Herbert Culver Boldt MD

H. Culver Boldt, MD is a Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Iowa. After graduating from Northwestern University’s combined six-year BS/MD program, he received his ophthalmology residency training at the University of Iowa. He then completed three fellowships: the first in ophthalmic echography in Miami with Sandra Frazier Byrne; the second in medical retina at the Retina Vascular Center at Wilmer; and the third in surgical retina at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Following a brief appointment at Indiana University, he joined the faculty at Iowa in 1992, where he serves as the Marion and Frederick Fuerste Professor of Ophthalmology and Directors of the Ocular Echography and Ocular Oncology Services.

Early in his career, Dr. Boldt served in multiple capacities in the Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study: as a clinical investigator, the Director of the COMS Photograph Reading Center, and as a member of the COMS Archives Committee. Has also acted as a site reviewer for photograph reading centers for the National Institutes of Health. He has published over 160 peer-reviewed articles in peer-reviewed journals and 18 book chapters. He served for six years on the Retina Panel for the Preferred Practice Plans for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. For decades, he worked with the American Board of Ophthalmology, where he created hundreds of test items, examined for over 35 oral examinations, and served as an ABO Director for 8 years.

Dr. Boldt has served as the Director of the Vitreoretinal Service and the Fellowship Director at Iowa; and he has mentored over 70 fellows during his tenure. Recently, he was honored as the Clinician of the Year for the entire College of Medicine at Iowa-- the only ophthalmologist to receive this award in its decades-long history. He is a member of the Macula Society, the American Society of Retina Specialists, and the International Ocular Oncology Society. He has participated as the principal investigator or sub-investigator for multiple NEI- and industry sponsored clinical trials for the treatment of retinal diseases and cancer. His clinical and research interests include the diagnosis and treatment of ocular neoplasms and the management of complex vitreoretinal detachments.