| OCR Text |
Show Harvey Birsner, M.D., F.A.C.S. Diplomate, American Board of Neurological Surgery Telephone (310)392-6339 FAX (310)392-6339 Fellow, North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society Clinical Professor, Neurosurgery, Univ. of Texas, SWMC, Dallas Associate Clinical Professor, Neurosurgery, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 2700 Neilson Way, Ste. 1522 Santa Monica CA 90405 E-mail: r,.,rhoira>v7nvPn11P nPt 29 August 2007 re: Alumnus of the year UCSF Development & Alumni Relations School of Medicine 44 Montgomery St. Box 0970 San Francisco CA 94143-0970 Gentlemen: I have received an e-mail from M. L. Delapa of your support group asking me to nominate an alumnus of the year. It took about a nanosecond to make my selection. I read over the very distinguished list of prior recipients and I believe my nominee fits handsomely beside your other choices. I nominate William Fletcher Hoyt, MD, Class of 1950. Dr. Hoyt is the living paragon of an academic scholar, clinician and researcher with an employment history at UCSF that dates back at least 50 years. He is 81 and still comes to work at UC every weekday at 7 a. m. During his tenure at our favorite medical school, he has earned professorships in Neurology, Neurosurgery and Ophthalmology. He is the champion of Neuro-ophthalmology as a serious disciple and is known throughout the world as the father of this ever more important branch of medicine. It was he along with a few others that created the North American Neuro-ophthalmology Society. He is an invited speaker at Neuroophthalmology events world wide. He is clearly the doyen of this science for the entire world. • For many years Dr. Hoyt conducted a training fellowship that was the envy of every such training program in the world. Many of his trainees were trained at sister schools such as the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami and then sent to Dr. Hoyt for "polish." He has personally trained at least 50 program chairmen in Neurology and Ophthalmology [and one in Neurosurgery] from all over Europe, South America, Asia and in our own country. A list of his trainees reads like a Who's Who of the medically scholarly masses. To his everlasting credit it should be known that he even trained three neurosurgeons. When Charles Wilson was Chief of Neurosurgery, teaching conferences did not begin until Dr. Hoyt arrived. Every afternoon at 4 p m he made himself available to be the clinical consultant at Hans Newton's daily Neuro-radiology conference. Dr Hoyt has authored or co-authored hundreds of scientific papers almost all of which address aspects of how the brain controls the visual system. In addition, he is the co-author of the "Bible" of his specialty, a three volume compendium that weighs 21 pounds and is among the most cherished set of tomes in every ophthalmic and neurologic office in the world. This masterpiece is entitled Clinical Neuro-Ophthalmology, Third Edition, by Walsh and Hoyt. I count myself as one of the fortunate who has a signed copy. Dr. Hoyt is no shuttered personality-free hermit. All the while he was setting the bar higher every year for the eye and brain doctors of the planet; he raised a family and to this day is a superb skier and athlete in the Brody Stephens model. [In his eighties, Dr Stephens met his house staff on the ground floor of Moffitt and they walked together to the 15th floor to see his thoracic surgery patients]. He still has a sparkle in his voice and he has never turned down an opportunity to excel or to help a trainee. So far as I know, the only identifiable lapse of judgment anyone has every seen was the time he succumbed to the temptation to eat guinea pig in Cuzco Peru. He paid dearly for that. Dr. Hoyt is known the world over as "Billhoyt" as if it were one word. Do be advised that at the end of a year of training, he gave his charges a kangaroo tie. At every ophthalmic and neurologic meeting in the world, wearing this tie is a secret handshake between attendees saying "I survived the year of __ !" All of us who were thus trained have adopted Dr. Hoyt as a second father. I can offer no greater compliment. I hope you will look favorably on this nomination and I find it hard to believe that he has not yet been so honored. Copies of this note and your fax form will be faxed by me to the most distinguished faculty of Neuro-ophthalmologists in the country with a request that they forward it back to you via fax as a validation of their agreement with the Intent of this letter. All that said, I remain, Your devoted acolyte, Harvey Birsner, MD, FACS File: hoytl |
