The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine announced the appointment of Pradeep Y. Ramulu, M.D., M.H.S., Ph.D., as chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, effective August 3. A renowned glaucoma specialist and Bascom Palmer alumnus, Dr. Ramulu returns to lead the institution where his career in glaucoma care was shaped, bringing nearly two decades of clinical, research, and educational leadership from the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University. As chair, he will hold the Kathleen and Stanley J. Glaser Chair in Ophthalmology.
Dr. Ramulu earned his bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Stanford University, completed his M.D. at Johns Hopkins University, and earned a Ph.D. in molecular biology and genetics in the laboratory of Jeremy Nathans, M.D., Ph.D. He also completed an ophthalmology residency at Wilmer, a glaucoma fellowship at Bascom Palmer, and a master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. At Wilmer, he serves as the Sheila K. West Professor of Ophthalmology, chief of the Glaucoma Division, director of the Wilmer StARR (Stimulating Access to Research in Residency) Program, and professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Dr. Ramulu succeeds Eduardo C. Alfonso, M.D., who led Bascom Palmer since 2007. Under Dr. Alfonso’s leadership, Bascom Palmer repeatedly earned the #1 ranking in ophthalmology from U.S. News & World Report, and its ophthalmology residency program was recognized as the best in the nation. Dipen J. Parekh, M.D., chief executive officer of UHealth, noted that Dr. Ramulu’s “vision, compassion and scientific expertise will carry Bascom Palmer’s legacy of excellence into a remarkable new chapter.”
Dr. Ramulu has received continuous NIH funding since 2007 and has authored more than 280 peer-reviewed publications, 10 book chapters, and two books. He has received the Secretariat, Achievement, and Senior Awards from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Pisart Award for Vision Science. His research program, the Safety and Functionality Eye Research (SAFER) Lab, studies how glaucoma affects reading, driving, walking, fall risk, and independent living. He will become president of the American Glaucoma Society in 2027.
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