Immediate Release
Philadelphia, PA- Julia A. Haller, MD, the ophthalmologist-in-chief of Wills Eye Hospital, is the recipient of this year’s Physician of the Year Award from The Philadelphia Inquirer. The award is one of the “Influencers of Healthcare” honors to be bestowed at a ceremony on Thursday, August 15, 2019 at The Crystal Team Room in Philadelphia.
The award is in celebration of the city’s leading healthcare professionals who go above and beyond to improve the collective health of Philadelphia and strive to make a difference in their patients’ lives.
Dr. Haller holds the William Tasman, M.D. Endowed Chair. She serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and is Co-Director of the Wills Vision Research Center at Jefferson. She was educated at the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore, Princeton University and Harvard Medical School. After a Halsted surgical internship at Johns Hopkins and a fellowship in Ocular Pathology at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, she completed her residency in ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins. She became Wilmer’s first female Chief Resident, joined the faculty thereafter, and was named the inaugural Katherine Graham Professor of Ophthalmology in 2002.
Dr. Haller holds numerous honors and awards including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Louis Braille Award from the Associated Services for the Blind. Dr. Haller has published over 370 scientific articles and book chapters. One of the world’s most renowned retina surgeons and invited lecturers, she has particular interest in retina pharmacology, macular surgery, retinal venous occlusive disease, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, the repair of complicated retinal detachments, and healthcare disparities, currently serving as principal investigator on $3,000,000 in government grant-funded projects.
A member of numerous scientific advisory boards and data and safety monitoring committees, she is also a past member of the Boards of Trustees of Princeton University and has served as a consultant to Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
“We are very proud and honored to have Dr. Haller as our Ophthalmologist-in-Chief and enthusiastically applaud her leadership in healthcare. She has made a tremendous impact at Wills Eye Hospital and in ophthalmology around the world. It has been an honor to lead Wills Eye with her,” said, Joseph P. Bilson, Chief Executive Officer at Wills Eye Hospital.
Media Contact:
Cathy Moss
#####
