an interpreter, DOVS staff assisted the attendees with their benefits and coordination of care.
News
Dr. Henry Kaplan gives Aliu Mahama and Nat Green, a trustee of the University of Louisville, a tour of the Kentucky Lions Eye Center.
5
Hui Shao, MD, PhD, associate professor of ophthalmology & visual sciences, has received a $60,000 Lew R. Wasserman Merit Award from the Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) organization. The grant will help fund Shao’s research of Sjögren’s syndrome, a chronic auto-immune disease that targets the salivary and lacrimal glands – the glands that produce saliva and tears, respectively – resulting in dry mouth and dry eye symptoms.
Shao and her team recently discovered a protein, called Klk22, that appears to play a role in the development of Sjögren’s Syndrome.
Qingxian Lu, PhD, assistant professor of ophthalmology & visual sciences, has received the $60,000 William and Mary Greve Special Scholar Award from the RPB organization. The funds will go toward Lu’s research in retinitis pigmentosa, a group of genetic disorders that can
lead to night blindness, loss of peripheral vision and total blindness.
Lu’s research focuses specifically on a cellular receptor called MerTK, which may play a role in limiting the duration of immune response, leading to the development of retinal inflammation. Understanding this mechanism of action may lead to better prevention and treatment techniques in the future.
Qiutang Li, PhD, assistant professor of ophthalmology & visual sciences, has received a four-year grant of over $370,000 annually from the National Institutes of Health for a study aimed at elucidating the role of a family of proteins, known as 14-3-3σ, in the regenerative nature of the corneal epithelium, which serves as a barrier between the eye and the outside world. Li and her team have already shown that
14-3-3σ plays a crucial role in corneal epithelial differentiation, the self-renewal process by which a reservoir of limbal stem cells in the corneal epithelium migrates to sites of injury and replaces the damaged epithelium. The current study seeks to further explain the roles 14-3-3σ plays in the development of the corneal epithelium and in the wound healing process. The information that Li and her colleagues gather through their cell
line and mouse studies could be useful in treating corneal epithelium damaged by chemical burns or other trauma. The integrity of the cornea, the most anterior part of the eye, is indispensible for vision and approximately 45 million people worldwide are blind and another 135 million have severely impaired vision as a result of damage to the corneal epithelium.
Douglas Dean, PhD, Robert W. and Gretchen Rounsavall Professor of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, has received an award of $217,923 to fund a project that will utilize a novel method of inducing the expression of potentially regenerative stem cell-specific genes to stimulate retinal function. This has possible implications for patients who suffer from retinal degeneration, which damages the eye and can cause loss of vision. Dean and his team are varying cell culture conditions in such a way as to induce expression of four critical stem cell genes in skin cells without the need for viral infection, a traditional method of introducing genes into cells, which can have the potential side effect of introducing cancer as well. The current project will test the ability of the stem cells created from skin cells to differentiate into retinal photoreceptors and potentially restore vision in an animal model of retinal degeneration.
Theo Hagg, MD, PhD, professor of neurological surgery; Henry Kaplan, MD, Evans Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences; and Hui Shao, MD, PhD, associate professor in the departments of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences and Immunology & Microbiology, have received a $196,078 award for a project that will test novel drugs shown to be effective in reducing inflammation in both traumatic spinal cord injury and in animal models of autoimmune uveitis – inflammation of the middle layer of the eye – in combination, targeting autoimmune inflammatory disease of the retina, optic nerve and spinal cord. The drugs were developed at UofL and this interdepartmental collaboration pairs two NIH-funded groups with translational research goals. The project will use an animal model to test whether the two drugs, individually and in combination with one another, can
reduce progression or reverse disease course once the disease has started.
Henry Kaplan, MD, also received a one-year CTSPGP award of $50,000 and a Kentucky Science and Engineering Foundation award of $50,000 which will fund a project aimed at developing novel therapies for age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. The investigators have created an animal model of hereditary retinal degeneration in which animal offspring bear genes responsible for the development of loss of retinal function. The team will characterize the retinal degeneration as the animals age. This model will be used by the vision research community for the development and testing of novel therapies, including stem cell, drug and bioengineering-based interventions. The CTSPGP grant will fund the project for one year and the Kentucky Science and Engineering Foundation award will support the project for two years.
