UVA Hospital lures renowned eye surgeon-educator to theCharlottesville campus

Albert S. Jun, MD, PhD, a leader in revolutionizing how corneal transplants are performed, will chair the University of Virginia School of Medicine’s Department of Ophthalmology beginning May 6, 2024, according to a news release.

Jun will join UVA from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he has been chief of the Division of Cornea, Cataract, and External Diseases in the Wilmer Eye Institute since 2015.

Melina R. Kibbe, MD, dean of the UVA School of Medicine and chief health affairs officer for UVA Health, was quoted as saying, “Dr. Jun’s career as an ophthalmologist has expertly blended our missions of patient care, research and education. When combined with his leadership experience at the Wilmer Eye Institute, that makes Dr. Jun an ideal chair for our Department of Ophthalmology.”

Dr. Jun has ben very involved in developing partial thickness corneal transplants – which have become standard during the past 20 years He has also co-authored !00+ research papers on topics ranging from basic science breakthroughs to clinical trials to founding innovative biomedical start-ups.

His experience at Johns Hopkins includes six years as director of medical student education in ophthalmology and five years as the Wilmer Eye Institute’s vice chair for education. He has also mentored 50+medical students, residents and faculty members.

During his tenure as chief of the Division of Cornea, Cataract, and External Diseases, he has overseen a renovation of the division’s patient-care areas while hiring nine new faculty members to expand research and improve access for patients.

“Dr. Jun is a dynamic, nationally renowned physician-scientist, who is committed to discovery and innovation,” Kibbe said. 

Dr. Jun earned his medical degree and his PhD in genetics and molecular biology from Emory University. He then completed an internship in internal medicine and a residency in ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins. Then he completed a fellowship in cornea and external disease at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, a fellowship in corneal gene therapy at the Imperial College School of Medicine in London and a clinician-scientist fellowship at Johns Hopkins.