Reflections of a Dohlman Fellow

Abstract

Claes Henrik Dohlman, MD, PhD (CHD), has devoted his entire career to advancing our understanding of the biology of the cornea and the pathophysiology and management of corneal diseases. He is truly a renaissance scholar of the cornea, whose influence has defined and shaped the field. His basic science work, which spans all structures of the cornea, is eloquently reviewed in this volume by his long-term colleague Ilene Gipson (Chap. 17). While these studies are noteworthy, and for many would constitute a lifetime of contribution, Claes’ most significant impact on the field of cornea falls into two major areas – development of the most widely used keratoprosthesis (Boston KPro) in the world (reviewed in Chap. 15 by Mona Harissi-Dagher, one of the leaders of the current generation of KPro surgeons) and training multiple generations of corneal specialists. It is estimated that Dr. Dohlman has trained over 200 corneal specialists in his career, many of whom have held or currently hold leadership positions in ophthalmology around the world. Dr. Dohlman’s true impact is much greater, however, when one considers all of the corneal specialists trained by the Dohlman fellows. It is rare to find corneal specialist in the United States today who cannot be traced to have some connection back to Claes Dohlman. As I write this chapter, I am truly grateful for the many lessons I have learned from Dr. Dohlman, some of which I will attempt to convey in the following pages.