Herbert Wertheim
Encyclopedia
Dr. Herbert A. Wertheim is an inventor, scientist, educator, clinician, optometric physician,visual neurologist, entrepreneur
, philanthropist
and community leader. He is the founder and president of Brain Power Incorporated, the world's largest manufacturer of ophthalmic instruments, cosmetic and therapeutic tints for eyeglass lenses and diagnostic products for optometrists, ophthalmologists, opticians and optical laboratories. He is or has been a majority shareholder, chairman or board member of 18 private, NYSE
or NASDAQ
companies in banking, health care
, aerospace
, real estate
, transportation and several diverse high tech industries.
, Florida
, and the University of Florida
, where he studied electrical
and computer engineering
. He also received a B.S. in optical engineering
and a Doctor of Optometry from the Southern College of Optometry
in association with the University of Tennessee
Medical School. He was awarded the Doctor of Science, Honoris Causa, from Florida International University
for his distinguished scientific and clinical discoveries. He completed graduate studies at Stanford University
, the London School of Economics
, Northwestern University
and International Institute for Management Development
in Lausanne
, Switzerland
. He is a distinguished and life member of Tau Beta Pi
Honorary Engineering Society and was recognized as a "2009 Distinguished Engineering Alumnus" and was a commencement speaker at the University of Florida College of Engineering 2009 graduation ceremony. For many years he had a clinical practice specializing in visual neurology and optometry at the University Eye and Medical Center in Coral Gables, Florida. Dr. Wertheim was a distinguished lecturer in Physiological Optics and Optometry and the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and an Adjunct Professor of Physics
in the graduate program at the University of Miami
, Florida
. He also served as director of the University of Tennessee Medical School Computer Center. He was one of the first NASA
engineers at Cape Canaveral
, and was a pioneer in computer and instrumentation technologies for the early Mercury manned space flight program.
s and optical laboratories at its facilities in Miami, Florida
and Rugby, UK
. Building on the company's expertise in dyeing plastic eyeglass lenses, Dr. Wertheim introduced in 1983 ultraviolet
-absorbing dyes that could be applied to finished lenses either by manufacturing laboratories or by individual optometrists. Dr Wertheim was one of the first to publicize the prevention of cataracts and retinal problems to eye care professionals. He stressed that ultraviolet light was a primary cause of cataract
s and retina
l deterioration. Dr. Wertheim's invention of BPI's UV-absorbing technology insured that ultraviolet light all the way up to the edge of the visible spectrum
was blocked from the user's eyes. This and other discoveries have helped millions of people from acquiring cataracts or eventually going blind from macular degeneration and other degenerative eye diseases. More recently, BPI has manufactured colored dyes that have been used in diagnosing and/or treating dyslexia
, autism, Parkinson's-related dyskinesia and childhood migraines in children.
in 2000 and was reappointed for a second term by Governor Bush
in 2003. He served as chairman and vice chairman of the University's most successful Capital Campaign, which raised more than $200 million.
As chairman of FIU's Academic Affairs Committee he conceived, initiated and won approval of the University's Trustees for the Medial College and was asked to chair the Medical College Initiative. After a multi-year legislative campaign including community and university involvement, the FIU Medical College was established. In May 2009, the Dr. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Family Foundation made a $20 million contribution which becomes $40 million with state matching funds to establish multiple endowment
s, including student scholarship
s, research fellow
ships, leadership lectures, medical community advancement and eight endowed chairs for the Medical College, including the first endowed chair in Optometry and Physiological Optics in any medical school
. In June 2009, the FIU Board of Trustees named the new college the "Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine" in his honor and named him Founding Chairman of the College of Medicine and Trustee Emeritus of the University.
Dr Wertheim and his wife Nicole have enabled gifts of millions of dollars to the University's music
, theater, dance
and business
educational programs. Some of the gifts helped construct, equip, furnish and fund as many as 35 FIU School of Music graduate scholarships each year at the 750 seat Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Concert Hall and 300 seat theater at the Performing Arts Center at FIU. The Wertheim Concert Hall received almost $1 million from their foundation for a new concert organ donated in remembrance of his mother, Sydell Ida Wertheim. In 2007, the Wertheim Foundation purchased two additional teaching organs for the music school to honor Retiring Director Dr. Fredrick Kaufman. The Wertheim Plant and Bio Research and Teaching Conservatory were the first named buildings at the University along with its adjacent case study
and lecture hall
. This modern facility is also used extensively by local and national groups for conferences
, lecture
s and meetings. In 1991 he endowed the Dr. Herbert A. Wertheim Lecture Series in Business Leadership. The lecture series allows MBA students, faculty and business leaders to participate and have an opportunity to interact with business leaders at a luncheon
and various private educational meetings.
, including the University of Miami
Citizens Board, Dade County Zoological Society, American Heart Association
, Lighthouse for the Blind and the Boy Scouts of America
. He was a founder of the Friends of Vail and the Vail Valley Citizen of the Year awards. He has also been a board member of the Vail Valley Foundation. He recently served on the board of the International Sea Keepers Society, an organization of yacht
owners that collect scientific data using their boats and crew and then broadcast the data by satellite
to universities and governments around the world.
Dr. Wertheim has served as chairman of the Dr. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Family Foundation since 1977. It has supported hundreds of local and international educational, cultural, sporting and health care organizations around the world with millions of dollars in financial aid and grants. In 1987 the Foundation was the founding benefactor of the Koala and Asian River Otter projects at Miami MetroZoo. They funded the building of the public radio station in Vail, Colorado
and educational TV repeaters in the Vail Valley. The Wertheim Foundation was the first to fund a five-year PBS contract for National Geographic and ten other science and cultural programs for WPBT
Miami Public Television.
.
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
and community leader. He is the founder and president of Brain Power Incorporated, the world's largest manufacturer of ophthalmic instruments, cosmetic and therapeutic tints for eyeglass lenses and diagnostic products for optometrists, ophthalmologists, opticians and optical laboratories. He is or has been a majority shareholder, chairman or board member of 18 private, NYSE
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
or NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
companies in banking, health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
, aerospace
Aerospace
Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
, real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
, transportation and several diverse high tech industries.
Professional background
Dr. Wertheim is a graduate of Brevard Community CollegeBrevard Community College
Brevard Community College, founded in 1960, is a community college on Florida's Space Coast, in Brevard County, Florida. It has four campuses in Cocoa, Melbourne, Palm Bay, and Titusville, as well as an Aerospace program at Kennedy Space Center and a Virtual Campus...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, and the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, where he studied electrical
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
and computer engineering
Computer engineering
Computer engineering, also called computer systems engineering, is a discipline that integrates several fields of electrical engineering and computer science required to develop computer systems. Computer engineers usually have training in electronic engineering, software design, and...
. He also received a B.S. in optical engineering
Optical engineering
Optical engineering is the field of study that focuses on applications of optics. Optical engineers design components of optical instruments such as lenses, microscopes, telescopes, and other equipment that utilizes the properties of light. Other devices include optical sensors and measurement...
and a Doctor of Optometry from the Southern College of Optometry
Southern College of Optometry
Southern College of Optometry is a college of optometry in the United States. It is located in Memphis, Tennessee and is dedicated to the study of optometry, the field of medicine that includes not only the performance of refractive eye examinations and the fitting of necessary corrective lenses or...
in association with the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
Medical School. He was awarded the Doctor of Science, Honoris Causa, from Florida International University
Florida International University
Florida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park...
for his distinguished scientific and clinical discoveries. He completed graduate studies at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
and International Institute for Management Development
International Institute for Management Development
IMD - International Institute for Management Development is a non profit business school located in Lausanne, Switzerland.- History & Mission :...
in Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. He is a distinguished and life member of Tau Beta Pi
Tau Beta Pi
The Tau Beta Pi Association is the oldest engineering honor society in the United States and the second oldest collegiate honor society in America. It honors engineering students who have shown a history of academic achievement as well as a commitment to personal and professional integrity...
Honorary Engineering Society and was recognized as a "2009 Distinguished Engineering Alumnus" and was a commencement speaker at the University of Florida College of Engineering 2009 graduation ceremony. For many years he had a clinical practice specializing in visual neurology and optometry at the University Eye and Medical Center in Coral Gables, Florida. Dr. Wertheim was a distinguished lecturer in Physiological Optics and Optometry and the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and an Adjunct Professor of Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
in the graduate program at the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. He also served as director of the University of Tennessee Medical School Computer Center. He was one of the first NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
engineers at Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing, headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the state of Florida, CCAFS is the primary launch head of America's Eastern Range with four launch pads...
, and was a pioneer in computer and instrumentation technologies for the early Mercury manned space flight program.
Brain Power Incorporated
Brain Power Incorporated, founded in 1971 by Dr. Wertheim, manufactures over 4000 products for eye care professionalEye care professional
An eye care professional is an individual who provides a service related to the eyes or vision. It is a general term that can refer to any healthcare worker involved in eye care, from one with a small amount of post-secondary training to practitioners with a doctoral level of education.-Current...
s and optical laboratories at its facilities in Miami, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and Rugby, UK
Rugby, Warwickshire
Rugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, located on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...
. Building on the company's expertise in dyeing plastic eyeglass lenses, Dr. Wertheim introduced in 1983 ultraviolet
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV...
-absorbing dyes that could be applied to finished lenses either by manufacturing laboratories or by individual optometrists. Dr Wertheim was one of the first to publicize the prevention of cataracts and retinal problems to eye care professionals. He stressed that ultraviolet light was a primary cause of cataract
Cataract
A cataract is a clouding that develops in the crystalline lens of the eye or in its envelope, varying in degree from slight to complete opacity and obstructing the passage of light...
s and retina
Retina
The vertebrate retina is a light-sensitive tissue lining the inner surface of the eye. The optics of the eye create an image of the visual world on the retina, which serves much the same function as the film in a camera. Light striking the retina initiates a cascade of chemical and electrical...
l deterioration. Dr. Wertheim's invention of BPI's UV-absorbing technology insured that ultraviolet light all the way up to the edge of the visible spectrum
Visible spectrum
The visible spectrum is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to the human eye. Electromagnetic radiation in this range of wavelengths is called visible light or simply light. A typical human eye will respond to wavelengths from about 390 to 750 nm. In terms of...
was blocked from the user's eyes. This and other discoveries have helped millions of people from acquiring cataracts or eventually going blind from macular degeneration and other degenerative eye diseases. More recently, BPI has manufactured colored dyes that have been used in diagnosing and/or treating dyslexia
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
, autism, Parkinson's-related dyskinesia and childhood migraines in children.
Florida International University
Dr. Wertheim served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Board member of the Florida International University Foundation from 1988 through 2001. He was a founding member of the Florida International University Board of Trustees at its establishment by the Florida LegislatureFlorida Legislature
The Florida State Legislature is the term often used to refer to the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Florida Constitution states that "The legislative power of the state shall be vested in a legislature of the State of Florida," composed of a Senate...
in 2000 and was reappointed for a second term by Governor Bush
Jeb Bush
John Ellis "Jeb" Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. He is a prominent member of the Bush family: the second son of former President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush; the younger brother of former President George W...
in 2003. He served as chairman and vice chairman of the University's most successful Capital Campaign, which raised more than $200 million.
As chairman of FIU's Academic Affairs Committee he conceived, initiated and won approval of the University's Trustees for the Medial College and was asked to chair the Medical College Initiative. After a multi-year legislative campaign including community and university involvement, the FIU Medical College was established. In May 2009, the Dr. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Family Foundation made a $20 million contribution which becomes $40 million with state matching funds to establish multiple endowment
Financial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
s, including student scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
s, research fellow
Research fellow
The title of research fellow is used to denote a research position at a university or similar institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a principal investigator...
ships, leadership lectures, medical community advancement and eight endowed chairs for the Medical College, including the first endowed chair in Optometry and Physiological Optics in any medical school
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
. In June 2009, the FIU Board of Trustees named the new college the "Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine" in his honor and named him Founding Chairman of the College of Medicine and Trustee Emeritus of the University.
Dr Wertheim and his wife Nicole have enabled gifts of millions of dollars to the University's music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, theater, dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
and business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
educational programs. Some of the gifts helped construct, equip, furnish and fund as many as 35 FIU School of Music graduate scholarships each year at the 750 seat Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Concert Hall and 300 seat theater at the Performing Arts Center at FIU. The Wertheim Concert Hall received almost $1 million from their foundation for a new concert organ donated in remembrance of his mother, Sydell Ida Wertheim. In 2007, the Wertheim Foundation purchased two additional teaching organs for the music school to honor Retiring Director Dr. Fredrick Kaufman. The Wertheim Plant and Bio Research and Teaching Conservatory were the first named buildings at the University along with its adjacent case study
Case study
A case study is an intensive analysis of an individual unit stressing developmental factors in relation to context. The case study is common in social sciences and life sciences. Case studies may be descriptive or explanatory. The latter type is used to explore causation in order to find...
and lecture hall
Lecture hall
A lecture hall is a large room used for instruction, typically at a college or university. Unlike a traditional classroom with a capacity from one to four dozen, the capacity of lecture halls is typically measured in the hundreds...
. This modern facility is also used extensively by local and national groups for conferences
Meeting
In a meeting, two or more people come together to discuss one or more topics, often in a formal setting.- Definitions :An act or process of coming together as an assembly for a common purpose....
, lecture
Lecture
thumb|A lecture on [[linear algebra]] at the [[Helsinki University of Technology]]A lecture is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical information, history,...
s and meetings. In 1991 he endowed the Dr. Herbert A. Wertheim Lecture Series in Business Leadership. The lecture series allows MBA students, faculty and business leaders to participate and have an opportunity to interact with business leaders at a luncheon
Luncheon
Luncheon, commonly abbreviated to lunch, is a mid-day meal, and is smaller than dinner.In English-speaking countries during the eighteenth century, lunch was originally called "dinner"— a word still used regularly to mean a noontime meal in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and some parts of England,...
and various private educational meetings.
Awards/Recognition
On April 8, 2011 Dr. Wertheim was formally inducted into the Horatio Alger Association in recognition of his personal and professional successes despite his humble and challenging beginnings. As a Horation Alger Award recipient Dr. Wertheim had to overcome great adversity to achieve admirable accomplishments and serves as an example of achieving the American Dream and offers countless hours and resources to help others in need.Other charitable activities
Dr. Wertheim has served as a member of numerous local and national charitable boardsCharitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
, including the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
Citizens Board, Dade County Zoological Society, American Heart Association
American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a non-profit organization in the United States that fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas...
, Lighthouse for the Blind and the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
. He was a founder of the Friends of Vail and the Vail Valley Citizen of the Year awards. He has also been a board member of the Vail Valley Foundation. He recently served on the board of the International Sea Keepers Society, an organization of yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
owners that collect scientific data using their boats and crew and then broadcast the data by satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
to universities and governments around the world.
Dr. Wertheim has served as chairman of the Dr. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Family Foundation since 1977. It has supported hundreds of local and international educational, cultural, sporting and health care organizations around the world with millions of dollars in financial aid and grants. In 1987 the Foundation was the founding benefactor of the Koala and Asian River Otter projects at Miami MetroZoo. They funded the building of the public radio station in Vail, Colorado
Vail, Colorado
The Town of Vail is a Home Rule Municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population of the town was 4,589 in 2005. The town was established and built as the base village to Vail Ski Resort, with which it was originally conceived...
and educational TV repeaters in the Vail Valley. The Wertheim Foundation was the first to fund a five-year PBS contract for National Geographic and ten other science and cultural programs for WPBT
WPBT
WPBT is a PBS member public television station that serves the entire South Florida region, and even including portions of the Treasure Coast, the only television station to serve the entire metropolis...
Miami Public Television.
Personal
Dr. Wertheim and his wife Nicole spend their time boating, traveling and lecturing to eye care professionals and other health care providers around the world. They have two married daughters and four grandchildren living in CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.