Neil Bressler

About Neil Bressler

Neil Bressler

Inaugural James P. Gills Professor of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute, John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

Neil graduated from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1982 and completed an ophthalmology residency at Harvard Medical School’s Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in 1986. He joined the Wilmer Eye Institute (Department of Ophthalmology) faculty at Johns Hopkins in 1988 and works in the Retina Division where he has served as Chief (2005 to 2018) with 19 full-time clinical faculty in retina. He has an endowed chair as the inaugural James P. Gills Professor of Ophthalmology and has authored over 400 peer-reviewed publications. He continues to work on the NIH-sponsored Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network that he chaired for 7 years, and currently chairs the National Eye Institute’s Data and Safety Monitoring Committee for intramural clinical trials. He also has been Chair of the FDA Ophthalmic Devices Panel and was President of the Macula Society in 2013 to 2014. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of JAMA Ophthalmology and has been on The JAMA Network Editorial Board since 2013. Apart from medicine, he served as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan, where he shared responsibility for engaging and inspiring people through excellence in educational, artistic and cultural programs in the arts, and in 2016 became only the twelfth Life Trustee for the Interlochen Center for the Arts in 90 years.

What have been your career highlights?

“Becoming Editor-in-Chief of JAMA Ophthalmology – only the ninth Editor-in-Chief in the 150-year history of the journal; serving as Chair of the DRCR Network, and participating in the administration of ophthalmology locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally through 13 years as Chief of Wilmer’s Retina Division and leading continuing medical education endeavors around the world.”

What are your goals for the future?

“Expand reach and impact of JAMA Ophthalmology – which is currently 2.7 million individual downloads or views of articles.

Research and application of incorporating artificial intelligence (e.g., deep convolutional neural networks) into ophthalmology clinical trials and clinical practice. Help expand the DRCR Network beyond diabetic retinopathy to other retinal diseases of public health interest, including age-related macular degeneration, in North America and potentially other continents as well.”

What drives you day-to-day?

“My family, including my wife, my children, and grandchildren!”
 
Who have been your mentors?

“Leaders in the clinical trial world, including Roy Beck and Barbara Hawkins, and more recently, leaders in the world of editors, including Howard Bauchner (current Editor-in-Chief of JAMA).”

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