Joseph A. Izatt

Joseph A. Izatt was the Michael J. Fitzpatrick Distinguished Professor of Engineering in the Edmund T. Pratt, Jr. School of Engineering at Duke University, USA. He received his PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he also completed postdoctoral work. Prior to joining Duke he held positions at University Hospitals of Cleveland, USA and Case Western Reserve University, USA and co-founded Bioptigen.

Izatt was a pioneer in biomedical imaging, a successful entrepreneur and a dedicated teacher. He was also a highly cited author who published over 200 technical papers and more than 350 contributed conference presentations, delivered 135 invited lectures and presentations, and held over 75 US patents. He was a Fellow of optica, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, the National Academy of Inventors, and SPIE. He received Optica's 2021 Edwin H. Land Medal "for foundational contributions to the invention, development, and commercialization of optical coherence-based technologies for in vivo biomedical imaging, and for the education and mentoring of distinguished scientists and engineers."  

He made fundamental contributions to many coherence-based optical imaging technologies, especially optical coherence tomography (OCT). His accomplishments include playing an integral role in the initial development of retinal OCT, anterior segment OCT, endoscopic OCT, OCT image processing and segmentation, OCT imaging in neonates and children, intrasurgical OCT and OCT-guided robotic ophthalmic surgery. His group also pioneered the combination of OCT and scanning laser ophthalmoscopy in a compact hand-held format, demonstrating the first in vivo imaging of photoreceptors in neonatal infant eyes. Izatt served as a mentor and educator to a diverse group of students and collaborated with engineers, scientist and clinicians in academia and industry.

Izatt was a long-time volunteer and leader who helped shape and strengthen Optica’s conferences, publications, and overall strategy. He served on many committees and councils, including the Board of Editors, Publications Council, Board of Directors, and the Strategic Planning Committee. He was the founding Editor of Biomedical Optics Express and Editor of Applied Optics and the Journal of the Optical Society of America A (JOSA A). In recognition of this service, he received the 2022 Stephen D. Fantone Distinguished Service Award "for over 25 years of outstanding service to the optics community and Optica in areas as diverse as publications, conferences, strategic planning, and the Optica Board of Directors."

He passed away on 7 April 2024.