The UAB Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and UAB Callahan Eye are saddened to share the passing of Harold W. Skalka, M.D., on April 27 at the age of 83.

Skalka joined the Eye Foundation Hospital, now UAB Callahan Eye, in 1973 after serving in the U.S. Air Force at Maxwell Air Force Base. He stepped into leadership early, first as interim chair from 1974 to 1976, and later as permanent chair from 1981 to 1997. During his tenure, Skalka also served as Director of the Ellen Gregg Ingalls Eye Research Institute and Director of Residency Training.

Skalka was a visionary leader who laid the groundwork for the department’s nationally recognized research program. He was instrumental in recruiting the department’s first full-time researchers, establishing the Nathan E. Miles, M.D., Endowed Chair of Ophthalmology, and founding the Rich Lecture Series, now in its 31st year.

“Skalka’s leadership was foundational to the academic and clinical excellence we strive for today,” said Brian Samuels, M.D., Ph.D., The EyeSight Foundation Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. “He had the foresight to foster cross-campus collaboration before it was common in ophthalmology, and his contributions to education, research, and clinical care continue to resonate.”

Skalka will be remembered not only for his impact on the field of ophthalmic echography, but also for the generations of physicians he mentored.