UI Health Care will begin a national search for the next chair and department executive officer of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. This leadership position will oversee daily operations, strategic planning, and financial management of the department.
Keith Carter, MD, FACS, the Lillian C. O’Brien and Dr. C.S. O’Brien Chair in Ophthalmology, will step down from his leadership post and remain as a part-time faculty member.
Carter will continue in his leadership position until his successor has been named.
“Dr. Carter's impact on UI Health Care and the broader field of ophthalmology cannot be overstated. Since joining our organization nearly 40 years ago, and particularly during his tenure as chair of the department over the last 19 years, he has been a transformational leader who has dedicated his career to mentoring resident and fellow physicians, providing life-saving surgery and care, and contributing to the literature that has pushed forward the field of vision science,” says Denise Jamieson, MD, MPH, UI vice president for medical affairs and the Tyrone D. Artz Dean of the Carver College of Medicine. “Dr. Carter has been a trailblazer for the department, expanding resident exposure to ophthalmology during internship year, increasing access to care for our patients, and growing the department’s basic and clinical research capabilities with strong collaboration between the clinical and research wings of the department.”
Carter, who is a professor of ophthalmology and otolaryngology, joined UI Health Care in 1988 and became chair of the department in 2006. As chair, Carter has:
- Advanced online education and the use of AI in ophthalmology
- Increased philanthropic support for faculty research and academic pursuits, adding 10 endowed chairs and 13 endowed professorships
- Improved faculty diversity and promoted staff advancement opportunities
- Created the OR Eye Team and the Surgical Simulation Center
Carter has also provided supervision to 13 fellows since becoming chair, and 25 fellows total since joining the department. He also served as director of the Oculofacial Plastics, Orbit, and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship program.
In 2018, Carter was named president of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He also was president of the Association of University Professors in Ophthalmology in 2017. He also serves on more than a dozen professional organizations, including the American Medical Association, American Academy of Ophthalmology, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Board, and the American College of Surgeons.
In 2016, Carter received the Life Achievement Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Orkan G. Stasior Leadership Award from the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
A specialist in oculoplastic surgery, Carter also maintains a clinical research interest in cutaneous neoplasms, anophthalmic socket reconstruction, and thyroid eye disease.