Hobart A. Lerner, MD

Hobart “Hobie” A. Lerner, MD, was nominated by the New York State Ophthalmological Society (NYSOS) to receive the Academy’s first Outstanding Advocate Award.

Dr. Lerner has not only practiced for decades, but has remained a staunch advocate for ophthalmology since completing his training in 1949. Fifty-nine years later, he is still providing medical care to the third generation of families in Rochester, N.Y. He continues to have a firm grasp of issues affecting the profession and an unwavering commitment to protect quality patient care and promote the specialty among any variety of audiences, including lawmakers, regulators and the media.

Dr. Lerner has served on the NYSOS Board of Directors for the past 45 years. During his tenure on the board, he has held every significant office, including president; chairman of the legislative, membership and bylaws committees; and NYS councilor to the Academy. Currently, and for the past eight years, he is serving as NYSOS’s PAC chairman. In this role, he has been diligent in communicating with colleagues about the importance of contributing to the PAC, establishing personal relationships with legislators and has written a variety of articles that have been published in the society’s quarterly magazine.

Dr. Lerner is a regular attendee at NYSOS Annual Lobby Day, missing this event only once in the last 20 years. While most ophthalmologists who attend this event schedule meetings with one senator and one assemblyperson representing their home district, Dr. Lerner makes it a point each year to visit with the seven to 11 legislators representing Monroe County, where he works and resides. He has developed personal relationships with all of these lawmakers; three of them are his patients. Their offices are always open to him. They solicit his advice and respect his opinion.

More recently, Dr. Lerner has begun to attend the Academy’s Congressional Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. Last year, despite his age and only 12 months after recovering from surgery, Dr. Lerner kept up with his colleagues and walked the long halls of Congress for visitations with his U.S. senator and representative. Given his level of political advocacy, it should come as no surprise that he also has a strong personal association with his elected representatives on the federal level. He is conscientious about phoning and writing them regularly on issues of importance to both medicine and ophthalmology.

In light of his unparalleled contributions to organized ophthalmology and medicine, in 1999 the NYSOS established an annual award in Dr. Lerner’s name. “The Hobie” is the highest honor NYSOS awards to an ophthalmologist; he was the first recipient.

As one colleague said, “Hobie is a true representative for ophthalmology on a local, state and national level. He thinks of his patients first. He never puts himself above patients, other ophthalmologists or the field of ophthalmology.” For his enthusiasm, eagerness and tenacity, the Academy is privileged to honor Dr. Lerner with the first Outstanding Advocate Award.