The GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences and the GW Medical Faculty Associates have announced that Craig E. Geist, MD, MS ’83, RESD ’87, FACS, has been named interim chair of the Department of Ophthalmology. Geist, who served as chair of the Department of Ophthalmology from 2007 to 2020, is serving in this role while a national search for the next permanent department chair is completed.
“Dr. Geist is a strong leader with a proven record of success leading GW’s ophthalmology department. We are grateful to him for taking on this role in an interim capacity,” said Barbara Lee Bass, MD, FACS, vice president for health affairs and dean of GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and Walter A. Bloedorn Chair of Administrative Medicine.
Geist has had a distinguished career in ophthalmology, including national recognition for academic leadership in the discipline and exceptional contributions to education and training of ophthalmology residents. Since retiring in 2020 and being named Emeritus Professor in 2021, Geist has remained actively engaged with the department, mentoring residents, attending grand rounds, and contributing to GW’s academic mission.
Geist joined GW’s full-time faculty in 1991 and has held key leadership roles including chief of oculoplastics/orbit and neuro-ophthalmology, ophthalmology clerkship director, and chair of the committee on the undergraduate medical curriculum. His contributions to academic medicine, research, and mentorship have left a lasting impact on the department and university.
A recognized leader in his field, Geist has published extensively and presented at regional, national, and international conferences. He has also served as president of the Washington Ophthalmological Society and has been consistently recognized as one of Washington’s Top Doctors by Washingtonian Magazine and Consumer Checkbook Magazine.
He began serving as the interim chair of the Department of Ophthalmology on
