Clockwise from upper right: Shameema Sikder oversees surgical training in the Center of Excellence for Ophthalmic Surgical Education and Training (OphSET); the Atlas Fundus Oculi, by William Holland Wilmer, features 100 color plates of the fundus, hand painted by Annette Smith Burgess between 1926-1933; Annette Smith Burgess, the first ophthalmic illustrator and the first medical illustrator at the Wilmer Eye Institute. Over her 35-year career, Burgess painted and drew practically all of the illustrations that appeared in medical publications of the work and research done at Wilmer.

If you were to ask those who trained at Wilmer from its earliest days why they wanted to learn ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute, chances are excellent they would provide some variation on “I wanted to learn from the best.” Whether it was the first class of residents studying under William Holland Wilmer, or those who trained under the leadership of A. Edward Maumenee (or any of our subsequent directors), Wilmer residents and fellows have long benefitted from the teaching, mentorship and support of some of the world’s most influential ophthalmologists.

That remains true today, as Wilmer’s passionate, dedicated clinicians and scientists continue the legacy — of sharing their knowledge, experience and guidance with the next generation of ophthalmology leaders.