Biography

Neil M. Bressler, M.D. graduated from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, completed ophthalmology residency at Harvard Medical School’s Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, and, following a medical retina fellowship at Hopkins and a surgical retina fellowship at Harvard, joined the Retina Division of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Wilmer Eye Institute – Department of Ophthalmology) as Assistant Professor in 1988. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1991, and then Professor in 1997, receiving the inaugural endowment of the James P. Gills Professorship of Ophthalmology in 2000. He was Retina Division Chief from 2005 to 2018, when the Division grew to 19 full time retina faculty, and continues his international retinal referral practice to this day. Since 2013, he also has been Editor in Chief of JAMA Ophthalmology and a member of the JAMA Network Editorial Board. Dr. Bressler has authored approximately 500 peer-reviewed publications, with academic pursuits including clinical trials and AI research in retina. He Chairs the National Eye Institute’s (NEI’s) Data and Safety Monitoring Committee for intramural clinical trials for over 23 years, since 2003. He was President of the Macula Society in 2013 and 2014 after serving as Program Chair for 9 years. He is Program Director for three annual Continuing Medical Education meetings for Johns Hopkins University, that have had thousands of on-line registrants each year. Outside of medicine, he volunteered as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan and is its 12th Life Trustee. He also volunteers for the Board of Directors of the JAEB Center for Health Research Foundation, Inc. and the JAEB Center Research Trust, Inc., a freestanding, nonprofit coordinating center for multi-center clinical trials and epidemiological research.