George A. Williams, M.D., Chair, Department of Ophthalmology and Director of the Beaumont Eye Institute at Beaumont Health in Royal Oak, Michigan. He is Professor and Chair of Ophthalmology at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine and a partner with Associated Retinal Consultants. He is Professor at the European School for Advanced Studies in Ophthalmology in Lugano, Switzerland.
An Alpha Omega Alpha graduate of Northwestern University School of Medicine. Dr. William's completed his residency in ophthalmology and his fellowship in vitreoretinal surgery at the Eye Institute of the Medical College of Wisconsin, where he was an associate professor until 1988.
Dr. Williams has published more than 250 articles and book chapters in the field of vitreoretinal surgery. He has participated as principal investigator or co-investigator in more than 20 clinical trials sponsored by the National Eye Institute and industry. He served on the Board of Trustees of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) from 2008 to 2012. He is a recipient of the Special Recognition Award, the Secretariat Award and the Senior Achievement Award of the AAO. He has delivered 26 named lectureships, including the 2013 Gertrude Pyron Lecture at the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS), the 2014 Yasuo Tano, M.D., Lecture at the Club Jules Gonin, the 2015 Taylor Smith, M.D., Lecture at the Aspen Retinal Detachment Society and the 2017, B. Thomas Hutchinson, M.D., Lecture a the New England Ophthalmology Society. He is a recipient of the ASRS Crystal Apple Award for teaching excellence and has trained over 100 clinical and research vitreoretinal fellows.
Dr. Williams is past chair of the AAO Retina Ophthalmic Technology Assessment Committee. He was secretary for Federal Affairs from 2014 to 2017. On January 1, 2018, he became AAO President-elect. Since 2006, he has represented the AAO at the Relative Value Update Committee (RUC) of the American Medical Association. He is past present of the ASRS and the Michigan Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons. He is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Ophthalmic Mutual Insurance Company.
He is an Associate Editor for Surgical Techniques for the journal RETINA, and serves on the editorial boards of Retinal Cases & Brief Reports and Current Opinion in Ophthalmology. Dr. Williams is a recertified Diplomate (2005, 2016) of the American Board of Ophthalmology and a member of the Retina Society, Macula Society, ASRS, Association of University Professors in Ophthalmology and Club Jules Gonin. He is an elected Fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.
