Paul Sternberg Jr., MD, professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and former director of the Vanderbilt Eye Institute, has been elected executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO).
The association, founded in 1966, is an organization dedicated to research and education. Through its mission, the AUPO is the voice of academic ophthalmology, consisting of department chairs, residency program directors, research directors and administrators.
A renowned retinal specialist, Sternberg, holder of the Joan and Jack Jordan Directorship in Ocular Oncology, stepped down from his roles as chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, director of the Vanderbilt Eye Institute, Chief Medical Officer for the Vanderbilt Medical Group, associate dean for Clinical Affairs in the School of Medicine and Chief Patient Experience Officer for Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2023.
He maintains an active academic program and clinical practice focused on age-related macular degeneration and ocular oncology.
Sternberg, who was recruited to VUMC in 2003 after 18 years at Emory University, will assume the five-year AUPO role in January 2025.
He has a long history of leadership in ophthalmology, including serving as president of the AUPO, president of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, president of the Macula Society and chair of the Board of Governors for the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Foundation.
“As an accomplished leader with a deep knowledge of the issues facing academic ophthalmology, Paul is the ideal choice to lead our national organization. I am so excited for him and for the AUPO,” said David Wallace, MD, MPH, chair of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, director of the Vanderbilt Eye Institute and George Weeks Hale Professor of Ophthalmology.
“I am honored to take on this important role leading the organization that represents academic ophthalmology,” Sternberg said. “The AUPO is an outstanding group that advocates for our profession and provides a meaningful institutional home for our clinicians, educators and scientists.”
