Dr. Paul R. Lichter's Vision Is One of Continuous Growth and Enduring Excellence

He is an international leader in ophthalmology and a champion for his faculty

"Certainly, I'm proud of building the facilities, but the facilities are the means to an end. They attract the finest people who can help build the best clinical, educational, and research programs."
— Paul R. Lichter, M.D.

Paul R. Lichter, M.D., is wistful as he looks over a proposal he prepared for the Dean of the Medical School in 1978 before being named Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. It was a 10-year plan outlining the faculty, staff, space, and funding needed to build "one of the finest departments of ophthalmology in the country."

"I think we have generally realized the vision put forth in that proposal," he says.

Such understatement is characteristic of Dr. Lichter, whose vision, enthusiasm, and leadership have fueled the remarkable growth and success of the Department
and its faculty during his 34-year tenure as Chair.

Dr. Lichter, the F. Bruce Fralick Professor of Ophthalmology, has created a program of unusual breadth and depth, is praised by his faculty for his unwavering support, has won countless awards and honors as a leader in the field of ophthalmology, and has presided
over the construction of two stunning buildings to expand the Department.

Alan Sugar, M.D., a prominent cornea specialist, was one of Dr. Lichter's first recruits. During a recruitment interview, a senior faculty member told Dr. Sugar that the Department was not likely to grow. "He was completely wrong," says Dr. Sugar, who went on to join the Department and later became Associate Chair. "Since Paul became Chair, our growth has been continuous in programs, facilities, reputation, and research."

Dr. Lichter's original 10-year plan called for renovations to two existing buildings to provide space for eye clinics and the construction of a major research facility.
This new eye center would attract faculty and establish the Department as a leader in patient care, education, and vision research. And, with research and clinical faculty together in one facility, Dr. Lichter reasoned, there would be many opportunities for them to intermingle and spark new ideas to advance ophthalmology.

Quick to understand the importance of philanthropic support in building a strong and enduring program, the new Chair embarked on a plan to seek major gifts, which led to a $4 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the opportunity to name
the Eye Center in Mr. Kellogg's memory.

Dr. Lichter's ability to attract top faculty is also legendary. When the new eye center opened in 1985, he had increased the faculty from 8 to 15 (including Paul A. Sieving, M.D., Ph.D., now director of the National Eye Institute); added several subspecialties; and established the first endowed chair in pediatric ophthalmology in the country. Nonetheless, a few residents, now among a large and loyal alumni group, wondered how
the new Chair would ever fill the spacious new building.

Championing his faculty

From the beginning, Dr. Lichter has given his faculty exceptional autonomy to pursue their strengths and interests. "Paul's philosophy has been to hire good people and give them the freedom to do what they do best," says Dr. Sugar. "It has worked well."

No one has appreciated that freedom more than the research faculty, says Julia E. Richards, Ph.D., the Harold F. Falls Collegiate Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. "Paul's support is striking because his background is clinical, yet he has this amazing grasp of research and of how the exchange between scientists and clinicians can build a stronger program," says Dr. Richards.

In addition to building an exceptional basic science research program, Dr. Lichter has encouraged his faculty to evaluate treatment through clinical trials, and he has led by
example.

For 10 years he was principal investigator of a multi-center clinical study comparing treatment options—surgery vs. medication—for patients newly diagnosed with open-angle glaucoma. Funded by the National Eye Institute, the Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study followed patients at 14 study centers across the country. "It was one of the few studies at the time that considered the patient's quality of life along with treatment outcomes," says Dr. Lichter. "The study yielded good information for the care of glaucoma patients—and still gives us information today."

Then, there is his highly respected clinical practice. Rhoda Berkowitz, a patient for many years, was referred to Dr. Lichter when she started to experience vision loss from glaucoma. "He saved my sight," says Mrs. Berkowitz, who also values Dr. Lichter's ability to show his concern for the "whole patient." A retired law professor, she has worked with many organizations over the years and observes that the patient-centered focus of
the Kellogg Eye Center is rare. "Dr. Lichter has created a culture in which every person at Kellogg is kind and caring. It is very special, and you know it comes from
the top. I am fortunate to be Dr. Lichter's patient."

Building a legacy in ophthalmology

Early on, Dr. Lichter made his mark as a leader in the field of ophthalmology, first serving on a series of committees for the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). In succession, he was appointed to the AAO's Board of Trustees in charge of the Annual Meeting program, then as Editor-in-Chief of the AAO journal Ophthalmology, and finally as AAO President during an historic year—the Academy's 100th anniversary in 1996.

By the end of his term, Dr. Lichter had served the Academy in committee and leadership positions for 27 years, of which the final 17 were on the Board of Trustees. "Like most positions I've held, when it's over I try to move on. It's important to me to step aside and give others the opportunity to lead," he says.

Dr. Lichter held several other leadership positions during his years on the AAO Board, including Chair of the American Board of Ophthalmology, President of the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology, President of the American Ophthalmological
Society, President of the Pan American Association of Ophthalmology, and, closer to home, President of the Michigan Ophthalmological Society. Currently, he is President of Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis, having previously served for eight years as its Secretary-General.

