In 2016, American Board of Ophthalmology Directors appointed George B. Bartley, M.D., to the position of CEO, effective January 1, 2017. Dr. Bartley, a board certified ophthalmologist and Mayo Clinic surgeon, professor, and administrator, will succeed retiring Executive Director John G. Clarkson, M.D.
“Dr. Bartley possesses a powerful combination of ophthalmic expertise and business experience,” said Nancy A. Hamming, M.D., ABO Chair. “His impressive record of accomplishment as an ophthalmologist and physician leader will help the ABO build increasingly useful and clinically relevant certification programs that protect the public and promote professional excellence. In welcoming Dr. Bartley, the ABO thanks Dr. Clarkson for 10 years of extraordinary leadership, and for effectively positioning the ABO to carry on its mission under the direction of Dr. Bartley.”
“I am deeply honored to be selected for this role,” said Dr. Bartley. “It will be a privilege to work with the ABO’s dedicated examiners and volunteers, its outstanding staff, and its exceptionally committed Board of Directors to serve our patients and the public.”
“Dr. Bartley is an ideal choice to lead the ABO into its second century of public service,” said Dr. Clarkson. “He has had an extraordinary career as a physician, writer, and executive leader. As a former ABO Director and CEO of Mayo Clinic in Florida, Dr. Bartley has the right skills to provide outstanding leadership for the board. I am proud to call him both a colleague and friend. I have every confidence that with the wisdom and guidance of Dr. Bartley, the ABO will continue to advance its mission to continuously improve the practice of ophthalmology through board certification.”
ABO bylaws permit the Executive Director/CEO of the organization to serve in the role for a maximum of 10 years. Dr. Clarkson will complete his 10th year of service in December 2016.
About Dr. Bartley
George B. Bartley, M.D., is the Louis and Evelyn Krueger Professor of Ophthalmology at the Mayo Clinic and CEO Emeritus of Mayo Clinic in Florida. He will become the 12th ophthalmologist to preside over the now 100-year-old American Board of Ophthalmology, the nation’s first specialty certification board.
Dr. Bartley received a B.A. at Miami University in 1978 and an M.D. at the Ohio State University College of Medicine in 1981. After internship in Columbus, he pursued residency training in ophthalmology at the Mayo Clinic and subspecialty training in ophthalmic plastic and orbital surgery at Wright State University. Dr. Bartley joined the Department of Ophthalmology at Mayo Clinic - Rochester in 1986. He was appointed Department Chair in 1992 and served in that role until 2001, when he was elected to the Mayo Clinic Board of Governors. The following year, he was appointed CEO of Mayo’s operations in Florida.
During Dr. Bartley’s term as CEO, Mayo Clinic in Florida built a state-of-the-art hospital, doubled extramural funding for research, significantly exceeded fundraising targets, and achieved the highest patient satisfaction scores of any Mayo site. Additionally, he served as Vice President for Quality for Mayo Clinic nationwide. Non-medical activities included membership on the Florida Council of 100, an advisory body appointed by Governor Jeb Bush of 100 business leaders.
Dr. Bartley resumed his surgical practice at Mayo Clinic - Rochester in 2009. The author or coauthor of more than 250 publications, Bartley’s most notable works are his thesis for the American Ophthalmological Society on the epidemiology of Graves’ ophthalmopathy and his thesis for the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery on lacrimal drainage obstruction. His writings have ranged from baseball to gardening to the blindness of the poet John Milton to the ideas of the philosopher Francis Bacon.
In 2012, Dr. Bartley was appointed as Editor-in-Chief of Ophthalmology, regarded by many as the premier journal in the field. During his term, the journal’s impact factor increased from 5.56 to 6.75 and a companion journal,Ophthalmology Retina, was launched. Dr. Bartley will step down as Editor-in-Chief to oversee the ABO. He previously served as the Editor-in-Chief ofOphthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and as an editorial board member of Ophthalmology, the American Journal of Ophthalmology, and the Archives of Ophthalmology.
Dr. Bartley currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and is President of the American Ophthalmological Society. He is a past Chair of the Council of the American Ophthalmological Society, past President of the Cogan Ophthalmic History Society, and past Chair of the Doctors Mayo Society.
Board certified in 1986, Dr. Bartley participates in Maintenance of Certification (MOC) and has voluntarily recertified twice. He served as an ABO Director from 1999 to 2006. Dr. Bartley will spend approximately 80% of his time on ABO activities and will continue his surgical practice at Mayo Clinic.