Keith D. Carter, MD, head of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at UI Hospitals and Clinics and professor in the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, was named the Lillian C. and Dr. C.S. O'Brien Chair in Ophthalmology. Carter, who has been department head since 2006, has been on the UI faculty since completing a fellowship in oculoplastics and orbital surgery at the UI in 1988. He received his medical degree from Indiana University in 1983 and completed his ophthalmology residency at the University of Michigan in 1987.

Cecil Starling "C.S." O'Brien, MD, established the UI ophthalmology department (formerly a part of the eye, ear, nose and throat department) in 1925 and served as its first chairman from that date until 1948. He died in 1977. The department's library, the C.S. O'Brien Library, is named in his memory. Lillian O'Brien died in 2006 at the age of 102. She had been a longtime supporter of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, and in 1996 supported the UI Carver Molecular Ophthalmology Laboratory with a gift of $500,000.

Jean E. Robillard, MD, UI vice president for medical affairs and dean of the UI Carver College of Medicine, said the O'Brien Chair is appropriate recognition for Carter and an important step forward for medical research, education and patient care at the UI.

"Dr. Carter's appointment to this prestigious position is a testament to his distinguished contributions to the field of ophthalmology," Robillard said. "He is internationally recognized for his scientific research and is an outstanding leader in the global ophthalmology community. Equally important, Dr. Carter is deeply committed to resident and fellow education.

"We are extremely grateful for the generosity of the O'Brien and Koke families through the years, especially in creating the Lillian C. O'Brien and Dr. C.S. O'Brien Chair," Robillard added. "Permanently named, endowed faculty positions ensure that the UI can attract and retain international leaders in disciplines throughout the UI Carver College of Medicine, and advance crucial research."

Martin P. Koke, MD, who completed a residency and earned an M.S. degree in ophthalmology from the UI in 1941, studied under C.S. O'Brien, and was a generous supporter of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. He practiced ophthalmology in San Diego and was the founding chairman of the San Diego Eye Bank, now one of the largest eye banks in the United States. He was married to Editha Flannagan Koke (B.A. 1929; M.A. 1930), who died in 1993. Martin Koke died in 2000.

Under C.S. O'Brien's leadership, the UI ophthalmology department became known throughout the world for its teaching and research. That reputation continues today, with the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences ranked sixth by U.S.News & World Report in the magazine's 2006 "Best Hospitals" rankings. The department is renowned for its molecular ophthalmology research and is a leader in the fields of age-related macular degeneration and genetic ophthalmologic diseases.

The Lillian C. O'Brien and Dr. C.S. O'Brien Chair in Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences is the sixth named, endowed chair in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and the 31st in the UI Carver College of Medicine.

Keith D. Carter, MD

For more information:

Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine

UI Carver Molecular Ophthalmology Laboratory

Jean E. Robillard, MD

Best Hospitals