March 6, 2002

UM Kellogg Eye Center Director Paul R. Lichter receives Life Achievement Award

Paul R. Lichter, M.D., the F. Bruce Fralick Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, received a Life Achievement Honor from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) at its 2001 annual meeting. The award--given to only three AAO Members this year—is in recognition of Dr. Lichter’s extensive contributions to the Academy’s leadership and to its scientific and educational programs. Dr. Lichter served for 17 years, on the AAO Board of Trustees, and served as the organization's Centennial President in 1996. In addition, he was editor-in-chief of Ophthalmology, the journal of the AAO, from 1986 to 1994. Lichter has presented numerous scientific papers at AAO meetings, including this year’s interim findings for the Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS). Dr. Lichter chairs this study, sponsored by the National Eye Institute, comparing treatment options for patients with newly-diagnosed open-angle glaucoma in fourteen clinical centers across the country.

Dr. Lichter is Director of the University’s W.K. Kellogg Eye Center. His research and clinical interests involve glaucoma, genetics, and clinical applications of ultrafast laser technology. He has to his credit more than 185 publications including scientific articles, editorials, and book chapters. Dr. Lichter is a Past President of the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology, the American Ophthalmological Society, and the Michigan Ophthalmological Society, as well as a Past Chair of the American Board of Ophthalmology. He currently is Immediate Past-President of the Pan American Association of Ophthalmology and is a member of Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis and the International Council of Ophthalmology.

Contact: Betsy Nisbet, 734.647.5586, bsnisbet@umich.edu.