Carol Francis Zimmerman, MD, February 27, 1952???March 27, 2001

On March 27, 2001, neuro-ophthalmology lost one of its brightest lights. Carol F. Zimmerman, MD, succumbed to the ravages of ovarian-fallopian cancer one month into her 49th year. Her fight was long, arduous, and brave, evolving over 2 ½ years from the initial diagnosis. Yet she remained upbeat and full of humor despite having three major surgeries, months of chemotherapy, and several rounds of radiation. When she lost all her hair, she donned a red beret stating whimsically, “I've decided to call in the special forces.” Many of us remember her participation in what would be her last NANOS meeting at Mt. Tremblant, Canada, in 2000. Carol attended nearly every session and actively engaged in the discussions despite her pain and fatigue. Her stalwart refusal to give in to her disease epitomized her approach to difficulties thrown in her path. Similar determination could be seen in her approach to difficult clinical problems. She attacked diagnostic issues with zeal and aplomb, never satisfied unless a clear causal determinant was uncovered. Carol was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, the middle child of three girls. She moved to Mississippi as a young girl, but returned to North Carolina for college, obtaining her BS degree in chemistry from the University of North Carolina. Her interest in a medical career was no doubt influenced by her father, who was then chief operating officer of the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. She received her MD from that institution in 1981. Her interest in ophthalmology developed during medical school. Wanting to learn more about the eye, she took a part-time job performing enucleations for the local eye bank. Carol returned to North Carolina for postgraduate training in neurology at Bowman Gray School of Medicine. During her internship, she met Steve Roach, MD, then a resident in neurology, whom she married in 1982. She completed two years of neurology residency before her passion for ophthalmology blossomed. She switched to ophthalmology at Bowman Gray and completed training as chief resident there in 1988. Seeking to merge her experience in neurology and ophthalmology, she completed a neuro-ophthalmology fellowship at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute with Norman Schatz, MD, and Joel Glaser, MD. In 1989, Carol moved to the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical School in Dallas where she joined the neuro-ophthalmology section as an assistant professor, and her husband assumed directorship of the Division of Pediatric Neurology. In 1990, a faculty move resulted in her remaining the only neuro-ophthalmologist at UT, and one of only three neuro-ophthalmologists in north Texas. Despite the resulting heavy clinical load, Carol remained affable and available, managing to juggle her tertiary care practice with academic accomplishment. Her didactic lectures were favorites among the residents and fellows she trained. She published seminal literature on imaging characteristics in radiation neuropathy and optic nerve meningioma. She became one of the leading authorities on the neurovascular complications of Ehler-Danlos syndrome, as well as the orbital vascular complications of aneurysm surgery. She authored book chapters not only in ophthalmology texts, but also in major textbooks on stroke, ocular pharmacology, and multiple sclerosis. She was an avid contributor at NANOS meetings, and was invited by NANOS in 1999 to participate in a panel on neurocutaneous disorders. Unfortunately, because of her declining health, she was unable to participate. Carol's death leaves a large gap in neuro-ophthalmology in Texas. One of her patients commented, “It was an honor and a pleasure to have Dr. Zimmerman as my doctor. She was smart, kind, and caring. No one will ever be able to take her place.” In honor of Carol's work and dedication to teaching, the Carol F. Zimmerman Distinguished Lectureship in Neuro-Ophthalmology has been established at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. Through this lecture series, her contribution to neuro-ophthalmic education will continue to thrive. More broadly, perhaps, will be the legacy derived from continued use of the training she forged in the minds of her many residents and fellows. Through them, her presence will have impact for many years to come. FIGUREFigure

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