Dr. John Graether, an alumnus of UI Ophthalmology, completed his residency in 1961 before joining the team at Wolfe Clinic in Marshalltown, Iowa. After a successful career as an ophthalmologist and inventor, Dr. Graether wanted give back by providing the necessary resources for ophthalmology residents at Iowa to get hands-on experience. On October 13, 2023, we officially opened the new Dr. John M. Graether Ophthalmology Simulation Laboratory, an ophthalmology-dedicated space made possible by the generous gift of Dr. Graether. 

We recently sat down with Dr. Graether to talk about his time at Iowa and beyond. The full video is below: 

You can also jump to different sections of the video using the links below:

⇒ 0:00 The Journey to Iowa 
⇒ 0:53 UI Ophthalmology in the late 1950s
⇒ 2:51 Living in Iowa City 
⇒ 3:35 Grand Rounds and Faculty Support 
⇒ 6:05 Lessons from Residency at Iowa 
⇒ 6:30 Early Cornea Transplants and Lens Implants 
⇒ 7:29 Surgery on a Sitting Governor 
⇒ 8:50 Innovation and Inventions