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  • Unsung Heroes

  • Ophthalmology has an abundance of unsung heroes who save sight, sometimes overcoming great challenges to deliver medical and surgical eye care. In 2020, the Academy is featuring stories about some of these heroes. Their colleagues nominated them for quietly serving the underserved, mentoring the next generation and sharing their skills with the world.

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    Unsung Heroes: Paul Steinkuller, MD
    For decades, ophthalmologist Paul Steinkuller, MD, has restored eyesight under challenging conditions around the globe and been an inspiration to young doctors.
    Unsung Heroes: Elizabeth A. Hodapp, MD
    In choosing ophthalmology as her profession, Elizabeth Hodapp, MD, was initially attracted by the “pretty pictures, especially of the iris”—but even more by the demeanor of the physician residents she observed.
    Unsung Heroes: Anthony Viti, MD
    Anthony Viti, MD, who started the Africa Ophthalmology Council LDP in 2015, is among the unsung heroes whom the Academy is recognizing in 2020: The Year of the Eye.
    Unsung Heroes: Tiliksew Teshome Tessema, MD
    Tiliksew Teshome Tessema, MD, who introduced vitrectomy surgery to Ethiopia just fourteen years ago, is among the unsung heroes whom the Academy is recognizing in 2020: The Year of the Eye.
    Unsung Heroes: Daniel Mojon
    Daniel Mojon, MD, the inventor of minimally invasive strabismus surgery, is among the unsung heroes that the Academy is recognizing in 2020: The Year of the Eye.
    Unsung Heroes: Lowell A. Gess, MD
    Lowell Gess, MD, who spent three months every year of his career working in West Africa, is among the unsung heroes whom the Academy is recognizing in 2020: The Year of the Eye.
    Unsung Heroes: Edward Cherney, MD
    Edward Cherney, MD, who initiated the first state-of-the-art continuing education program in Russia in St. Petersburg, is among the unsung heroes whom the Academy is recognizing in 2020: The Year of the Eye.
    Unsung Heroes: John I. Loewenstein, MD
    John I. Loewenstein, MD, who has trained over 400 residents and fellows and involved residents and medical students in clinical and educational research, is among the unsung heroes whom the Academy is recognizing in 2020: The Year of the Eye.
    Unsung Heroes: SR Rathinam, MBBS, PhD
    SR Rathinam, MBBS, PhD, who reported trematode eye disease for the first time in humans, is among the unsung heroes whom the Academy is recognizing in 2020: The Year of the Eye.
    Unsung Heroes: Peter J. Kelly, MD
    Peter J. Kelly, MD, who has helped elevate eye care in Haiti, is among the unsung heroes whom the Academy is recognizing in 2020: The Year of the Eye.