The Captain Jim and Donnita Gross Professorship in Ophthalmology was made possible due to the generosity of the late Jim O’Brien Gross and his widow, Donnita Gross, of Boulder City, Nevada.

The grandson of C.S. O’Brien, the founder of the renowned Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Iowa, Jim originally worked for the Walt Disney Company as an accountant and taught flying lessons. Subsequently, he was hired by Lear Jet as a flight instructor and accountant. Jim was an accomplished pilot and flight instructor with American Airlines for many years, including test flying the Boeing 777 aircraft.

Jim, along with members of his family, established the Lillian C. O’Brien and Dr. C.S. O’Brien Chair in Ophthalmology in 2006, which is currently held by Keith Carter, MD, FACS. Upon Jim’s passing in 2016, Donnita continued the passion of her late husband by providing support to establish the Captain Jim “Max” Gross Chair in Engineering, the Captain Jim and Donnita Gross Professorship in Ophthalmology, and the Jim O’Brien Gross and Donnita Gross Professorship in Ophthalmology. The generosity of Jim and Donnita will continue to keep the UI at the forefront of innovation and discovery.

Matthew J. Thurtell, MBBS, MSc was named as the inaugural recipient of The Captain Jim and Donnita Gross Fund Professorship in March of 2019.