Vision Fulfilled - Legacy of Dr. Steven Kramer
"We wanted
to do the kind of science that would make a mark, and be clinically
relevant," said Steven G. Kramer, MD, PhD, reflecting on his goals
as Department Chair, when he first came to UCSF in 1975. "We focused
on expanding the vision of what research could do, to include clinical
studies and basic laboratory research."
Nearly 30 years
later - through the dedication of Dr. Kramer and hundreds of scientists,
clinicians and private contributors - the Beckman Vision Center and
Koret Vision Research Laboratory stand as a tribute to the power of
a visionary. As of the end of June, Dr. Kramer will continue to be active
in the Ophthalmology Department, seeing patients, teaching and doing
research, when he steps down as Department Chair. His successor as chair
will be announced later this year.
Dr. Kramer's outstanding
legacy is a result of the extraordinary collaboration that he has fostered
during his long tenure as Ophthalmology Chair at UCSF.
Nurturing
Collaboration
Today, the Beckman Vision Center is internationally renowned for wide-ranging,
pioneering collaborations between clinical scientists and basic researchers
- encouraged by Dr. Kramer - to bring new research to patient care as
quickly as possible.
"By his own selfless example, Steve Kramer took a diverse faculty
of brilliant, highly competitive people, and encouraged them to work
together as a team", recalls Professor Alex Irvine, MD, who was
among the earliest members of the ophthalmology faculty. "He set
the tone, and made the achievements of the Ophthalmology Department
the main focus. That was instrumental in getting the whole faculty to
work together in a synergistic way."
Here, for example, groundbreaking research on "growth factors"
to halt retinal degenerations has established a new field of pharmaceutical
therapy, and brought new hope for patients with degenerative eye disease.
This work resulted from the fortuitous collaboration of Professor of
Anatomy and Ophthalmology, Matthew M. LaVail, PhD, and the late Professor
of Physiology and Ophthalmology, Roy Steinberg, MD, PhD.
"By bringing together vision scientists like Roy Steinberg and
myself, Dr. Kramer fostered interactions that simply would not have
occurred," explains Dr. LaVail. "Dr. Kramer was instrumental
in turning Roy's attention to clinically-oriented research, and in supporting
us to find financial assistance for pilot projects."
Changing the Campus
"Steve Kramer built a freestanding research building with private
funding and without university support, beyond the important contribution
of the land," says Creig S. Hoyt, MD, Department of Ophthalmology
Vice Chair. "The fundraising organization that he helped to create
is essential to the success of this department now, and in the future."
At a time when private fund raising for a public university was a rarity,
Dr. Kramer and the Board of Directors of the nonprofit foundation, That
Man May See, Inc., created the wherewithal to build an extraordinary
facility for research and clinical care. They have also raised money
for essential research funding.
"Steve Kramer's vision, drive and fundraising to complete these
new facilities truly changed much of the basic and targeted vision research
on the UCSF campus," says Dr. LaVail.
"As the State has decreased funding for research and patient care,
Dr. Kramer has been instrumental in developing private funding that
made it possible for us to meet the bottom line, and to develop promising
research projects," Dr. Irvine says.
Focus
on Education
When residents compete for ophthalmology positions, UCSF is one of the
most sought-after programs, and graduating residents are among the most
sought-after in the country.
"Residents have been a primary concern of the faculty at UCSF,"
Dr. Hoyt says. "Steve Kramer has brought a unique commitment to
resident education that emphasizes our responsibility to training the
next generation of physicians."
Clinical Care
Throughout his career, Dr. Kramer has also been an attentive, thoughtful
physician and surgeon, caring for legions of grateful patients. He was
a pioneer in using the Shearing intraocular lens, developed in 1977
by a UCSF graduate to reduce complications and improve visual quality
after cataract surgery. He is acknowledged as a leader in diagnosis
and care for cataracts, glaucoma, and other blinding diseases.
View
of the Future
Dr. Kramer will continue to see patients, do research, teach, and contribute
to fundraising efforts for the Department as an active Board Member
of That Man May See, Inc.
In the hallways and offices of the Beckman Vision Center and Koret Vision
Research Laboratory, the research collaborations and clinical innovations
Dr. Steve Kramer has fostered will continue to bear fruit.
