Lectureships
Cultivating Excellence Through Academic Exchange
Academic excellence and clinical advancement thrive on the continuous exchange of new ideas. Through the support of DMEIF, the Dean McGee Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Oklahoma hosts an array of prestigious endowed lectureships each year, bringing the nation’s most influential ophthalmic surgeons, vision scientists, and healthcare leaders together in our state.
By honoring the visionary pioneers of Oklahoma eye care, these lectureships ensure the department’s initiatives and training programs remain at the forefront of global ophthalmic education.
The Tullos O. Coston Lectureship
Tullos O. Coston, MD, moved to Oklahoma in 1936 from the faculty of the Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Coston was described by his former Chairman, Alan Woods, as “one of the ablest technical ophthalmic surgeons in the country” and a man of “sterling honesty.”
In 1971, Dean A. McGee, president and CEO of Kerr-McGee Corporation, developed a case of retinal detachment. Dr. Coston, assisted by Thomas E. Acers, MD, successfully repaired it. Within four years, these leaders in the field began assembling a team of community and business leaders to develop an eye institute in Oklahoma. The Dean McGee Eye Institute was founded and opened its doors in 1975, later becoming the Dean McGee Department of Ophthalmology and the Dean McGee Eye Institute Foundation.
In honor of the enormous contributions Dr. Coston made to these efforts, the Tullos O. Coston Lectureship was established in his honor in 1980. The Coston Lecture is held each year during the Annual Resident and Alumni Meeting, where distinguished ophthalmologists are invited to share their research, interests, and expertise.
Coston Lecturers
- 2026 – J. Timothy Stout, MD, PhD, MBA
- 2025 – Michael X. Repka, MD, MBA
- 2024 – Jane C. Edmond, MB
- 2023 – Judy E. Kim, MD
- 2022 – Robert E. Wiggins Jr., MD, MHA
- 2021 – Tamara R. Fountain, MD
- 2020 – Tamara R. Fountain, MD – Canceled
- 2019 – David W. Parke II, MD
- 2018 – Anne L. Coleman, MD, PhD
- 2017 – David F. Chang, MD
- 2016 – Carol L. Shields, MD
- 2015 – Andrew G. Lee, MD
- 2014 – Peter A. Netland, MD, PhD
- 2013 – Randall J. Olson, MD
- 2012 – Stephen C. Plugfielder, MD
- 2011 – Roger F. Steinert, MD
- 2010 – George B. Bartley, MD
- 2009 – Stephen S. Lane, MD
- 2008 – Joel S. Schuman, MD
- 2007 – David K. Dueker, MD
- 2006 – Luther L. Fry, MD, FACS
- 2005 – W. Stanley Muenzler, MD
- 2004 – C. P. Wilkinson, MD
- 2003 – M. Bruce Shields, MD
- 2002 – J. Bronwyn Bateman, MD
- 2001 – Thomas E. Acers, MD
- 2000 – Jerry A. Shields, MD
- 1999 – Douglas D. Koch, MD
- 1998 – Gary W. Abrams, MD
- 1997 – John D. Hunkeler, MD
- 1996 – George O. Waring III, MD
- 1995 – Darrell E. Wolfley, MD
- 1994 – Richard H. Keates, MD
- 1993 – Bruce E. Spivey, MD
- 1992 – George L. Spaeth, MD
- 1991 – Herbert E. Kaufman, MD
- 1990 – David Paton, MD
- 1989 – James H. Elliott, MD
- 1988 – J. Lawton Smith, MD
- 1987 – Arthur J. Jampolsky, MD
- 1986 – Dan B. Jones, MD
- 1985 – Stephen J. Ryan, MD
- 1984 – Bradley R. Straatsma, MD
- 1983 – A. Edward Maumenee, MD
- 1982 – David Shoch, MD
- 1981 – Irving H. Leopold, MD
- 1980 – Charles E. Iliff, MD
The Walter J. Stark Memorial Lectureship
Walter J. Stark served as administrator of the Dean McGee Eye Institute from 1978 until 1991. Under his stewardship, the Institute grew from three floors with five ophthalmologists to six floors of physicians and basic scientists. The number of patients seen at the institute each year doubled—and then doubled again.
During his tenure, he carefully scrutinized operations, conserving assets and keeping practices sound and strong. Through the department’s ongoing activities in patient care, education, and vision research, citizens throughout Oklahoma have benefited from Mr. Stark’s leadership.
In tribute to, and memory of, his contributions to the field of ophthalmology, the Oklahoma Health Center, and our state as a whole, Mr. Stark’s colleagues, friends, and family created the Walter J. Stark Memorial Lectureship. Through this lectureship, leading voices in ophthalmology come to the Dean McGee Department of Ophthalmology to share best practices and insights from their own experiences.
