Emory Eye Center at 150: Still healing. Still teaching. Always learning.
The Emory Eye Center has been dedicated to these core concepts since we opened our first clinic in 1872. As we celebrate our 150th year, they still serve as timeless reminders of where we need to go.
In 1872, the Emory Eye Center’s number one priority was the provision of top-notch ophthalmic care to our community. Today, that care routinely requires multi-disciplinary expertise, a commitment to translational research, and complex surgical interventions. And the community we serve now reaches far beyond our Georgia roots to include a global community.
The excellence of that care has always been backed by rigorous clinical and academic training. Today, Emory ophthalmic residents and fellows gain depth in multiple specialties. And their skills as physicians are honed by their work in one of seven clinics and hospitals in the Emory system.
But, if the last 150 years have taught us anything, it’s the importance of embracing innovation, new ideas, and change. The Emory Eye Center has remained in the forefront of our field precisely because we regularly invest in basic scientific research and clinical trials. Our research faculty continues to expand our understanding of eye diseases and our grasp of new approaches.
One of the most valuable lessons we’ve learned in the past 150 years is that our patients can teach us a lot. Through outreach efforts like Global Ophthalmology Emory (GO-Emory) and our department’s new Diversity Equity & Inclusion Task Force, we look forward to strengthening what is already a strong commitment to welcoming - and serving - all.
I invite you to join us, as a patient, a colleague, a student, or friend.
F. Phinizy Calhoun, Sr. Chair of Ophthalmology
Director of the Emory Eye Center