UAB’s Read to Head American Academy of Ophthalmology Science Committee

Russell W. Read, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of ophthalmology and pathology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, has been selected to chair the committee that oversees the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s (AAO) Basic and Clinical Science Course (BCSC) on Intraocular Inflammation and Uveitis.

July 16, 2010

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Russell W. Read, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of ophthalmology and pathology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, has been selected to chair the committee that oversees the American Academy of Ophthalmology's (AAO) Basic and Clinical Science Course (BCSC) on Intraocular Inflammation and Uveitis.

Read is an internationally recognized leader in the treatment of uveitis, a potentially blinding disease that causes inflammation of the eye. Uveitis is thought to be responsible for 10 to15 percent of all blindness in the United States.

Read's appointment commences Jan. 1, 2011. He will be responsible for guiding revisions of the course curriculum, reviewing or assigning reviewers for other clinical education materials and coordinating with other chairs and AAO directors to maintain consistency with the BCSC series.

Read joined the faculty of the UAB Department of Ophthalmology in August 2000. He is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and is a fellow of the AAO and a member of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Hogan Eye Pathology Society, American Medical Association, Medical Association of the State of Alabama, Jefferson County Medical Society and Alabama Academy of Ophthalmology. He is the executive secretary of the American Uveitis Society and is active in clinical and applied basic science research and ophthalmic pathology.

About the American Academy of Ophthalmology

The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the largest national membership association of eye doctors, comprising ophthalmologists, medical and osteopathic doctors who provide comprehensive eye care, including medical, surgical and optical care. More than 90 percent of practicing eye doctors in the United States are Academy members, and the Academy has more than 7,000 international members.

About the UAB Department of Ophthalmology

The UAB Department of Ophthalmology serves the eye-health needs of the people of Alabama and beyond through excellence in patient care, research and education.