The Department of Ophthalmology in the College of Medicine awarded its second annual Founder’s Day Recognition Award to G. Stephon Payseur, M.D., in honor of his service as chief of ophthalmology from 1973-1977.

“Founder’s Day is an occasion for us to pay tribute to the leaders of our field who contributed so much to Howard University,” said Leslie S. Jones, M.D., chair of the Department of Ophthalmology. “We endeavor to grow this rich legacy and to support this department, its stellar training program, ophthalmic clinical and basic research as well as our patients: protecting sight and empowering lives, one patient at a time.”

Founder’s Day pays tribute to the life and legacy of Dr. Robert Copeland who successfully campaigned to bring ophthalmology from under the auspices of the Department of Surgery to full department status on Jan. 22, 2000. Since Dr. Copeland’s untimely passing in 2016, the ophthalmology community has raised more than $70,000 to fund Robert A. Copeland Jr., M.D. Endowed Chair, with a pledge to match those funds as well as additional donations from his former medical school classmate Jerome Canady, M.D.  

This year’s honoree, Dr. Payseur, is a board certified ophthalmologist who has served the Dallas community for decades. He completed his medical training at Howard University in 1967 and then an internship at Duke University the following year. After returning to Howard to complete his ophthalmology residency in 1971, he participated in one-year fellowships at John Hopkins University and the National Institutes of Health. He then began his professional career at Howard and served as Chief of the Division of Ophthalmology in the Department of Surgery from 1973 until 1977, before embarking on his private practice career in Texas.