Department News
The Department bids a fond farewell to Harris Ripps, DSc, PhD
Harris Ripps, DSc, PhD, Professor Emeritus in the UIC departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Anatomy and Cell Biology, and Physiology and Biophysics announced his retirement this fall. Dr. Ripps was director of the Laboratory of Retinal Physiology and Neurobiology since joining the Department in 1985.
Dr. Ripps has led a long and distinguished career in basic science and clinically related vision research, making significant contributions to the treatment of retinal diseases. His research has resulted in better understanding of the subcellular origins of abnormalities that affect the structural and functional integrity of the photoreceptors in inherited night-blinding disorders. Early in his career, Dr. Ripps identified a defect in the retinal nerve cells responsible for night vision, altering profoundly the conventional wisdom surrounding the understanding and treatment of inherited night blindness. Throughout his career, he has been a champion of quantitative measurements in clinical test procedures, adapting for clinical use the techniques and analytical procedures of basic science. Few scientists have been more effective in promoting the interaction between basic and clinical research and advancing patient care through advances in laboratory research.
Harris—your scientific leadership, your wisdom and profound insights, your superb mentorship of so many of us, and your ever-present charm and twinkle in the eye, have made our department incredibly fortunate to be your home.
Jane—your outstanding technical expertise and your wonderful collegiality are an inspiration to us all, as are your deep interests and always thoughtful views on so many topics in this wide world of ours.
We wish you both all the best in the new chapters in your lives. And please know that we look forward to—and expect—many joyful reunions with you in the years to come.
—Excerpt from a toast by David Pepperberg, PhD
In 1962, soon after he joined the Department of Ophthalmology at the New York University School of Medicine, he was awarded an NIH Special Fellowship to study retinal photochemistry at the University of London. As a result of the research conducted there and on his return to NYU, he received a Research Career Development Award from the U.S. Public Health Service that launched a successful academic career spanning more than four decades. During those years, 23 of which were at UIC, Dr. Ripps received numerous prestigious awards for his research contributions. Among the most noteworthy are the Edridge-Green Award from The Royal College of Surgeons of England, the Proctor Medal of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), the Award of Merit in Retina Research from the Retina Research Foundation, a Research to Prevent Blindness Senior Scientific Investigator Award, and the Alcon Research Institute Award of Excellence. Dr. Ripps was a Visiting Professor at the Institut Pasteur (Paris) and the Cole Eye Institute of the Cleveland Clinic, served a term as President of ARVO, and during his tenure at UIC was elected a University Scholar, received the University of Illinois Presidential Award, and the University’s Distinguished Faculty Award.
Dr. Ripps attributes his good fortune to the support and encouragement he received from Jeanne, his wife of more than 59 years, and the many chairmen he has served, giving special mention to Dr. Goodwin Breinin (at NYU); Dr. Mort Goldberg who recruited him to UIC; and Dr. Jack Chandler, who championed his nomination for the Lions of Illinois/ Charles I. Young Endowed Chair in Ocular Research. Dr. Ripps also thanked Dr. Dimitri Azar, current Department Head, for creating a nurturing environment at UIC. “His foresight and innovative programs have led to the successful recruitment of top physician-scientists, thus positioning us as one of the premier ophthalmology departments in the country,” he said.
Dr. Ripps expressed his indebtedness to Dr. Robert Weale, his former mentor at University College (Institute of Ophthalmology), a dear friend and long-time collaborator, as well as Drs. John Dowling and Richard Chappell, co-workers at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, his many colleagues on the UIC faculty, and especially to Dr. Haohua Qian and Jane Zakevicius, his competent and faithful research assistant of 40 years.
Click here to enjoy Dr. Ripps’ most recent article, “The color purple: milestones in photochemistry,” in the December 2008 Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.