Shao and Lu win awards from Research to Prevent Blindness
Li receives NIH grant for Corneal Epithelial studies
DOVS faculty members receive Clinical and Translational Science Pilot Grant Program (CTSPGP) awardsThe program is a Commonwealth of Kentucky-funded program at UofL and each award provides one year’s worth of funding
Awards and Recognitions
6
Thom Zimmerman, who served as
chair of the University of Louisville
Department of Ophthalmology & Visual
Sciences from 1986 to 2001, died at
home on August 4, 2009. Thom was a
remarkable individual.
Thom was committed to excellent and
compassionate patient care and he had
a burning passion for basic research,
clinical research and outcomes research.
He was a true leader in what we now
call translational research. It was through
all of those activities that Thom made
his enormous and lasting contributions
to worldwide vision care. Thom served
with me as co-chair of the Helen Keller
Foundation Annual Prize Selection
Committee, and I believe Helen Keller
herself would have been proud of Thom’s
efforts. Thom’s own contributions
paralleled those who were selected for the
prize over the years. He authored more
than 300 peer-reviewed articles and a
collection of books and he served on
many editorial boards. He was the
recipient of numerous national and
international awards and was active in the
leadership of professional societies. To say
the least, Thom Zimmerman was a visible
force in ophthalmology, worldwide.
Perhaps Thom’s most highlighted
accomplishment was his role in
identifying and developing the use of a
beta-blocker for the treatment of glaucoma.
Indeed timolol, originally marketed as
Timoptic by Merck, became the leading
glaucoma medication for more than two
decades, preserving the vision of millions
of people around the world.
Thom’s academic pathway was stunning.
He received his undergraduate and
medical degrees from the University of
Illinois and then interned at Presbyterian
– St Luke’s Hospital in Chicago.
Following a two-year stint in the Public
Health Service, Thom did his ophthal-
mology residency at the University of
Florida in Gainesville where he also
completed a corneal fellowship and
earned his PhD in pharmacology under
the mentorship of Tom Maren. He then
completed a fellowship in glaucoma at
Washington University in St. Louis under
the leadership of Bernard Becker. This
exceptional course of training prepared
Thom for what was to be an exceptional
career as a clinician-scientist in oph-
thalmology. In 1977, Thom moved to
Louisiana State University as associate
professor of ophthalmology and phar-
macology. It was in New Orleans that
Thom began a lasting relationship with
Professor Herbert Kaufman.
In 1986, Thom was appointed chair of
the University of Louisville Department
of Ophthalmology. Just prior to that
Thom had been the chair of ophthalmology
at the Ochsner Clinic and professor
at Louisiana State University in New
Orleans. I had known Thom for many
years before 1986. Our closer relationship
was ignited during the American
Academy of Ophthalmology meeting in
1985, in San Francisco. Thom told me
he was moving to Louisville in January
1986 and asked if I might be interested in
joining him. I decided to make the move
from Denver in July 1986, accepting the
Kentucky Lions Eye Research Endowed
Chair. Our partnership in Louisville was
a great experience, full of surprises and
successes and genuine fun. I came to
appreciate that Thom was a brilliant
and original thinker, and a wellspring of
ideas. Thom did not just think out of the
box but barely recognized that any box
existed. Thom generously shared his ideas
and prodigious knowledge with all of his
colleagues and, in fact, with almost
anyone who met with him.
Thom J. Zimmerman, MD, PhDA Tribute to
by friend and colleague Christopher Paterson, PhD
1942 – 2009
7
With newly recruited faculty and staff the
department in Louisville grew quickly,
bringing in more federal and private
research money than any other department
at the University of Louisville. Together
with the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation
we raised funds, including a large
construction grant from the National
Eye Institute, to build a three-story
addition housing a new clinic and two
floors for research. We had become the
University of Louisville Department
of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences
and the combined building was now
the Kentucky Lions Eye Center. Thom’s
unswerving support and unbridled
enthusiasm during all of this was
phenomenal. The expansion of research
and patient care was infused with Thom’s
zest for social life, with frequent gatherings
at private homes, ballparks, volleyball
courts and the suchlike. Halcyon
times, indeed.
Thom was, in so many ways, a colorful
character. He enjoyed and collected fast
cars; Ferraris and Lamborghinis
frequently appeared in the parking lot
of our building attracting considerable
attention. He, and we, enjoyed his
allegiance to Versace fashion. When he
gave up tennis, he became a fanatic of
cushion billiards, playing anywhere in
the world that he could. Yet, Thom was
a modest, kind and very thoughtful man,
always happy to share his time and
talents with others. Thom was a life tonic
to many people; stop by his office (the
door was generally open), catch up with
him by the pool at an ARVO meeting,
bump into him at an airport, and it was
a guarantee that you would be cheered
up, invigorated and have a smile on
your face. Thom had a wonderful sense of
humor and warmth that was hard to miss.
