Maurice Rabb, Jr. 4712192 194228469 2008-02-26T19:21:29Z 74.8.106.194 /* Early life */ '''Maurice F. Rabb, Jr.''' ([[August 7]], [[1932]]-[[June 6]], [[2005]]) was an African-American [[ophthalmologist]]. He is widely known for his pioneering work in [[cornea]] and [[retina]]l vascular diseases. == Early life == Maurice Farnandis Rabb was born on [[August 7]], [[1932]] in [[Shelbyville, Kentucky]]. He was the only child of [[Maurice F. Rabb, jr .]], a physician and a civil rights activist, and Jewel Miller Rabb, a math teacher and treasurer of the local NAACP branch, both graduates of [[Fisk University]]. He was interested in traveling and taking pictures in his early ages. He and another member of the boy scout represented their region at the [[World Scout Jamboree|Boy Scout World Jamboree]] in Paris. At 14, Rabb was thinking about a career in [[photography]] which led him to the field of [[ophthalmology]]. After attending [[Indiana University]] in Bloomington for two years, Rabb transferred to the [[University of Louisville]] in 1951 when this institution was [[desegregated]]. He graduated from the [[University of Louisville School of Medicine]] in 1958. He attended Kings County Hospital for postgraduate training. He studied ophthalmology at [[New York University]] and became the first [[African-American]] resident of the [[University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign|University of Illinois]] Eye and Ear Infirmary. == Later life and work == When he completed his residency, Rabb started a private practice in downtown Chicago which focused on retinal disease. Rabb became the medical director of the [[Illinois Eye Bank]] and Research Laboratory at the [[University of Illinois at Chicago|University of Illinois]]. He was also the director of the Fluorescein Angiography Laboratory at the [[Michael Reese Hospital]]. In 1977, he was a full professor of clinical ophthalmology. He served as the chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at Mercy Hospital, president of the Mercy Hospital Medical Staff, and medical director of [[Prevent Blindness America]]. He was married to [http://www.murphyrabb.com Madeline Murphy Rabb] for 39 years. They have two sons, [http://www.mauricerabb.com Maurice III] (1967) and [http://www.chrisrabb.com Christopher ] (1970). Rabb founded the [[Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center]] at the [[University of Illinois at Chicago|University of Illinois]] ([[UIC Eye Center]]) with a colleague, after obtaining a grant from the National Institutes of Health. The center was the only one in the country to diagnose and treat sickle cell eye disease. Rabb also led a research that helped prevent retinal detachment and blindness in sickle cell patients. Rabb was recognized for his efforts to expand opportunities for doctors from underrepresented communities through the [[National Medical Association]]. Annually, the NMA awards the [[Rabb Venable Ophthalmology Award for Outstanding Research]] to students and residents for the best research presentations. Dr. Rabb also was a member of the Roman Barnes Society of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Dr. Rabb, a non-smoker, died on [[June 6]], [[2005]] after a long battle with [[non-small cell lung cancer]] for which he was diagnosed in the winter of 2003. ==References== *[http://www.DoctorRabb.com Dr. Maurice F. Rabb Jr. Memorial website] *[http://www.muhealth.org/~ophthalmology/Dr.%20Johnson%20book/ch38.pdf Biography from "Breaking the Color Line in Medicine" by Lenworth N. Johnson, MD.] *http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/2868/Dr_Maurice_Rabb_Jr_THE_ophthalmologist *http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/biography.asp?bioindex=90 *http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0800432.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Rabb Jr., Maurice}} [[Category:1932 births]] [[Category:2005 deaths]] [[Category:People from Kentucky]] [[Category:Lung cancer deaths]] [[Category:American ophthalmologists]]