For the 20th time in 20 years, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics is listed among the best hospitals in America according to the U.S.News & World Report publication. Seven specialties were ranked overall with otolaryngology, ophthalmology and visual sciences, and orthopaedics ranked among the nation's top 10 in their respective categories. Dr. Keith Carter, head of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, tells us more about what this ranking means.

What does a ranking in a publication like U.S.News & World Report mean to you as the head of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences?

I think the department and I are very proud of the ranking. I think it reflects the respect we have of our colleagues across the country for the work we're doing here at The University of Iowa.

What is the tradition or longstanding reason your department is routinely ranked high in America?

One of the fortunate things we have in our department is that we were built on a strong tradition of clinical research and education. Recently, in the last decade, we've really expanded our basic science research that was not as prevalent in the earlier years. I think that the historical ranking of the department is what we are sort of building on and our goal is to enhance what people already knew that was great about Iowa.

What role do the location and staff play in the rankings?

I think being located in the Midwest helps us a lot; of course people on either coast will criticize us for that. But I think the people, the friendliness of people who are willing to work together, the ability to collaborate is something that we have here in Iowa that a lot of the institutions do not have. I think our staff is very dedicated—we have staff that has been with us for 20 to 30 years. Currently, I've been in the department 22 years and there are staff people that trained me that are here. So I think all of those things play into creating an environment that's very conducive for success.

What are the future goals of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences?

Well, we want to continue to be an innovator in clinical care and bring the best possible eye care to the citizens of Iowa. We want to become the premiere center for ophthalmic molecular testing and treatment. And I think with the advances in stem cell research and gene therapy, we will be a leader in that area. And also, we want to maintain our status as one of the best residency programs in the United States and in doing that, we want to expand our Internet education capacity. Younger learners learn differently and with the Internet, they like to have instant access to material, and we're trying to put as much of that kind of material out there for people to use across the country, and also to recruit medical students from all over the country to come to Iowa.

Video Interview about the Rankings:

Keith Carter, MD, head of Ophthalmology

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