Practice: Vanderbilt Eye Institute
Website: http://www.vanderbilthealth.com/eyeinstitute
Location: Nashville, TN, United States
Specialty: Retina/Vitreous - medical & surgery
Education: MD, 1979, Univ Chicago
Dr. Sternberg is the G. W. Hale professor of ophthalmology and chairman of the Vanderbilt Eye Institute of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tenn. He has a long history of Academy leadership involvement preceding his election as president for 2013. From 2000 to 2005, Dr. Sternberg served as the Academy secretary for communications; he was an Academy trustee-at–large from 2006 to 2009. In addition, Dr. Sternberg has been a member of the Secretariat for State Affairs, serving as associate secretary for state affairs from 1997-1999. In that capacity, he and Michael Brennan, MD, established the Academy's Leadership Development Program. Dr. Sternberg served on the Board of Trustees for the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) from 2005 to 2010, where he was vice president from 2009 to 2010. In addition, he has served on the board of scientific counselors for NEI, the board of directors of the International Retinal Research Foundation and the board of directors of the Tennessee Academy of Ophthalmology and has been president of the Georgia Society of Ophthalmology. Currently he is president of the Society of Heed Fellows and treasurer of the Macula Society.
Dr. Sternberg is a recognized retinal specialist, and has been named one of the Best Doctors in America for both medical and surgical retinal conditions every year since 1994. He maintains an active academic and research program, studying the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration. He has authored more than 230 scientific articles and 30 book chapters, and received research funding from the NIH, numerous foundations and industry. Honors include the Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award, the Heed Ophthalmic Foundation Award, Lew Wasserman Award of Merit from Research to Prevent Blindness, the Distinguished Service Award from ARVO and the Sommer Prize from the EyeCare Foundation. In 2009, he took on additional leadership responsibilities at Vanderbilt as associate dean for clinical affairs, chief medical officer, and assistant vice chancellor for adult health affairs.
Dr. Sternberg is a graduate of Harvard College and University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. After a residency in ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins, he completed a vitreoretinal fellowship at Duke University Eye Center, before returning to Wilmer as chief resident. In 1985, he joined the faculty at Emory University in Atlanta, where he was chief of the retina division and the Thomas M. Aaberg professor. He was recruited to Vanderbilt in 2003.
Dr. Sternberg is married to Gloria Sternberg, and they have two sons, Matthew and Zachary. He and his wife are avid collectors of contemporary photography. As well, Dr. Sternberg loves to run, play golf and ski. Dr. Sternberg is the immediate past chairman of the board of trustees for the Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art in Nashville and current president of the Canby Robinson Society board at Vanderbilt.