ASCRS Ophthalmology Hall of Fame Names 2015 Inductees
San Diego, California (PRWEB) May 22, 2015 -- The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) was proud to induct Gunter K. von Noorden, MD, and the late Frederick C. Blodi, MD, into the ASCRS Ophthalmology Hall of Fame during the Opening General Session of the 2015 ASCRS/ASOA Annual Symposium & Congress in San Diego.
ASCRS created the Ophthalmology Hall of Fame in 1999 to honor the pioneers of the modern practice of ophthalmology with an ongoing celebration of their distinguished careers and contributions. Meeting attendees were able to view honorees past and present at the newly redesigned ASCRS Ophthalmology Hall of Fame Exhibit.
Gunter K. von Noorden, MD
Gunter K. von Noorden, MD, has been one of the preeminent leaders in ophthalmology and strabismus surgery for the last 40 years. Most recently, he retired as distinguished emeritus professor at the Baylor College of Medicine, in 2010.
“Gunter is truly unique in his field, as the ultimate triple threat: outstanding clinician, world-renowned teacher and author, and incredibly productive research scientist, highlighted by his pathfinding studies on the neuropathology of amblyopia,” said ASCRS Past President, Douglas D. Koch, MD.
Born in Germany in 1928, Dr. von Noorden began his career as a resident at the University of Iowa in 1957. After a fellowship at the University of Tuebingen Eye Clinic in Germany, he returned to the University of Iowa, spending two years as an assistant professor of ophthalmology. In 1963, Dr. von Noorden became a professor at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. He moved to Houston, Texas to serve as a professor and director of the Ocular Motility Service at the Baylor College of Medicine in 1972.
Dr. von Noorden is charter member and former president of the American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology (AAPOS), the International Strabismological Association (ISA), and the American Orthoptic Council (AOC). He also served as president of the American Association of Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).
He has published 310 scientific papers and is the author of four books, including Ocular Motility and Binocular Vision: Theory and Management of Strabismus, a work that has been heralded as the “gold-standard text for ocular motility disorders for the past 30 years.” Dr. von Noorden is the recipient of numerous awards, including: the Franceschetti Prize; the Proctor Award; the Bowman Medal; and the Jackson Memorial Lecture Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO).
Frederick C. Blodi, MD (1917-1996)
The namesake of the University of Iowa’s FC Blodi Eye Pathology Laboratory, Frederick C. Blodi, MD, was a skilled diagnostician, accomplished surgeon, and universally renowned expert in ophthalmic pathology. Dr. Blodi was perhaps best known for his teaching skills—from medical book editing to thoughtful lecturing.
Dr. Blodi began his career with the University of Iowa’s Department of Ophthalmology as an assistant professor in 1952 and was named department head in 1967. During his time with the University of Iowa’s Department of Ophthalmology, more than 160 residents and 120 fellows were trained—with a notable amount deciding to work in academia.
“He was a respected ophthalmic pathologist, an adept administrator who built one of the great Departments of Ophthalmology at the University of Iowa, a determined translator of medical textbooks and a brilliant editor of major ophthalmic journals,” said ASCRS Program Chair Edward J. Holland, MD. “But most of all, Dr. Blodi will be remembered as the consummate teacher.”
Dr. Blodi earned his medical degree from the University of Vienna in 1940. After moving to the United States in 1947, Dr. Blodi became a research fellow of the World Health Organization at New York’s Institute of Ophthalmology. There, he explored his interest in ophthalmic pathology and studied under 2006 ASCRS Ophthalmology Hall of Fame honoree, Algernon B. Reese, MD (1896-1981).
Dr. Blodi was the first foreign-trained ophthalmologist to sit on the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO), eventually serving as its chairman in 1975. An honorary member of various ophthalmic societies throughout the world, Dr. Blodi served as Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology president in 1982 and American Academy of Ophthalmology president in 1979.
More information on the 2016 ASCRS/ASOA Symposium & Congress can be found at AnnualMeeting.ascrs.org
Abbie Elliott, ASCRS*ASOA, http://www.ascrs.org, +1 (703) 383-5705, [email protected]
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