Abstract
Born in Cuba, Eduardo C Alfonso grew up in Puerto Rico before moving to the USA to attend college. A board-certified ophthalmologist, Dr Alfonso joined the Bascom Palmer faculty in 1986 as Assistant Professor and became tenured Professor of Ophthalmology and the Edward W.D. Norton Professor in Ophthalmology in 1998. Dr Alfonso has served as director of Bascom Palmer since November 2007. As director, he oversees ophthalmology clinical facilities that perform over 290,000 patient visits and 20,000 surgeries a year and include the Anne Bates Leach Eye Hospital, Jackson Memorial Hospital, the University of Miami Hospital, the Veterans Administration Hospital and outpatient facilities in Palm Beach Gardens, Plantation and Naples, Florida, USA. Dr Alfonso is an internationally known expert on ocular infectious diseases, and he is the medical director of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute's Ocular Microbiology Laboratory. His research interests include bacterial and fungal sensitivity. In 2006, he documented an increase in the incidence of an aggressive form of fungal corneal infection that was related to soft contact lens use. His findings drew considerable media attention throughout the world and significantly reduced the number of new infections. With a team of investigators from the University of Miami, he is spearheading ways to make rapid identification of sight-threatening eye infections. The National Eye Institute, public and private foundations and philanthropy have funded this research. Clinically, Dr Alfonso also specializes in corneal transplants, having performed over 1000 of these in adults and children, and he is developing clinical applications of keratoprosthesis, an artificial cornea, which has significant potential for patients awaiting transplants in developing nations where donor tissue is often scarce. Dr Alfonso received the American Academy of Ophthalmology's Honor Award in 1993 and Senior Achievement Award in 2003. He was named as CEO of the Year by South Florida Business Journal, and named one of the 100 most influential leaders in South Florida. He received the ORBIS International Medical Faculty Award in 2004. He was inducted into the American Ophthalmological Society in 2009 and the University of Miami Iron Arrow Society in 2010. Dr Alfonso and his wife, Molly, live in Key Biscayne, Florida. They have three children, two sons-in-law and four grandchildren. They enjoy the outdoors, exercise, boating and travel.