In 2001, Thom stepped down as chair
of the department, assuming the title of
professor and chair emeritus. He then
took on the role of global ophthalmic
medical director at Pharmacia (later to be
taken over by Pfizer). Thom often chose
to rename the position “Inter-galactic
Ophthalmic Director;” he continued to
stimulate, challenge and astonish his
colleagues at Pfizer.
Above all else was Thom’s fierce devotion
to his family and his abundant love for
Tinker, his irrefutable soul-mate. His
lovely daughter, Jessica, his granddaughter,
Elsa, and grandson, Maslin, were the
lights of his life. I remember walking into
the Delta Air Lines lounge in Atlanta and
finding Thom surrounded by a group of
fellow travelers totally engaged with
photographs of Thom’s grandchildren.
Thom was the quintessential traveler
accumulating some eleven million miles
on Delta. Soon after Thom’s passing, I
was in the Delta Sky Club in Cincinnati
and asked one of the agents if she had
heard the sad news; she was visibly
shocked and immediately brought
to tears.
For me it was a joy to spend so much
of my career with Thom; it was a great
partnership. But, how can I sum up
Thom’s life? Well, I have a wooden
sculpture hanging in my home; it was
actually purchased at an airport. The
sculpture is a very colorful and funky
angel bearing the words: “Most people
don’t know that there are angels whose
only job is to make sure that you don’t
get too comfortable and fall asleep and
miss your life.” We can only surmise that
Thom had a host of angels looking out
for him. He grasped life with much relish;
he did not miss his life.
“Thom was a modest, kind and very thoughtful man, always
happy to share his time and talents with
others.”
8
The term “retirement” is defined by
the Merriam-Webster dictionary as
“withdrawal from one’s position or
occupation or from active working
life.” With that definition, “retirement”
might not be the best word to describe
the transition Dr. Gary Foulks made on
December 31, 2010.
“I am now an emeritus faculty member,
and I am continuing to see patients two
half days a week at the VA hospital,” he
says. “I am also continuing my
collaborative research with some of my
colleagues here, devoting more time to
my editorship of the journal The Ocular
Surface, and there are a couple of book
chapters I have been asked to author.”
Not exactly a life of leisure dozing in
a hammock between two shade trees,
but Dr. Foulks wouldn’t have it any
other way.
Conceding that his plans don’t
necessarily sound relaxing, he laughs.
“Eventually, our plan is to retire to the
North Carolina coast to be closer to our
children, who are all on the east coast.”
“Gary Foulks exemplifies all of the
characteristics of an outstanding academic
professor in medicine,” said Henry J.
Kaplan, MD, Evans Professor and Chair
of the Department of Ophthalmology &
Visual Sciences at UofL. “He is a gifted
clinician, scientist and mentor who is
thoughtful and considerate of all – his
patients, colleagues, students and staff.
Gary is a beloved figure who was relied
upon for insightful advice in complex
situations and he will be missed as a full-
time member of the department and the
UofL Health Sciences Center.”
It has been 32 years since Dr. Foulks,
who held the titles of Arthur and Virginia
Keeney Professor of Ophthalmology at
the University of Louisville, director of
the cornea and external disease service
and medical director of the Kentucky
Lions Eye Bank, finished his fellowship
training and began a distinguished
academic career, starting with 18 years
on the faculty of Duke University School
of Medicine, where he was director of the
cornea service and medical director of the
contact lens service. In 1996, he left Duke
to assume the chairmanship of the
ophthalmology department at the
University of Pittsburgh, where he served
for five years before joining the UofL
faculty in 2003.
Dr. Foulks grew up in Salt Lake City,
Utah, and then moved to New York City
to attend Columbia University, where he
earned his bachelor’s and MD degrees.
He completed a surgery internship at the
University of California in San Diego, a
residency in ophthalmology at Duke and
a fellowship at the Massachusetts Eye and
Ear Infirmary.
Dr. Foulks’ main area of research and
clinical interest has been dry eye and ocu-
lar surface disease.
“It’s been interesting to see how far the
field has come since I started in 1978,
and these types of conditions were seen
as sort of a nuisance,” he says. “Over
the years there has been a growing
recognition of just how prevalent these
problems are, and how limited our
treatments for them were.”
