ALICE RUTH MCPHERSON, MD

Dr. Alice Ruth McPherson, 2022

Alice Ruth McPherson, MD, passed away peacefully on the evening of January 16, 2023.  Born on June 30, 1926 in Saskatchewan, Canada, the first daughter of Gordon and Viola McPherson, Alice McPherson spent much of her childhood in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Knowing she wanted to become a physician, she earned her undergraduate studies degree in 1948, medical degree in 1951, and completed her ophthalmologic residency in 1955, all from the University of Wisconsin.

Her focus in retina was motivated by low cure rates of retinal detachment in the early 1950s. In 1959, she completed a fellowship in retinal diseases and retinal surgery at the Massachusetts Ear and Eye Infirmary at Harvard University Medical School under the supervision of Charles L. Schepens, MD, considered to be the father of modern retinal surgery. She was one of the first fellows of Dr. Schepens and the first-ever female vitreoretinal fellow. Her admiration for Dr. Schepens, who became a mentor and a friend, informed many of her professional and philanthropic actions throughout the remainder of her life.

In 1958, Dr. McPherson married Anthony “Tony” Mierzwa and, when her training with Dr. Schepens ended, they made the decision to move to Houston, Texas. Dr. McPherson said, “The three best decisions I ever made were ophthalmology, Tony and Texas.”

Dr. McPherson’s retina expertise led her to become one of the world’s leading vitreoretinal specialists and retinal surgeons. Her scientific contributions included ground-breaking procedures. She vigorously advocated for the use of numerous retinal surgical procedures from their earliest implementation, including scleral buckling procedures, cryotherapy, xenon arc, laser photocoagulation, and vitrectomy, now accepted as basic elements of retinal disease treatment. Dr. McPherson pioneered the treatment of retinopathy of prematurity, and she was an early proponent of photocoagulation in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy. This was a highly debated approach, later proven correct by the large, randomized prospective National Eye Institute Diabetic Retinopathy Study.  She trained over 100 vitreoretinal fellows, and her retina practice spanned more than 70 years, during which time she always did the best she could for her patients. Dr. Alice McPherson was devoted to her patients, and they to her.

With the establishment of her private practice and her professorship appointment at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Dr. McPherson founded the first retina service in Texas and, more broadly, in the south. Simultaneously, she became the first full-time female retina specialist in the United States and the world. She remained committed to Baylor College of Medicine to the end of her life, and she ensured continuous funding of vision scientists affiliated with the College’s Cullen Eye Institute for many decades.

Dr. McPherson was a founding charter member and later the first female president of the Retina Society, the founding president of the University of Wisconsin Ophthalmology Alumni Association, and the first female chair of the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology Foundation. Dr. McPherson was the first American woman to be accepted into the prestigious European Club Jules Gonin, and she made ophthalmic history as the first woman selected to receive the Jules Gonin Medal, the highest achievement in ophthalmology. Most recently, Dr. McPherson was the inaugural recipient of the Retina Hall of Fame Award, bestowed in recognition of her inventive contributions in the retina field and her dedication to retina research.  Never giving much thought to being the first in so many aspects of her life, Dr. McPherson was always self-effacing. She said, “It’s all about working together, sharing ideas, educating and inspiring others—men and women alike—to join our mission to save and prolong eyesight.”

In 1969, Dr. McPherson founded the Retina Research Foundation (RRF) in Houston, Texas, dedicated to the eradication of retinal disease by funding basic retinal research. She reflected, “As I gained experience in academic ophthalmology and clinical research, I became increasingly convinced that the most important contribution I could make would be to establish an organization that could help develop and sustain innovative retinal research.  RRF moved from a dream, to a concept, to a reality.” This endeavor gave her much satisfaction, and under her leadership as President and Scientific Adviser, RRF funded well over 1,000 basic research grants and helped to launch the careers of many major vision researchers in the United States and abroad. RRF established major awards in collaboration with the leading ophthalmologic societies, chairs and professorships at universities and research institutions, travel grants for young scientists, and international fellowships of advanced subspecialty training. From its founding, the Foundation has awarded over $40 million to retina research.

Dr. McPherson’s vision and support were essential to the formation of the University of Wisconsin Eye Research Institute, renamed the McPherson Eye Research Institute in her honor in 2012. Always keenly interested in the scientific pursuits of the Institute, which leads collaborative efforts amongst researchers in vision-related fields across the Madison campus, Dr. McPherson remained actively engaged with its leadership and scientists.  She highly valued her relationships with the Institute’s successive Emmett A. Humble Distinguished Directors, Dr. Daniel M. Albert and since 2012, Dr. David M. Gamm.

It was Dr. McPherson’s unique combination, an elegant, caring, and brilliant woman of many firsts and great accomplishments, that made her a legend, a visionary whose imprint will be remembered through the advancements achieved in retina research, in the education and encouragement of her ophthalmology colleagues, and in the compassionate care of the many, many patients to which she dedicated her life. Ever humble, Dr. McPherson desired no recognition of her passing, however, her life-long actions ensure that her commitment to retina research will continue through the organizations she championed.