Randolph Whitfield Jr. is an American

ophthalmologist Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgery, surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Followin ...

. During his career, he conducted pioneering surveys that traced the spread of blindness in deprived areas in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Life

He received his medical and graduate degrees from

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with College admission ...

in 1965 under a dual program. He received his undergraduate degree from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the n ...

. At Nyeri Provincial Hospital near

Mount Kenya Mount Kenya ( Kikuyu: ''Kĩrĩnyaga'', Kamba, ''Ki Nyaa'') is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second-highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro. The highest peaks of the mountain are Batian (), Nelion () and Point Lenana (). Mount Kenya is loc ...

, he trained paramedics and clinical officers to combat eye diseases such as

glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that result in damage to the optic nerve (or retina) and cause vision loss. The most common type is open-angle (wide angle, chronic simple) glaucoma, in which the drainage angle for fluid within the eye re ...

and

trachoma Trachoma is an infectious disease caused by bacterium '' Chlamydia trachomatis''. The infection causes a roughening of the inner surface of the eyelids. This roughening can lead to pain in the eyes, breakdown of the outer surface or cornea of ...

. He is the son of Randolph and Shirley Whitfield. He married Suzanne Sellars of

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

and has two children: Eston Whitfield and Louisa Rendall. Both live and work in Kenya. Whitfield's paternal grandfather,

James B. Whitfield James Bryan Whitfield (November 8, 1860 – August 20, 1948) was an American attorney and politician who served as a long-time Justice of the Florida Supreme Court. Early life and education Whitfield was born on November 8, 1860 on his father ...

, was a state public servant in Florida for over 60 years, including a stint as a Justice of the Florida Supreme Court from 1904 to 1943. Whitfield's cousin, Talbot "Sandy" D'Alemberte, was president of Florida State University, president of the ABA (American Bar Association) in 1991-1992, and started CEELI- http://apps.americanbar.org/rol/europe_and_eurasia/- which has been successful at converting communist and socialist countries into democracies through the development of judicial systems and access to courts.

Awards

* 1982

MacArthur Fellows Program The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and commonly but unofficially known as the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the MacArthur Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation typically to ...

Works

"Ophthalmology in Kenya", ''Arch Ophthalmol''. 1987;105(10):1438-1441
*

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitfield, Randolph Jr American ophthalmologists Year of birth missing (living people) Living people University of Virginia School of Medicine alumni MacArthur Fellows Whitfield family Princeton University alumni