Dr. Jeffrey Goldberg elected to National Academy of Medicine

Jeffrey Goldberg, MD, PhD

Jeffrey Goldberg, MD, PhD, Blumenkranz Smead professor and chair of ophthalmology, and director of the Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research at the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford University School of Medicine, has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Medicine (NAM).

Dr. Goldberg’s recognition highlights his contributions to our understanding of the survival and axon growth of retinal ganglion cells relevant to neuroprotection and regeneration, and for being a driving force behind biomarker development and vision restoration clinical trials in glaucoma and other eye diseases.

Election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. New members are elected through a process that recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care, and public health.

“I am deeply honored to be elected to the National Academy of Medicine,” Dr. Goldberg said. “I look forward to serving the goals of the National Academies, and to continuing my collaborative research efforts with my colleagues at the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford and around the world as we further our efforts to combat needless blindness.”

Established originally as the Institute of Medicine in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine addresses critical issues in health, science, medicine, and related policy and inspires positive actions across sectors. With their election, NAM members make a commitment to volunteer their service in National Academies activities.

“We congratulate Dr. Goldberg on this well-deserved distinction,” said Lloyd Minor, MD, dean of the School of Medicine. “Dr. Goldberg is not only an innovative and creative clinician-scientist, but also a transformative leader in advocating for health, for education, and for equity, as evidenced by the many successes of the faculty and staff at the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford.

Dr. Goldberg directs a National Institutes of Health-funded research laboratory and has developed significant expertise in implementing Food and Drug Administration Investigational New Drug Application clinical trials for optic nerve neuroprotection and regeneration. Under his leadership, his lab has made spectacular breakthroughs by testing artificial retinas that transmit images down the optic nerve to the brain through tiny silicon chips implanted in the eye. They have also employed advances in imaging technology to detect damage at the level of individual photoreceptor cells, furthering efforts to diagnose, track, and treat degenerative diseases before irreversible damage is done.

Other accomplishments of Dr. Goldberg’s include being named the 2010 Scientist of the Year by the Hope For Vision foundation, receiving the Cogan award from the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology in 2012, and being elected in 2010 to the American Society of Clinical Investigation, an honorary society of physician scientists.