Stark Memorial Lecturers
- 2026 – Stephen D. McLeod, MD
- 2025 – Christopher J. Rapuano, MD
- 2024 – Steven E. Feldon, MD, MBA
- 2023 – Daniel J. Briceland, MD
- 2022 – James Chodosh, MD, MPH
- 2021 – Wallace L. M. Alward, MD
- 2020 – Wallace L. M. Alward, MD – Canceled
- 2019 – Ruth D. Williams, MD
- 2018 – George A. Williams, MD
- 2017 – Keith D. Carter, MD
- 2016 – Alfred Sommer, MD, MHS
- 2015 – Bartly J. Mondino, MD
- 2014 – Russell N. Van Gelder, MD, PhD
- 2013 – Terrence P. O’Brien, MD
- 2012 – Paul Sternberg, Jr., MD
- 2011 – Susan H. Day, MD
- 2010 – John G. Clarkson, MD
- 2009 – Paul R. Lichter, MD
- 2008 – Julia A. Haller, MD
- 2007 – William L. Rich III, MD
- 2006 – Richard P. Mills, MD, MPH
- 2005 – Peter J. McDonnell, MD
- 2004 – Roger A. Dailey, MD
- 2003 – Richard L. Abbott, MD
- 2002 – Carmen A. Puliafito, MD, MBA
- 2001 – Douglas D. Koch, MD
- 2000 – George W. Blankenship, MD
- 1999 – Morton F. Goldberg, MD
- 1998 – M. Bruce Shields, MD
- 1997 – Neil R. Miller, MD
- 1996 – W. Richard Green, MD
- 1995 – Ronald E. Smith, MD
- 1994 – Charles P. Wilkinson, MD
- 1993 – Dan B. Jones, MD
- 1992 – Walter J. Stark, Jr., MD
The Robert Eugene Anderson, MD, PhD Lectureship
Robert Eugene Anderson, MD, PhD, joined the DMEI/OU faculty in 1995, where he now holds the Dean McGee Endorsed Chair in Ophthalmology and is DMEI’s Director of Vision Research. In addition to serving as the Vice President of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology and President of the International Society for Eye Research, he was named a George Lynn Cross Research Professor in 2005, served as Director of the Oklahoma Center for Neuroscience from 1995 to 1999, and chaired the OU Department of Cell Biology from 1998 to 2007. Dr. Anderson has also acquired more than $60 million in career grant support, authored or co-authored approximately 300 peer-reviewed publications, edited 17 books, and received numerous scientific life achievement awards.
In 2016, in honor of Dr. Anderson’s extraordinary legacy and transformative impact on research on a statewide and international level, the keynote lecture at the Annual OU Student and Postdoctoral Fellow Vision Workshop was given the designation of the Robert Eugene Anderson, MD, PhD Lecture. Held yearly, this address is presented by the OU Vision Workshop’s Visiting Scholar.
Financial support for the lectureship underwrites the cost of the named lecture and other workshop expenditures, ensuring that Dr. Anderson’s legacy and influence will continue far into the future.
Anderson Lecturers
- 2026 – September 17
- 2025 – John S. Penn, PhD
- 2024 – Reza Dana, MD, MSc, MPH
- 2023 – Steven J. Fliesler, PhD
- 2022 – Tonia S. Rex, PhD
- 2021 – Paul A. Sieving, MD, PhD
- 2020 – Canceled
- 2019 – David J. Calkins, PhD
- 2018 – Patricia A. D’Amore, PhD, MBA, FARVO
- 2017 – Victor L. Perez, MD
- 2016 – Jeffrey L. Goldberg, MD, PhD
Distinguished Visiting Lecturers
The Dean McGee Institute Foundation and the Dean McGee Department of Ophthalmology know the value of continual learning and the sharing of new ideas and practices. For this reason, leaders in the field of ophthalmology are brought together multiple times a year to present to the Department’s residents, fellows, faculty, and the broader ophthalmic community in Oklahoma. This series has brought in some of the most influential and well-known ophthalmologists in the country to share their expertise.
These distinguished lecturers present not only to the entire group of physicians but also spend several hours lecturing the residents in a more intimate format. In a rotating fashion, residents also participate in smaller social groups for dinner with visiting faculty.
The visiting lecturer series includes the Coston Lecture, Stark Memorial Lecture, and the Anderson Lecture, plus three to five additional lectures endowed by the Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahoma. Upcoming and recent distinguished lecturers are shown below.
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
Sustaining the Power of Shared Knowledge
These distinguished lectureships bring benchmark data, insights, and innovations to Oklahoma—ensuring the department remains a vital hub for advanced education, mentorship, and peer-to-peer collaboration. Connect with DMEIF to discover how you can support these ongoing programs.