Treatment of ocular surface disease, he
says, has seen a dramatic evolution.
“We have gone from looking at these
patients and basically telling them,
‘you’re getting older, here are some eye
For Dr. Foulks, a working retirement, with more time for fishing
“Gary Foulks exemplifies all of the characteristics of an outstanding academic professor
in medicine.”Henry J. Kaplan, MD
Faculty Profile
9
drops,’ to developing some really effective
treatments,” he says. The FDA approval of
the drug cyclosporine (Restasis) to treat dry
eye was a huge milestone.
In his role as medical director of the
Kentucky Lions Eye Bank, Dr. Foulks also
saw vast improvements in the field of
corneal transplantation over the years.
“When I was starting my career at Duke,
we had to use donor tissue within
72 hours, preferably 48 hours of
collection,” he says. “This led to calls for
patients to come in in the middle of the
night, and we had to operate potentially at
any hour of the day.” This small window
of opportunity, he says, also limited the
number of patients who could be helped
by this treatment.
With the development of intermediate
term storage solutions, doctors now have
up to two weeks to use corneal tissue, he
says, making corneal transplant an option
for more and more patients worldwide.
Dr. Foulks’ route to a career in ophthal-
mology took some twists and turns along
the way.
“Initially I went to Columbia because I was
going to be a biochemical researcher and
they had the best program for that in the
country,” he says. “I realized that I liked
being around people and wanted to find a
way to combine a research career with one
that allowed me more human interaction,
so I focused on cardiovascular surgery.”
During his internship year in surgery at
UCSD, Dr. Foulks came to the realization
that he wanted to focus on a specialty
that would allow him to really improve
people’s quality of life, and a decision
between orthopedic surgery and
ophthalmology eventually led him to an
esteemed career in eye care. He hasn’t
looked back since.
And though his “retirement” might not fit
the dictionary definition, he is looking
forward to a new focus.
“Aside from the work that I will continue
to do, I am looking forward to spending
more time gardening, fishing and visiting
my three children,” he says. “I’m ready.
It’s been a tremendous experience, working
here – the residents and medical students
are stimulating and challenging, and the
collaborative nature of the faculty is what
really makes an academic career soar.
It’s been a great seven years to culminate
my career.”
A testament to a stellar career, Dr. Foulks has received some very prestigious awards and recognitions:
• The Castroviejo Medal in 2005 – awarded to the most outstanding individual in the field of cornea and anterior segment of the eye by The Cornea Society
• Claes H. Dohlman, MD, Lecture Recipient, awarded by the Schepens Eye Research Institute
• Appointment as editor-in-chief of the journal The Ocular Surface in 2006
• Morton Grant Lecture Award Recipient, 2003, awarded by Tufts University
• Whitney Sampson Lecture Award Recipient 2003 awarded by the Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists
• Diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology, 1977
• Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, 1979
• Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, 1982
• Past President of The Cornea Society, 1997 – 1999
• Past President of the Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists, 2001 – 2002
• Past Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sjögren’s Syndrome Foundation, 2008 -2010
• Election to honor societies Alpha Omega Alpha in 1969; and Sigma Xi, 1979
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Grant from Lions Club International will help expand low vision servicesThe Kentucky Lions Eye Center has received a $158,384 grant from the Lions of Kentucky and the Lions Clubs International Foundation to fund enhancements to the low vision clinic, improving and augmenting services avail-able to patients in the metro and regional area who suffer from low vision. Fifty-thousand dollars will come from the Lions of Kentucky and $108,534 will come from the Lions Clubs International Foundation.
“The term ‘low vision’ generally describes vision disorders that cannot be corrected with medical treatment, surgery or conventional eyeglasses,” said Kentucky Lion Thomas Matney, past director of the International Association of Lions Clubs. “It’s typically associated with an aging population but also affects children, and our returning veterans. We’re proud and thankful that our Kentucky Lions and Lions Clubs International Foundation in collaboration with the research and medical capabilities of the UofL Department of Ophthalmology allows us to collectively serve the needs of this population.”
The funds will go toward increasing staff so that clinic hours can be extended, as well as renovations to the clinic, including the provision of state-of-the-art equipment. According to the National Eye Institute, by the year 2020, the number of people who are blind or have low vision is projected to increase substantially. Blindness or low vision affects 3.3 million Americans age 40 and over. Low vision and blindness increase significantly with age, particularly in people over 65.
