Melvin L. Rubin | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1932 San Francisco, CA, U.S. |
| Died | 2014 |
| Alma mater | UCSF UCSF Medical School |
| Known for | President of the American Academy of Ophthalmology Author of Optics for Clinicians, The Fine Art of Prescribing Glasses; and The Dictionary of Eye Terminology Creator of OKAP |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Ophthalmology |
| Institutions | University of Florida |
Melvin L. Rubin, M.D. was an American ophthalmologist, educator, and author. He was a specialist in the retina; a professor of ophthalmology at University of Florida Shands Health Center; Among his distinguished positions, he served as Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology (1977-1995), president of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and Chairman of the Boards of Ophthalmology. In addition, he was author of several textbooks central to the teaching of ophthalmology.[1][2][3]
Dr. Rubin joined the ophthalmology faculty at the University of Florida College of Medicine in 1963 and became chairman of the department in 1977--a position he held for 17 years. After stepping down, he remained at Shands as the Richardson Eminent Scholar Chair. He became professor emeritus in 1997.[4]
Rubin was a retinal specialist and surgeon, but he was also known for his lifelong commitment to education. While leading academic education for the Academy he created the Ophthalmic Knowledge Assessment Program (OKAP) which remains an annual part of residency training programs. He was secretary for instruction at the American Academy of Ophthalmology and developed the Home Study Course, which exists today in the academy’s Continuing Education Programs. Over his five-decade career, Rubin traveled widely teaching optics and refraction, presented dozens of named lectures internationally, and wrote more than 100 scientific publications.[5][3]
Two of his books, Optics for Clinicians and The Fine Art of Prescribing Glasses, according to JAMA Ophthalmology, were "the cornerstone of education in these fields for a generation of ophthalmologists."[1] In 1979 The Fine Art of Prescribing Glasses won an "AMMY" from the American Medical Writers Association as the best medical book of the year.[4][2]
Dr. Rubin was instrumental within the American Ophthalmological Society Council, modernizing the organization’s educational programs at annual meetings. He served in leadership roles across multiple organizations, including as president of both the American Academy of Ophthalmology and its foundation. Additionally, he held key roles with the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) and the American Board of Ophthalmology.[1] He was an editor for a number of journals, including Survey of Ophthalmology and the Archives of Ophthalmology, and served on advisory boards of nonprofits dedicated to the prevention of blindness.[2]
Early Career
editTrained initially as an optometrist, Dr. Rubin later studied at the University of California, San Francisco. He completed his medical internship and a master’s degree at the University of Iowa, where he also did his residency. He worked with the US Public Health Service as executive secretary of the NIH Research Training Committee before joining the University of Florida.[5][3]
Personal life
editRubin was married to Lorna (née' Isen),[6] an independent publisher and had three children, Gabrielle, Daniel, and Michael.[7][5][3] He was also interested in photography--he built a large collection of 20th century photographs.
Legacy
editThe copyrights for The Dictionary of Eye Terminology were gifted to the American Academy of Ophthalmology in 2015, which has produced new editions of the work. The dictionary is currently in it's 8th edition.[3]
The Melvin and Lorna Rubin endowment was established in 1997 to support the acquisition of photography[10] for the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art’s collections. In recognition for this and other contributions, there is a "Melvin and Lorna Rubin" gallery in the Harn, dedicated to showing photographic works.[7]
Selected publications
edit- Rubin, Melvin (1965). Studies in Physiological Optics. Charles C. Thomas Publisher. co-author Dr. Gordon Walls
- Rubin, Melvin (1972). Fundamentals of Visual Science. Charles C. Thomas. ISBN 0398016259.co-author Dr. Gordon Walls
- Rubin, Melvin (1974). Optics for Clinicians. Gainesville, FL.: Triad Pub. Co. ISBN 0937404349.
- Rubin, Melvin (1978). The Fine Art of Prescribing Glasses (Without Making a Spectacle of Yourself) (2 ed.). Gainesville, FL.: Triad Pub. Co. ISBN 0960047220. co-author Dr. Benjamin Milder
- Rubin, Melvin (1980). The Dictionary of Eye Terminology (6 ed.). Gainesville, FL.: Triad Pub. Co. ISBN 093740473X. co-author Barbara Cassin
- Rubin, Melvin (2002). Taking Care of Your Eyes. Gainesville, FL.: Triad Pub. Co. ISBN 0937404616. co-author Dr. Lawrence Winograd
References
edit- ^ a b c "Obituary". JAMA Ophthalmology. June 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Melvin Rubin Obituary". ARVO. February 23, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Henderer, Jeffrey D. (2019). Dictionary of Eye Terminology (7 ed.). American Academy of Ophthalmology, San Francisco, California. pp. vii Tribute.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b "Melvin L. Rubin, MD '57 : Refocusing the field of ophthalmology". UCSF Alumni. February 23, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Melvin Rubin Obituary". Florida Society of Ophthalmology. February 23, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
- ^ {{Cite news |date=July 2, 1953 |title=Weddings |pages=59 |work=The Los Angeles Times
- ^ a b "Melvin and Lorna Rubin Fund". UF Giving. February 23, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2024.