The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine has announced the appointment of Pradeep Y. Ramulu, MD, MHS, PhD, as chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, effective August 3, 2026. A globally respected glaucoma specialist, physician-scientist and educator, Dr. Ramulu returns to the institution where he completed his glaucoma fellowship and developed the foundation of his distinguished career in ophthalmology.

As chair, Dr. Ramulu will hold the prestigious Kathleen and Stanley J. Glaser Chair in Ophthalmology, succeeding Eduardo C. Alfonso, MD, who has led Bascom Palmer since 2007 and helped establish its reputation as the nation’s premier eye institute.

Dr. Ramulu joins Bascom Palmer after nearly two decades at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University, where he currently serves as the Sheila K. West Professor of Ophthalmology, 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.

“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, MD, chief executive officer of UHealth — University of Miami Health System and executive vice president for health affairs at the University of Miami. “Dr. Ramulu’s vision, compassion and scientific expertise will carry Bascom Palmer’s legacy of excellence into a remarkable new chapter.”

A highly accomplished investigator, Dr. Ramulu has maintained continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health since 2007. He has authored more than 280 peer-reviewed publications, contributed 10 book chapters and written two books.

His numerous honors include the Secretariat Award, Achievement Award and Senior Achievement Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, as well as the Pisart Award for Vision Science. He has served as program chair for the American Glaucoma Society, Glaucoma Research Society and World Glaucoma Congress and currently leads the Education Committee for the World Glaucoma Association. He is also a mentor for the National Advisory Eye Council and is slated to become president of the American Glaucoma Society in 2027.

In addition to his research accomplishments, Dr. Ramulu is widely recognized for his contributions to medical education. An award-winning teacher, he has received Wilmer’s resident teaching award three times and pioneered innovative educational models that emphasize online learning and interactive, case-based instruction.

“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,” Dr. Ramulu said. “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 toward a world where blindness and visual impairment are vanishingly rare, both here in Miami and throughout the world.”