Carter replaces Thomas Weingeist, Ph.D., M.D., professor in the department, who served in the leadership position since 1986. Weingeist will remain on the UI faculty and continue to treat patients, teach, and conduct research.

A UI faculty member since 1988, Carter is medical director of ophthalmology clinical services and director of the resident education program in the department. He specializes in oculoplastic surgery to treat patients with disfiguring injuries and diseases involving the eyes, lids and orbit, as well as cosmetic plastic surgery.

Carter also has a secondary appointment in otolaryngology at UI Hospitals and Clinics and is a physician with the Veterans Affairs Iowa City Health Care System. His research interests include Graves eye disease, inflammatory orbital disease, anophthalmic socket reconstruction and predictive factors for eyelid reconstruction.

"Dr. Carter has a first-rate combination of skills and a deep understanding of how research and physician training intersect with delivering the best patient care," said Jean Robillard, M.D., dean of the UI Carver College of Medicine, which organized the hiring committee. "We are pleased and excited that he has accepted this important leadership position in one of the world's great ophthalmology departments."

"Dr. Carter brings many assets to the department head position. He provided outstanding leadership as the chair of the Graduate Medical Education Committee and five years of excellence as medical director of our ophthalmology clinical services," said Donna Katen-Bahensky, director and CEO of UI Hospitals and Clinics. "Dr. Carter has helped ensure that patient care goals are met and even exceeded. His appointment as department head makes us confident of future quality of care, and we also extend our gratitude to Dr. Weingeist for leading the UI Department of Ophthalmology to such prominence."

The UI Department of Ophthalmology has been consistently ranked among the top ophthalmology departments by U.S. News and World Report, as well as one of the top training programs for residents and fellows. Under Weingeist's tenure as head, the department grew from 15 full-time faculty members to more than 30 clinicians and scientists.

"Dr. Weingeist's leadership has helped make the UI one of the top ophthalmic programs in the United States. It is rare for anyone to serve in a department head position for so long," Robillard said. "We greatly appreciate Dr. Weingeist's 20 years of devoted service to the UI and wish him the best in his endeavors, which will continue to benefit patients and the field of ophthalmology."

Carter earned a medical degree from Indiana University and a bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from Purdue University. He completed an internship in ophthalmology at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, a residency in ophthalmology at the University of Michigan and a fellowship in oculoplastics and orbital surgery at the UI.

For more information:

Keith Carter, M.D.

Thomas Weingeist, Ph.D.

Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine