Marshall M. Parks
Encyclopedia
Marshall Miller Parks was an American ophthalmologist known to many as "the father of pediatric ophthalmology
Pediatric ophthalmology
Pediatric ophthalmology is a sub-speciality of ophthalmology concerned with eye diseases, visual development, and vision care in children.-Training:...

".

Early life

Parks was born in Old Mission, Michigan to Ruth and Reuben Parks. In 1939, he earned a BS from Illinois College
Illinois College
Illinois College is a private, liberal arts college, affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church , and located in Jacksonville, Illinois. It was the second college founded in Illinois, but the first to grant a degree . It was founded in 1829 by the Illinois Band,...

 and in 1943 graduated from the Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Saint Louis University School of Medicine is a private, American medical school within Saint Louis University.It was established in 1836 as the Medical Department of the university and had the distinction, in 1839, of awarding the first M.D. degree granted west of the Mississippi River...

. His success in medical school gained him induction into Alpha Omega Alpha
Alpha Omega Alpha
The Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, commonly called Alpha Omega Alpha and abbreviated ΑΩΑ or AOA, is a national honor society for medical students, residents, scientists and physicians in the United States and Canada.-History:...

 Society. During World War II, Parks served as a medical officer on destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...

s in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

, including the USS Gamble
USS Gamble (DD-123)
USS Gamble was a Wickes class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I, later converted to a minelayer in World War II. She was named for two brothers, Lieutenant Peter Gamble and Lieutenant Colonel John M...

 and USS Terror
USS Terror (CM-5)
USS Terror was a fleet minelayer of the United States Navy, the only minelayer of the fleet built specifically for minelaying during World War II....

 during the battle of Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...

.

Professional career

Parks studied under the guidance of Frank D. Costenbader
Frank D. Costenbader
Frank D. Costenbader was an American physician frequently credited as the world's first pediatric ophthalmologist.-References:...

, the first ophthalmologist to dedicate his practice solely to the care of children
Pediatrics
Pediatrics or paediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician or paediatrician...

. At Children's Hospital in Washington, D.C., now known as the Children's National Medical Center
Children's National Medical Center
- Introduction :Children’s National Medical Center , is the only exclusive provider of pediatric care in the Washington, D.C., area and the only freestanding children’s hospital between Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Norfolk, and Atlanta...

, they began the first ophthalmology fellowship training program of any subspecialty. This evolved from the rotation of Heed Fellowship ophthalmologists who had trained with Costenbader for many years. The first Children's Hospital of Washington fellow was Leonard Apt in 1959.

Parks' scientific contributions include:
  • Elucidation of monofixation syndrome
    Monofixation syndrome
    Monofixation syndrome is an eye condition defined by less than perfect binocular vision. It is defined by a small angle deviation with suppression of the deviated eye and binocular peripheral fusion. It often results post surgical treatment of congenital esotropia....

  • Description and refinement of numerous eye muscle surgical techniques, particularly the fornix
    Fornix
    The fornix is a C-shaped bundle of fibers in the brain, and carries signals from the hippocampus to the hypothalamus.-Structure:...

     incision approach to strabismus surgery
    Strabismus surgery
    Strabismus surgery is surgery on the extraocular muscles to correct the misalignment of the eyes. With approximately 1.2 million procedures each year, extraocular muscle surgery is the third most common eye surgery in the United States.-Types:...

  • Recognition of the benefits of very early strabismus
    Strabismus
    Strabismus is a condition in which the eyes are not properly aligned with each other. It typically involves a lack of coordination between the extraocular muscles, which prevents bringing the gaze of each eye to the same point in space and preventing proper binocular vision, which may adversely...

     correction (by age 1 year)
  • Innovation in surgical techniques for pediatric cataracts

Positions

From 1974 to 1975, Parks was the first president of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
The American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus is an academic association of pediatric ophthalmologists and strabismus surgeons. The pediatric ophthalmology fellowships in the United States are accredited by the AAPOS...

, a professional association of which he was a founding member. In 1982, he was president of the American Academy of Ophthalmology
American Academy of Ophthalmology
The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the largest national membership medical association of ophthalmologists–medical doctors specializing in eye care and surgery including medical, surgical and optical care. More than 90 percent of practicing U.S. Eye M.D.s are Academy members, and the...

.
  • Chairman, Department of Ophthalmology at the Washington Hospital Center and the Children’s National Medical Center
  • Founder, President and Chairman of the Board, National Children’s Eye Care Foundation
  • Director and Chairman, American Board of Ophthalmology
    American Board of Ophthalmology
    The American Board of Ophthalmology is an independent, non-profit organization responsible for certifying ophthalmologists in the United States of America. Founded in 1916, the ABO was the first American Board established to certify medical specialists.The ABO is the founding member of the...

