It was the dream of a young Albert Jun to train at the Wilmer Eye Institute. As it turned out, the dream not only came true in 1998, when he started his residency at Wilmer in pursuit of a career as a clinician-scientist, but it lasted for more than a quarter century, as he completed his residency and a fellowship, became part of the Wilmer faculty and was ultimately named chief of Wilmer’s Division of Cornea, Cataract and External Disease.

That particular dream draws to a close in May, as Jun departs Wilmer to lead the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

“Wilmer is a really special place in the world of ophthalmology,” Jun says. “What makes it special is the people who show up every day and check the patients in, wheel the patients to the OR. Everyone seems to understand the role they play in helping patients preserve or improve their sight. It comes down to everyone contributing in some way across the entire institution.”

Peter J. McDonnell, M.D., the William Holland Wilmer Professor of Ophthalmology and director of the Wilmer Eye Institute, looks fondly upon Jun’s time at Wilmer, and is thankful for the contributions he has made to both the institute and the field of ophthalmology. “Bert was my first assistant chief of service (aka chief resident) when I returned to Wilmer,” he says. “Even then, it was clear Bert was a talented physician, surgeon and teacher, as well as a natural leader. He introduced new lamellar surgical techniques to Wilmer and conducted exciting research programs, while his calm professional demeanor earned him the respect and admiration of patients, trainees and his colleagues.”

“We will miss him, but understand that training leaders who go on to run departments of ophthalmology is a key component of Wilmer’s historic mission,” McDonnell continued, adding that Jun will be the 114th such department chair who trained at Wilmer. “And just as Bert benefited from the training he received from his senior faculty, he leaves the cornea division in the capable hands of one of his former trainees, Divya Srikumaran.”

During his career at Wilmer, Jun has advanced corneal transplantation techniques and the scientific understanding of corneal diseases. Prior to the 1990s, patients with corneal issues were often treated with full corneal transplants, a one-size-fits-all approach reflective of the technology of the time. The cornea, though thin — only about five sheets of paper thick — has distinct layers, each with unique issues that can be targeted through selective transplantation. Jun has been a leader in a modern shift in thinking, particularly at Wilmer, focusing on replacing specific layers of the cornea rather than the entire structure. He has also researched medical and gene therapy treatments for Fuchs’ dystrophy, a prevalent corneal disease and a reason for corneal transplants around the world.

Jun has taken pride in mentoring faculty, as he demonstrated in his role as Wilmer’s assistant chief of service from 2003–04, director of medical student education from 2004–10, vice chair for education from 2011–16 and chief of the Division of Cornea, Cataract and External Disease since 2015. The ability to impact trainees, he says, is a profound privilege. “We were all in that stage at one point in our careers, where we had hopes and dreams and were willing to work hard and were looking for opportunities and guidance. The idea of paying that back is something that I’ve always wanted to do.” In fact, in the last three years, he oversaw the promotion of six now associate professors. “That was really fulfilling to see people growing their careers, to that level of stature,” he says.

He also emphasizes the importance of teaching and educating patients. He has enjoyed answering questions from patients about how parts of the eye and eye procedures work. “As physicians caring for patients, we are teachers,” he says. “We are teaching them about their condition, we’re teaching about how they could improve their condition or prevent something from happening, or how they could get better. That goes through my mind when I’m talking to a patient about a condition which, either mundane or complicated, they don’t understand, and I think it really is our duty to spend that time to teach them about their condition.”

Jun noted Wilmer’s tremendous clinical and research growth in the past 25 years, enabled by faculty who contribute to the overall academic mission of Wilmer and Johns Hopkins, as well as facilities like the Robert H. and Clarice Smith Building, which opened in 2009, and satellite clinics across Maryland. “I think that it’s really been quite brilliant,” he says. “It’s kind of a case study on how to build a great department.” To be part of that, he says, was tremendously enjoyable and fulfilling.

The Smith Building, in particular, Jun says, has served as a catalyst for the growth of the Wilmer research enterprise. “The vision for that building, as a place where people would come and collaborate and synergize, that’s been absolutely borne out and realized to a wildly successful degree,” he says.

Working at Wilmer has opened many opportunities for Jun, who says he has been happy to contribute to Wilmer’s legacy since 1998. He will now take what he has learned at Wilmer and apply it to the next phase of his career, leading the way at the University of Virginia Department of Ophthalmology. “I think we have a responsibility for people who may share the dream I had to come here to make it live up to those expectations,” he says. “That comes from us all contributing in small and large ways.”