Q: Who was the first professor and chairman of the ophthalmology department at The Johns Hopkins Hospital?

A: Samuel Theobald (1846-1930) was the first professor of ophthalmology and chairman of the ophthalmology department at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

In 1889, Theobald was appointed as an ophthalmic surgeon at the brand new Johns Hopkins Hospital. When the university’s medical department was established a few years later, Dr. Theobald was appointed Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology and Otology. In 1910, he became the 14th president of the American Ophthalmological Society.

In 1925, when the Wilmer Eye Institute was founded, Dr. Theobald stepped down as chair of the department and received many accolades for his numerous accomplishments while on faculty.

Today, renowned Hopkins scientist Jeremy Nathans, M.D., Ph.D. holds the Samuel Theobald Professorship in Ophthalmology, which was established in 2015.