Sustaining Future Mentors
James G. Gills, MD, ’59, founded the St. Luke’s Cataract and Laser Institute in Tarpon Springs, Florida, and pioneered many intraocular lens implant techniques and procedures used today. He traces much of his success back to mentors at Duke, including C. Edward Buckley, MD, professor emeritus in rheumatology and immunology. Gills notes that Buckley and many others at Duke inspired him and his classmates by encouraging original thought.
That spirit of mentoring is one of the many reasons why Gills and his wife Heather decided to establish an endowed professorship in the Department of Ophthalmology. “I believe the best use of our money is to train doctors who will in turn train more doctors,” Gills says. “Endowing a professorship at Duke is an outstanding way to not only support the university, but invest in the future and create a permanent legacy. I wanted to give back to the school that gave so much to me and my family, and endowing a professorship allowed me to provide continued support.”
The Gills named the professorship for their son, James Pitzer “Pit” Gills III, MD, and his wife Joy. “I was honored that my son chose to follow in my footsteps and attend Duke medical school,” Gills says. “Naming the chair after Pit and his wife allowed me to express my appreciation to his commitment and pride in his accomplishments.”
Gills says it is an honor to support the work of the current holder of the professorship, Edward G. Buckley, MD, who is also chair of the Department of Ophthalmology. (Interestingly enough, Edward G. Buckley, MD, worked in the lab of C. Edward Buckley, MD, for a year before he started medical school. The two are not related.) “Dr. Buckley is a very sound teacher and administrator of the department,” Gills says. “He is a leader of young doctors, and there is no greater calling than to teach our future physicians.”
Meet the James Pitzer Gills III, MD, and Joy Gills Professor of Ophthalmology