ISEPS Frank J. Kresca MD Memorial Lecture


Dr. Frank Kresca  played a significant and longtime role in the Illinois Society of Eye Physicians & Surgeons.  Having served as the society's first president in 1970, Dr. Kresca was a driving force for ophthalmology in Illinois and nationally.  To honor his many contributions, in 2005 the board of directors established the annual Frank J. Kresca Lecture.  The purpose of the lecture is to highlight a topic in the areas of advocacy, public service or emerging issues affecting ophthalmologists and their patients.  Dr. Kresca passed away on October 28, 2018.  But, his legacy lives on through the association he helped to create and is memorialized by the annual lecture bearing his name.

Here is a list of the Kresca Lecturers . . .

Lecture Year Speaker Topic
1st 2005

William Rich, MD
American Academy of Ophthalmology

Pay For Performance:  An Evidence-based Medicine Approach to Health Care or a Revenue Transfer to Primary Care?
2nd 2006 Denis O'Day, MD, American Board of Ophthalmology Maintenance of Certification: Medicine's Response to the Quest for Quality and Safety
3rd 2007 Col. Donald Gagliano, MD, U.S. Army International Ophthalmology and the Lesson of Organized Medicine in Iraq
4th 2008 Geoffrey Tabin, MD
Himalaya Cataract Project
Impossible Dreams:  Climbing Mount Everest and Eradicating World Blindness
5th 2009 Bruce E. Spivey, MD, President,  International Council of Ophthalmology Ophthalmology's Challenge to Reduce Avoidable Blindness Around the World
6th 2010

The Honorable James R. Thompson; former Governor of Illinois

The Value of Public Service
7th 2011 Pat Hughes, Chicago Cubs WGN Radio Announcer Lessons I Have Learned
8th 2012 John W. Kitchens MD; President-elect, Kentucky Academy of Eye Physicians & Surgeons Adapting to Change in a Volatile Environment
9th 2013 Alan Wagner, MD, FACS; Wagner Macula and Retina Center From Playing Catch With Your Friends to Winning the World Series
10th 2014 William Rich III, MD; American Academy of Ophthalmology Medical Director of Health Policy Obamacare Translated: What the Affordable Care Act Means for the Practicing Ophthalmologist
11th 2015 Hunter "Patch" Adams, MD;
The Gesundheit! Institute
Finding Joy in Patients and Healing
12th 2016 George L. Spaeth, MD
Wills Eye Hospital
How to Succeed in the Essential Role of a Physician  
13th 2017 Thomas S. Harbin, MD;
Eye Consultants of Atlanta
Ethical Lessons from Waking Up Blind 
14th 2018 The Honorable Kelly Burke
Illinois House of Representatives
Physicians as Partners in the Development of Healthcare Policy
15th 2019 James Kresca, MD, Champaign, IL and Linda Kresca, MD, Rolling Meadows, IL What We Can Learn from the Live and Career of Frank Kresca, MD
16th 2020 Susmita Pati, MD MPH; Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science®, Stony Brook University; Stony Brook, NY Improving Communication and Showing Empathy in Medicine
17th 2021 The Honorable Raja Krishnamoorthi; US House of Representatives, 8th District of Illinois The View from Capitol Hill - National Issues Affecting Healthcare and Patient Advocacy at the Federal Level
18th 2022 R.V. Paul Chan, MD, MSc, MBA; Chair, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, IL
ORBIS - The Flying Hospital and Its International Mission During Covid
19th 2023 Ngozi Ezike MD; former Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health; President and CEO of Sinai Chicago Managing the Covid Pandemic from a Public Health Perspective
20th 2024 Michael F. Chiang, MD; Director, National Eye Institute; Bethesda, MD AI, Data Science, and Ophthalmology Perspectives from the National Eye Institute