“Expansion of the low vision clinic will dramatically increase treatment and rehabilitation services for this patient population and help those individuals maximize their remaining vision, eliminate needless disability, and help each individual continue to be as productive as possible,” said Matney.
Generosity of Geneva Matlock spurs research in macular degenerationDepartment of Ophthalmology benefactor, Geneva Matlock, MD, a retired anesthe-siologist and graduate of UofL’s medical school, has made contributions totaling $1 million to fund macular degeneration research.
“Dr. Matlock’s most generous support of our research in macu-lar degeneration and retinal regeneration is a capstone to the compassionate and selfless career she had as a physician,” said Henry Kaplan, MD, Evans Professor
and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences. “We are most grateful for the confidence she has shown in us.”
Dr. Matlock, who resides in San Clemente, Calif., was diagnosed with wet macular degeneration ten years ago and through treatment she has retained her vision and is still able to drive. Dr. Matlock’s mother, who died at the age of 99, was blind for the last ten years of her life, and though she was never officially diagnosed, the family believes she may have suffered from the disease as well.
“The reason I’m focusing on the eye is because of my personal experience,” Dr. Matlock said. “I’m hoping that no one else will go blind as my mother did or as I probably would have if I were not getting the care that I’m getting now, because of what has been learned through research that is preventing blind-ness due to wet macular degeneration.”
Zimmerman honored twiceAnonymous gift to create Thom Zimmerman Research Fund
An anonymous gift of $600,000 will be designated to provide an endowment to continue to enhance research efforts in UofL’s Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences. The fund will be named in honor of former department chairman Thom Zimmerman, MD, PhD, who
led the department from 1986 to 2001. Additional funds will continue to be raised to support this effort. Dr. Zimmerman was a respected leader, outstanding clinician and dedicated scientist, for whom research was a passion.
Endowed lectureship created in Zimmerman’s honor by his fellows
Former fellows of Dr. Zimmerman, led by his colleague and partner, George Nardin, MD, have created the Thom Zimmerman Endowed Lectureship in honor of the former department chair and mentor to many. The Thom Zimmerman Lecture will be given once a year, with the first unof-ficial lecture in Dr. Zimmerman’s honor given by Dr. Itzchak Beiran on October 17, 2009 during the Glaucoma Symposium at UofL. The 2010 Thom Zimmerman Lecture was given by Dr. Anat Loewenstein on October 2, 2010 at the Fall Update at UofL, and this year’s Thom Zimmerman honoree will be Dr. James B. Aquavella, professor of ophthalmology at the University of Rochester, who will deliver his lecture at the fifth annual Fall Update.
“I was among the first batch of fellows to work under Thom in New Orleans in the 1980s,” said Dr. Nardin, who is now prac-ticing in Hawaii. “I joined him at UofL as a faculty member and partner in 1986 and Thom was a strong and valuable influence in my life and in the lives of all those with whom he worked.”
When Dr. Zimmerman passed away, Dr. Nardin and peers including Stuart Ball, MD, Tom Mundorf, MD, and Richard Patchett, MD, felt the need to create some-thing significant and lasting in his honor.
“You feel orphaned in the academic world when your mentor is gone,” Dr. Nardin said. “We all still go to meetings and kind of look around for him.”
Because Dr. Zimmerman valued education so highly, the group felt that an endowed lectureship would be an appropriate way to pay tribute.
“I called the former fellows, and we said let’s do something for Thom, and for his wife, Tinker,” Dr. Nardin said. “We considered several things and thought this would be the most to his liking.”
Geneva Matlock, MD
To make a gift, or for more information about giving, please contact:Larissa F. Reece, Executive Director, DevelopmentUofL Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences502-852-8910 Cell 502-821-5700 [email protected]
Giving...
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This publication was prepared by the University of Louisville and printed with state funds KRS 57.375.The University of Louisville is an equal opportunity institution. 203035/5-11
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Grants & Awards
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Eye Specialists of Louisville, located in the Kentucky Lions Eye Center in downtown Louisivlle, is the patient-care provider of the University of Louisville Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences.
Through our research facilities in the University of Louisville's School of Medicine, our nationally and internationally respected physician-scientists are uncovering the answers to blinding eye diseases. And they translate these discoveries into patient care at the Kentucky Lions Eye Center. Our patients receive the best and most innovative care possible—including access to clinical trials available only from the nation's top research centers.
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