Alfred Sommer (ophthalmologist)
Encyclopedia
Alfred Sommer is a prominent American ophthalmologist and epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
. His research on vitamin A in the 1970s and 1980s revealed that dosing severely vitamin A deficient children with an inexpensive, large dose vitamin A capsule twice a year reduces child mortality by as much as 34 percent. The World Bank
and, recently, the Copenhagen Consensus
list vitamin A supplementation as one of the most cost-effective health interventions in the world.
in Schenectady, New York in 1963. Sommer has an MD from Harvard Medical School
(1967) and an MHS from the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health
(1973). He is professor of Epidemiology and International Health at the Bloomberg School and Professor of Ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
. He was dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health from 1990-2005, where he was instrumental in raising funding for an unprecedented expansion of the School's research and size.
Because of Sommer's vitamin A research, he has won the Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research
in 1997 and the Danone International Prize for Nutrition in 2001, among other honors. The 2005 PBS documentary Rx for Survival featured Sommer as a "global health champion."
Sommer became chair of the Lasker Foundation's
Board of Directors in 2008. He also serves on the corporate Boards of Directors of Becton Dickinson
and T. Rowe Price
.
His current research involves the cause, magnitude, consequences, and control of vitamin A deficiency.
established a $22 million scholarship program in honor of Dr. Sommer called the Sommer Scholars. The programs aims to "recruit the next generation of public health leaders to devise new, effective interventions to improve global health."
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is part of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
. His research on vitamin A in the 1970s and 1980s revealed that dosing severely vitamin A deficient children with an inexpensive, large dose vitamin A capsule twice a year reduces child mortality by as much as 34 percent. The World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
and, recently, the Copenhagen Consensus
Copenhagen Consensus
Copenhagen Consensus is a project that seeks to establish priorities for advancing global welfare using methodologies based on the theory of welfare economics. It was conceived and organized by Bjørn Lomborg, the author of The Skeptical Environmentalist and the then director of the Danish...
list vitamin A supplementation as one of the most cost-effective health interventions in the world.
Biography
Sommer was born in 1942 in New York City and graduated from Union CollegeUnion College
Union College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...
in Schenectady, New York in 1963. Sommer has an MD from Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
(1967) and an MHS from the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is part of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
(1973). He is professor of Epidemiology and International Health at the Bloomberg School and Professor of Ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine , located in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., is the academic medical teaching and research arm of Johns Hopkins University. Hopkins has consistently been the nation's number one medical school in the amount of competitive research grants awarded by the National...
. He was dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health from 1990-2005, where he was instrumental in raising funding for an unprecedented expansion of the School's research and size.
Because of Sommer's vitamin A research, he has won the Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research
Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research
Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award is awarded by the Lasker Foundation for the understanding, diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and cure of disease. The award was renamed in 2008 in honor of Michael E. DeBakey...
in 1997 and the Danone International Prize for Nutrition in 2001, among other honors. The 2005 PBS documentary Rx for Survival featured Sommer as a "global health champion."
Sommer became chair of the Lasker Foundation's
Lasker Award
The Lasker Awards have been awarded annually since 1946 to living persons who have made major contributions to medical science or who have performed public service on behalf of medicine. They are administered by the Lasker Foundation, founded by advertising pioneer Albert Lasker and his wife Mary...
Board of Directors in 2008. He also serves on the corporate Boards of Directors of Becton Dickinson
Becton Dickinson
Becton, Dickinson and Company , is an American medical technology company that manufactures and sells medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, BD does business in nearly 50 countries and has 28,803 employees worldwide. In...
and T. Rowe Price
T. Rowe Price
T. Rowe Price is a publicly owned Investment firm, headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1937 by Thomas Rowe Price, Jr.. The company offers mutual funds, subadvisory services, and separate account management for individuals, institutions, retirement plans, and financial...
.
His current research involves the cause, magnitude, consequences, and control of vitamin A deficiency.
Sommer Scholars
In 2004, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is part of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
established a $22 million scholarship program in honor of Dr. Sommer called the Sommer Scholars. The programs aims to "recruit the next generation of public health leaders to devise new, effective interventions to improve global health."