Douglas Rhee
The Power List 2020 – Power List
Professor and Chair, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, USA
Your three wishes?
To discover the cure for glaucoma; world peace; perfect health for my family and all the people reading this article. (These are not necessarily in order!)
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Keep working hard – it is worth it in many ways.
The most unexpected turn your career took?
My professional life changed profoundly for the better because of our family cat. After my residency and clinical fellowship, I was going to pursue a clinical research fellowship. I was pretty far along with arranging for a clinical research fellowship in England until we learned that our cat would have to be quarantined for six months. This forced me to look at other opportunities I had not previously considered. I pursued a basic science opportunity with Paul Russel at the National Eye Institute who would become one of my most influential professional mentors. Through dedicated guidance and selfless encouragement, Paul launched my laboratory career. Up until the issue with our cat, I had had my mind set on pursuing a clinical research career.
