ASRS Leaders and Legends Interview: Mark S. Blumenkranz, MD

The History of Retina is pleased to share this Leaders & Legends interview featuring the extraordinary life and career of Mark Blumenkranz, MD.  Dr. Blumenkranz is the HU Smead Professor Emeritus and co-director of the Ophthalmic Innovation Program at the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford University School of Medicine. In addition, he serves as manager director of Lagunita Biosciences and is co-founder and president of the Collaborative Community on Ophthalmic Imaging Foundation.

Mark has been an innovator of vitrectomy surgery techniques and clinical drug studies that have helped usher in the modern era of intravitreal surgical and drug therapy. He has published more than 175 papers in peer reviewed journals and multiple book chapters and patents.

Mark started his retina career as a fellow and then faculty at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute until 1985 when he was recruited away to Associated Retina Consultants in Royal Oak, Michigan. There he served as Chief of the Vitreoretinal Surgery Service at the Kresge Eye Institute and was founder and director of the Retina Fellowship Program at William Beaumont Hospital. In 1992, Mark transitioned to Stanford University where he served in a variety of positions, culminating in his being named chair of the Department of Ophthalmology in 1997. And almost immediately he began working on the planning, funding, and construction of the Byers Eye Institute of which he would become director.

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About the History of Retina

The History of Retina is brought to you by the Foundation of the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) in an effort to preserve the history and heritage of retina for generations to come. Trace the journey of the specialty's dynamic evolution by exploring milestones in technology, instrumentation, and techniques and hearing first-hand accounts from retina pioneers whose innovative spirit and pivotal contributions laid the framework for the advanced sight-saving retinal care of today and the enormously promising treatments of tomorrow.