Ivan Schwab

Ivan R. Schwab, M.D., F.A.C.S., served as Emeritus Professor of Ophthalmology in the Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine, making significant contributions to Medicine through his clinical and academic work. He earned a B.A. from West Virginia University in 1969 and an M.D. from West Virginia University School of Medicine in 1973. Schwab completed a general internship at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center from 1973 to 1974, an ophthalmology residency at California Pacific Medical Center from 1977 to 1980, a fellowship in cornea and reconstructive surgery at California Pacific Medical Center in 1980, and a fellowship in cornea and external disease at the Francis I. Proctor Foundation from 1980 to 1982. Board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology in 1981 and recertified in 2004, he directed cornea services at UC Davis Medical Center, specialized in the Division of Cornea and External Disease, Refractive Surgery, and Uveitis, and was affiliated with the Center for Neuroscience.

Schwab's research specializations included comparative optics and ocular physiology, leading to over 245 peer-reviewed publications, including "Spectral domain optical coherence tomography imaging of spectacular ecdysis in the royal python (Python regius)" (Veterinary Ophthalmology, 2015), "Diseases of periocular hair" (Survey of Ophthalmology, 2011), and "The rainbow: from ancient Greece to modern optics" (Survey of Ophthalmology, 2009). His book Evolution's Witness: How Eyes Evolved (Oxford University Press, 2011) was named a Scientific American Notable Book of the Year. He earned the Ig Nobel Prize in Ornithology in 2006 for his work on woodpecker head-banging, the Lifetime Achievement Award and multiple Secretariat Awards from the American Academy of Ophthalmology in 2012, the Lifetime Teaching Award from the UC Davis Department of Ophthalmology, the First Ben Goldfeller Award from the American Board of Ophthalmology, the 2019 Dohlman Award from the Cornea Society, and induction into the West Virginia University Academy of Distinguished Alumni. As a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Emeritus Board Director for the American Board of Ophthalmology, and member of editorial boards for Ophthalmology, Cornea, and the British Journal of Ophthalmology, Schwab advanced bioengineered corneas, resident education, and comparative vision science through public lectures including a TEDx talk.

Professional Email: irschwab@ucdavis.edu