Alice McPherson

Alice McPherson (June 20, 1926 – January 16, 2023) was a Canadian-born physician and professor who dedicated her career to the diagnosis and treatment of retinal disease. She founded the Retina Research Foundation and the McPherson Eye Research Institute. She was awarded the University of Lausanne Gonin Medal in 2014.

Early life and education McPherson was born in Saskatchewan. She spent her childhood in Minnesota and Wisconsin. She studied medicine at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and completed a residency in ophthalmology in 1955. She said that she chose to specialise in ophthalmology because she realised how important vision was to wellbeing.

Research In 1958, McPherson moved to Texas, where she joined the Baylor College of Medicine. She pioneered several procedures in retinal surgery, including cryotherapy, laser photocoagulation and serial buckling. She was a proponent of photocoagulation in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy. She became the first woman to be accepted to the European Jules Gonin club.

Awards and honours President of the Retina Society 1995 President of the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology Foundation 2014 University of Lausanne Gonin Medal 2015 University of Wisconsin–Madison Distinguished Alumni 2019 Retina Hall of Fame Award 2020 Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award Elected Fellow of the American College of Surgeons Elected Fellow of the International College of Surgeons

Selected publications