“In Memoriam James Ganley 1937 – 2020. Founding Editor, Ophthalmic Epidemiology; Trustee International Society for Epidemiological Ophthalmology (ISGEO)”
Ophthalmic Epidemiology. Vol 28 (1). 2021 Authors: Gordon Johnson, Suzanne Gilbert, Jyoti Shah
Jim Ganley’s name will be for ever associated with ISGEO (the International Society of Geographical and Epidemiological Ophthalmology) and its journal, Ophthalmic Epidemiology.
ISGEO, evolved from ISGO (the International Society of Geographical Ophthalmology). Its origin was in 1970, in Yellowknife, Canada, when Dr. Elizabeth Cass, ophthalmologist to the Northwest Territories, in the NWT Centennial year invited some of the most distinguished ophthalmologists from around the world to consider what could be learnt about causation, prevention, and treatment of eye diseases from their geographical distribution, race, climate, and other ecological factors.
Image: Jim and Anne Ganley attending ISGEO’s 23 rd Congress, London 2014
The following autumn Dr. Cass joined Prof Michaelson in Israel in organizing a meeting in conjunction with the International Society for the Prevention of Blindness. Thereafter ISGO congresses took place every 2 years – in Cadiz, Spain; Edinburgh, Scotland; and Cagliari, Sardinia. Jim Ganley was a participant in these meetings. The 6th Congress took place in 1979 in Rio de Janeiro, in association with the meeting of the Brazilian Ophthalmological Society. It was not a success. Elizabeth Cass was already too unwell to plan and conduct it properly. She died shortly afterwards.
We owe to the dogged persistence of Jim Ganley, assisted by two others who were determined that ISGO should survive – Ted Schaegel and Terry Perkins – that we have the thriving ISGEO of today. In 1982 Jim organized a high quality scientific meeting in Asilomar on the Monterey Peninsula, California. The first Elizabeth Cass Memorial Lecture was delivered there by Dr. Viggo Clemmeson of Denmark. Jim became President, a position he held until 1988. He then became Treasurer. The Congresses have been held every 2 years since then, all over the world. Jim has been active in most Congresses, loyally assisted by his wife Anne in the organizational and secretarial aspects
In 1993 Jim became the Founding Editor of Ophthalmic Epidemiology, and continued as Editor-in-Chief for 13 years. In so doing, he built two important resources for next-generation researchers.
Jim wove these many contributions into his busy professional life as ophthalmology faculty of the Louisiana State University Science Center – Shreveport, fifteen years of which he served as Professor and Chair. A diplomate in both Preventive Medicine and Ophthalmology, Jim’s earliest work set him on a lifelong research path into local and global ophthalmic issues. His clinical and epidemiological research spanned 35 years and many countries, producing more than 60 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. Jim was an active reviewer for nearly 20 journals, dating back to the days when manuscripts had to be snail mailed for mark-up.
Always sharing of his intellect, his knowledge, and his friendship, Jim mentored countless medical and PhD students and enjoyed delivering scientific papers worldwide as well as patient-education oriented eye health talks in his community.
For the past 15 years, Jim and Anne have lived on Maryland’s Gibson Island where their grandchildren have enjoyed the annual “Gibson Island Camp”. Jim passed away during March from a brief illness.
In Jim’s death, ophthalmic epidemiology has lost one of its one of its most ardent advocates.