Dr. Lichter has delivered 40 named lectures, including the 50th Jackson Memorial Lecture, which opens the AAO Annual Meeting each year and is considered by many as the most prestigious lecture in ophthalmology. In 2008, Dr. Lichter received the
Lucien Howe Medal from the American Ophthalmological Society. The Howe Medal recipients—77 in all since its inauguration in 1922—include some of the most prominent names in the recent history of ophthalmology."In many ways, this award and
others I've received are recognition of the Department and our faculty members, alumni, staff, and trainees. If it weren't for them, I couldn't have done many of the things I've been able to do," he says.

Planning for continued growth and innovation

The establishment of one major medical facility would be ample accomplishment for
any chair, but Dr. Lichter understood that continued growth was essential to maintaining Kellogg's position as a top-tier institution. In the late 1990s, realizing that the Eye Center would soon run out of space, he set in motion another 10-year plan. He asked faculty to identify the programs they envisioned for the next five to ten years and the space needed to accommodate those programs.

Dr. Lichter again made a compelling case and received the go-ahead for a new clinical and research building. Plans were altered somewhat—in a most positive way—when William and Delores Brehm made a major gift to the U-M Health System to build a diabetes research center. Two floors were added to the Eye Center Expansion Project. According to Dr. Lichter, "It has worked out beautifully. Collaboration between the Brehm Diabetes Research Center and the Eye Center has been significant and productive already."

The Kellogg Eye Center expansion opened in March 2010. The new building, named the Brehm Tower, is an elegant eight-story building with eight major clinics, six operating
rooms, and an expanse of open-design laboratories. Dr. Lichter was involved in every
facet of the project, from clinic design to selection of the art gracing the walls of public
spaces—and the addition of a beautifully designed garden and water sculpture. The garden is named the Helmut Stern Garden to recognize Mr. Stern's leadership of the Expansion Project Advisory Committee.

Even before construction was complete, Dr. Lichter looked to the program, recruiting two physicianscientists from the University of California, Los Angeles, who had established an impressive body of research on thyroid eye disease. What would make them leave a well-known eye center and a pleasant climate? "Dr. Lichter showed us he was building something uniquely different," says Raymond S. Douglas, M.D., Ph.D. "He showed us his commitment to establishing a new treatment center and his belief that our research findings could be translated to benefit patients. Dr. Terry Smith [professor and senior collaborator of Dr. Douglas'] and I knew he would get it done and we wanted to be part of it."

Within the year, Dr. Lichter pulled off another recruiting coup, bringing a nine-member research team from Pennsylvania, led by Drs. Thomas Gardner, David Antonetti, and Steven Abcouwer, to Michigan to investigate and treat diabetes-related eye disease. Most recently, with major backing from an anonymous donor, a new Resident Education Center was constructed and opened on the sixth floor of the original tower.

When asked what he is most proud of, Dr. Lichter returns to the people he has worked with over the years."Certainly, I'm proud of the facilities we've built, but the facilities are the means to an end. They help to attract the finest people who can help build the best
clinical, educational, and research programs," he says. He takes pride also in the many residents, graduate students, and fellows—clinical and basic science alike—who have trained at Kellogg during his tenure.

Perhaps most of all he wishes to acknowledge the partnership he has shared with his wife, Carolyn Lichter, who has hosted faculty, visitors, and residents and has helped in filling the building with art and in planning countless special events. "She has served the
Department in so many ways over the years, and she is respected and admired by the faculty, residents, alumni, and staff," says Dr. Lichter.

In the past several years, Dr. Lichter has become interested in how relationships with industry can affect medical practice and now leads a committee for the Dean to guide Medical School policy. "It has taken me some time to come to my own understanding of what makes for appropriate relationships," he says. "My faculty colleagues and I are pleased that the Department has not taken non-research funding from industry—and
that we had incorporated broad ethics discussions into our residents' training well before it was required."

Dr. Lichter is also pleased that the Dean has selected Paul P. Lee, M.D, J.D., to succeed him as Chair. They have known each other for years; and during Dr. Lee's medical school years, Dr. Lichter served as one of his mentors. "Dr. Lee is a brilliant and accomplished physician, and he will be an outstanding leader to continue the Department's legacy," he says.

When Dr. Lichter steps down as Chair on February 1, 2012, he will remain on the faculty, and his patients will be happy to know that he will continue his clinical practice. He will hold a partial appointment in the Dean's office as Chair of the Clinical and Educational
Conflict of Interest Committee. And he will assist Dr. Lee with his transition to lead what has become one of the finest ophthalmology departments in the country.

Faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the Department are celebrating Dr. Lichter's tenure as Chair by establishing a research endowment in his name. The Paul R. Lichter, M.D., Research Discovery Fund will endure in perpetuity, providing critical support to the robust and vibrant vision research program that grew and thrived under his leadership.