Iowa Eye Association News Oct. 2004. Series 2, no. 39.

University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

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Weingeist to Step Down

Thomas Weingeist, Ph.D., M.D., has announced he will be stepping down as Head of the University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences once a new Head is appointed and in place. “After devoting nearly 20 years as Department Head, it is time to have a smooth transition to new leadership,” says Weingeist. “The department is doing well on all levels, the faculty is among the best in the world, and we have wonderfully dedicated employees and outstanding facilities within the UIHC and the Carver College of Medicine.”

Weingeist received his Ph.D. from Columbia University and his M.D. from The University of Iowa College of Medicine. After completing his ophthalmology residency and fellowship in vitreoretinal diseases and surgery at The University of Iowa, Weingeist joined the faculty in 1975 as assistant professor.

Prior to becoming Department Head in 1986, he was Chief of Ophthalmology at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Iowa City and Director of the Vitreoretinal Service at UIHC. During his tenure as Head, the department grew from 15 full-time faculty members to over 30 clinicians and scientists. During this time, the department also moved to its present location in the Pomerantz Family Pavilion and established the University of Iowa Center for Macular Degeneration.

The Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences is regarded as one of the leading ophthalmology training programs for residents and postgraduate fellows in the country, as well as a preeminent clinical and research institution. For more than 14 consecutive years, the department has been ranked among the top six ophthalmology departments in the United States by U.S. News and World Reports, and more than 75 percent of its clinical faculty are cited among the “Best Doctors in America.”

Dr. Weingeist is the author of more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts, the editor of three books including Practical Applications of Laser Surgery in the Eye and two books dealing with The Eye and Systemic Disease. He has served on editorial boards of clinical journals and was the founding medical editor of EyeNet Magazine, a publication of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). He has been invited to speak at many academic institutions and given named lectures. He is past president of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). In addition, he also served as president of the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology and was formerly the Secretary for Clinical Education for the AAO.

Dr. Weingeist plans to continue his clinical practice, teach, and pursue his special interest—the study of malignant melanoma of the eye, the most common eye cancer in adults. He says he is “looking forward to having time to hone my research skills, and to taking a sabbatical to study the molecular and cell biology of malignant melanoma of the choroid.”