The Academy is pleased to present James A. Loreto, MD with the Guest of Honor Award. Selected by the president each year, these individuals are honored for significant contributions to ophthalmology and the Academy.
We recognize Dr. Loreto for his dedication to advancing the profession of ophthalmology and delivery of patient care. He has practiced high quality eye care for 30 years and is highly regarded by his patients and colleagues as a top surgeon. Early in their respective careers, 2016 Academy President William L. Rich III, MD, often consulted with Dr. Loreto to filter through the avalanche of conflicting evidence and poor science during the move from intracapsular surgery to IOLs and phacoemulsification. Even at the apex of his career, Dr. Loreto continues to enhance his clinical knowledge and surgical skills through continuing education to stay on the cutting edge of ophthalmology. He serves as a role model and mentor to many ophthalmologists.
Dr. Loreto was born in the Bronx in 1941 and attended parochial grade school. He then went on to the New York Archdiocese Seminary for two years and graduated from Cardinal Hayes High School in Bronx, NY. After earning a BA in biology from Catholic University, he graduated from the University of Bologna in 1969 with his doctor of medicine. He completed his ophthalmology residency at Georgetown University in 1974 and was then commissioned as captain in the U.S. Army Reserve in 1971. Dr. Loreto has been an Academy fellow since 1997 and became a life fellow in 2012. He is also a member of American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons and the Maryland Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Loreto maintained a private practice in Washington, D.C., and Maryland from 1974 to 2002.
Dr. Loreto exemplifies the gold standard in ophthalmology. Not only does ophthalmology need financial stability and role models to improve care, we also need men and women in the trenches every day turning that knowledge and technology into improved eye health for our patients. For these reasons, he is recognized as a proxy for ophthalmologists working hard on a daily basis to improve quality patient care.