Eye Witness 46 - July 2025
CELEBRATING JOAN W. MILLER, MD
In this issue of Eye Witness, we are celebrating Joan W. Miller, MD, and her nearly 22 years as Chair of Ophthalmology at Mass Eye and Ear, Mass General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, and as Ophthalmologist-in-Chief at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Joan W. Miller, MD: Celebrating Nearly 22 Years of Transformational Leadership
For nearly 22 years, Joan W. Miller, MD, has served as Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Mass Eye and Ear, Mass General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School (HMS), and Ophthalmologist-in-Chief at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. During her tenure, she has advanced a bold and unified vision for the department: one that emphasizes premier clinical care, transformational research, and world-class training for future leaders in ophthalmology and vision science.
Inspired by those who came before her, and driven by a strong sense of purpose, Dr. Miller forged her own path into academic medicine. Although no one in her immediate family was a physician—her father and brothers were engineers, and her mother was an English major and stay-at-home mother—she was drawn towards a career that balanced intellectual rigor with human connection. Read the story
Evangelos S. Gragoudas, MD, Celebrates 50 Years of Service and Donates $1.9M to Endow Mass Eye and Ear Chair
As part of the 2024 Harvard Ophthalmology Annual Meeting and Alumni Reunion, Evangelos S. Gragoudas, MD— the Charles Edward Whitten Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School and Distinguished Director of the Retina Service at Mass Eye and Ear—celebrated his 50-year career at Harvard Ophthalmology and Mass Eye and Ear. Dr. Gragoudas is a world authority on the diagnosis and management of retinal diseases and intraocular tumors, and his clinical and research achievements have led to sight-saving treatments for millions of people worldwide.
During the celebration, it was announced that Dr. Gragoudas donated $1.9M to Mass Eye and Ear to endow the Evangelos S. Gragoudas Chair in Ophthalmology. The new Chair honors his legacy in ocular melanoma research, teaching, and patient care. Ivana K. Kim, MD, an expert in ocular melanoma and a long-time colleague of Dr. Gragoudas, is the inaugural incumbent. Read the story