  • Director and Chairman of the Board, The Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology
  • Advisory Council for Ophthalmic Surgery of the American College of Surgeons
    American College of Surgeons
    The American College of Surgeons is an educational association of surgeons created in 1913 to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient by setting high standards for surgical education and practice.-Membership:...

  • Chairman, Scientific Committee of the Retina Foundation of the Southwest


Editor / Assistant Editor
  • American Medical Association
    American Medical Association
    The American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:...

     Archives of Ophthalmology
    Archives of Ophthalmology
    The Archives of Ophthalmology is a monthly professional medical journal published by the American Medical Association. Archives of Ophthalmology publishes peer-reviewed, original articles on such topics as epidemiology and biostatistics, mechanisms of ophthalmic disease, ophthalmic molecular...

  • Clinical Proceedings
  • Survey of Ophthalmology
    Survey of Ophthalmology
    Survey of Ophthalmology is a review journal dedicated to publishing reviews of ophthalmological topics by established authorities in that particular field. It is a strictly refereed journal with a bi-monthly publication schedule...

  • American Orthoptic Journal

Awards

  • Founder of the Costenbader Society
  • Recipient of the Lucien Howe
    Lucien Howe
    Lucien Howe was an American physician who spent much of his career as a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Buffalo. In 1876 he was instrumental in the creation of the Buffalo Eye and Ear Infirmary....

     Medal from the American Academy of Ophthalmology
    American Academy of Ophthalmology
    The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the largest national membership medical association of ophthalmologists–medical doctors specializing in eye care and surgery including medical, surgical and optical care. More than 90 percent of practicing U.S. Eye M.D.s are Academy members, and the...

  • Senior Honor Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology
    American Academy of Ophthalmology
    The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the largest national membership medical association of ophthalmologists–medical doctors specializing in eye care and surgery including medical, surgical and optical care. More than 90 percent of practicing U.S. Eye M.D.s are Academy members, and the...

  • Life Achievement Award and the Laureate Recognition Award 2004 from the American Academy of Ophthalmology
    American Academy of Ophthalmology
    The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the largest national membership medical association of ophthalmologists–medical doctors specializing in eye care and surgery including medical, surgical and optical care. More than 90 percent of practicing U.S. Eye M.D.s are Academy members, and the...

  • Superior Public Service Award from the US Naval Department
  • John Carroll Society Medal
  • Best Ophthalmologist in America award from Ophthalmology Times
  • Leadership Award from The National Eye Care Foundation
  • Leslie Dana Gold Medal from the St. Louis Society for the Blind
  • Induction into the Knights of Malta
  • Vicennial Medal from Georgetown University
    Georgetown University
    Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...

  • Arthur Linksz Award from the International Strabismological Society
  • Professional Service Award, the Society for the Prevention of Blindness

Legacy

Perhaps Parks' greatest legacy are the 160 fellows he trained in pediatric ophthalmology
Pediatric ophthalmology
Pediatric ophthalmology is a sub-speciality of ophthalmology concerned with eye diseases, visual development, and vision care in children.-Training:...

 and strabismus
Strabismus
Strabismus is a condition in which the eyes are not properly aligned with each other. It typically involves a lack of coordination between the extraocular muscles, which prevents bringing the gaze of each eye to the same point in space and preventing proper binocular vision, which may adversely...

. Many of these former fellows have gone on to leadership positions within the field themselves.

Dr. Kenneth Wright, a former Parks fellow and current Director of Pediatric Ophthalmology Research and Education at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Originally established as Kaspare Cohn Hospital in 1902, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a non-profit, tertiary 958-bed hospital and multi-specialty academic health science centre located in Los Angeles, California, US. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over...

in Los Angeles, published a tribute to Dr. Parks in the medical text Pediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus, calling him “the driving force that has led to the development and maturation of our specialty, pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus.”

Travelled extensively, leading opthalmologic seminars worldwide, and was a pioneer in enhancing opthalmologic practice in the Eastern block, especially in the Soviet Union, during the thaw in relations between the Eastern Bloc and the United States. One story he told was of being allowed to use a secret subway tunnel between East and West Berlin to travel between the two zones to avoid the checkpoints. He was a patriot and loyal American.

Family life

Parks and his late wife, Angeline Miller Parks, raised eleven children. Following the death of his first wife, Parks and Martha McSteen Parks married and resided in Washington, D.C. for 14 years prior to his death.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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