University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Names Dr. Pradeep Ramulu Chair of Ophthalmology and the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
Bascom Palmer alumnus and internationally renowned glaucoma specialist Pradeep Y. Ramulu, M.D., M.H.S., Ph.D., will lead the Department of Ophthalmology and Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.
Miami, Florida, June 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine announced the appointment of Pradeep Y. Ramulu, M.D., M.H.S., Ph.D., as chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, effective August 3, 2026.
One of the world’s foremost glaucoma specialists, Dr. Ramulu is a Bascom Palmer alumnus who returns to lead the institution where his career in glaucoma care was shaped. He brings nearly two decades of transformative clinical, research and educational leadership from the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University. As chair, Dr. Ramulu will hold the Kathleen and Stanley J. Glaser Chair in Ophthalmology.
Dr. Ramulu is a physician-scientist of international distinction whose career has been dedicated to understanding and reducing the impact of glaucoma on patients’ daily lives. Born in Chicago, he earned his bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Stanford University with high honors. He then completed his M.D. at Johns Hopkins University, along with a Ph.D. in molecular biology/genetics in the lab of Jeremy Nathans, M.D., Ph.D., an ophthalmology residency at the Wilmer Eye Institute, a glaucoma fellowship at Bascom Palmer and a master’s degree in public health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
He joined Wilmer’s faculty in 2007 and serves as the Sheila K. West Professor of Ophthalmology, the chief of the Glaucoma Division and director of the Wilmer StARR (Stimulating Access to Research in Residency) Program. He is also a professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Dr. Ramulu succeeds Eduardo C. Alfonso, M.D., who has led Bascom Palmer with distinction and unwavering dedication to its mission of excellence since 2007. Under Dr. Alfonso’s leadership, Bascom Palmer has repeatedly earned the #1 ranking in ophthalmology from U.S. News & World Report, and its ophthalmology residency program has been recognized as the best in the nation. He will continue to be a faculty member, actively involved in administrative leadership in health care, patient care, community relations and education.
“Bascom Palmer Eye Institute is truly the crown jewel of the University of Miami Health System and the appointment of Dr. Ramulu as chair ensures that Bascom Palmer remains in the hands of a world-class leader who understands, from personal experience as a Bascom Palmer fellow, what makes this institution extraordinary,” said Dipen J. Parekh, M.D., chief executive officer of UHealth — University of Miami Health System, executive vice president for health affairs at the University of Miami, founding director of the Desai Sethi Urology Institute (DSUI) and the Magnier Endowed Chair in Urology at the Miller School. “Dr. Ramulu’s vision, compassion and scientific expertise will carry Bascom Palmer’s legacy of excellence into a remarkable new chapter. We are also deeply grateful to Dr. Eduardo Alfonso for his transformative and dedicated leadership over nearly two decades.”
“The appointment of Dr. Pradeep Ramulu as chair of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute is a proud moment for the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine,” said Henri R. Ford, M.D, M.H.A., dean and chief academic officer of the Miller School. “That a physician who trained here as a fellow now returns as its leader speaks to the power and depth of the Bascom Palmer experience. Dr. Ramulu is not only a scientist of the highest caliber, but he is also an educator, a mentor and an outstanding physician whose commitment to his patients and his trainees is evident in everything he does. We are exceptionally pleased to welcome Dr. Ramulu and his wife, Vandana, home to the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.”
“Providing outstanding clinical care to patients, conducting leading-edge research, educating the next generation of vision professionals and serving our community requires a clear vision, a deep commitment to excellence and a steady focus on the day-to-day details,” said Dr. Alfonso. “During my tenure, our team has worked tirelessly to achieve excellence. I am enormously proud of what we have built together, and I am confident that Bascom Palmer’s future is exceptionally bright in Dr. Ramulu’s hands. He is a remarkable physician-scientist and leader and I could not be more pleased to welcome him to lead this institution that is so dear to him.”
“I believe deeply that excellence in clinical care, the discovery of transformative new knowledge and training the next generation of physicians and scientists are all part of a single mission, to work towards a world where blindness and visual impairment are vanishingly rare, both here in Miami and throughout the world. My goal is to inspire and aid my colleagues, my trainees and providers worldwide in achieving this mission through compassion, knowledge and the capable delivery of eye care,” said Dr. Ramulu. “Bascom Palmer is where my passion for glaucoma took root, and returning to lead this institution is both a profound honor and a personal homecoming. I am deeply grateful to Dr. Alfonso for the extraordinary foundation he has built and I look forward to working with our remarkable team to write the next chapter of this superb institution.”
Dr. Ramulu has received continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health since 2007 and has authored more than 280 peer-reviewed publications, 10 book chapters and two books. He has been honored with the Secretariat, Achievement and Senior Awards from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Pisart Award for Vision Science. He has served as program chair of the American Glaucoma Society, Glaucoma Research Society and World Glaucoma Congress, and directs the Education Committee for the World Glaucoma Association. He is a mentor of the National Advisory Eye Council and will become president of the American Glaucoma Society in 2027.
An award-winning educator, he has mentored generations of medical students, residents and fellows in both clinical and research settings. He received Wilmer’s resident teaching award three times and his innovative approach to medical education, moving didactic content online and replacing lecture time with interactive case-based learning, has become a model adopted institution-wide. His research program, the Safety and Functionality Eye Research (SAFER) Lab, uses patient-reported outcomes, real-world behavioral monitoring and observation of task performance to study how glaucoma affects reading, driving, walking, fall risk and independent living, with the goal of developing better, more patient-centered treatment and rehabilitative strategies.
About UHealth
UHealth – University of Miami Health System delivers leading-edge patient care by top-ranked physicians who treat some of the most complex cases. Powered by the Miller School of Medicine’s ground-breaking research and medical education, UHealth is the region’s only academic-based health care system. With a comprehensive network of nearly 40 outpatient facilities, its flagship hospital in the heart of Miami’s Health District, and more than 1,800 providers across South Florida, UHealth is a vital component of the community that is leading the next generation of health care. UHealth is home to Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, the No. 1 ranked eye hospital in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, the region’s only NCI-designated cancer center, and Desai Sethi Urology Institute, dedicated to urologic research and discovery, and a neurology and neurosurgery program ranked in the top 25 in the nation. These programs along with 100 other specialties make UHealth a trusted destination for compassionate, research-based care.
About Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, the Department of Ophthalmology for the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, part of UHealth – the University of Miami Health System, is ranked the nation’s best in ophthalmology by U.S. News & World Report, an honor it has received 24 times. Each year, nearly 300,000 patients with a broad range of ophthalmic conditions are treated, and more than 22,000 surgeries are performed. With six locations in Florida (Miami, Palm Beach Gardens, Naples, Plantation, Coral Gables, and North Miami at SoLe’ Mia) and in Abu Dhabi, the Institute has maintained its position as a premier destination for vision care through its commitment to unparalleled patient care, groundbreaking research, and exceptional medical education. For more information, visit bascompalmer.org.
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Megan Ondrizek University of Miami 3052843667 m.ondrizek@umiami.edu
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