Edward George Buckley

Dr. Edward Buckley is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and a dedicated alumnus of Duke University. Dr. Buckley's illustrious career has been marked by pioneering advancements in pediatric ophthalmology, neuro-ophthalmology, and transformative educational leadership.

Dr. Buckley's journey began at Duke University, where he earned his BSE in Electrical Engineering in 1972 and his MD degree in 1977. His postgraduate training included an internship in medicine, a residency in ophthalmology, and two fellowships in pediatric ophthalmology and neuro-ophthalmology at the University of Miami Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. Since joining the faculty at Duke in 1983, he has become the Gills Professor of Ophthalmology and Pediatrics, Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, Vice Dean for Education for the School of Medicine, and Vice Presidentr for Duke-Duke NUS Affairs.

Dr. Buckley has served as President of the American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology (AAPOS) and Strabismus, Chair of the American Board of Ophthalmology, Chair of the Section of Ophthalmology of the American Academy of Pediatrics, President of the American Orthoptic Council (AOC), and as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus(JAAPOS).  He has received the Life Time Achievement Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and AAPOS.  He has published/edited eight books, 40 book chapters, and over 150 peer-reviewed articles. He has given 30 named lectures, 44 Visiting professorships, 42 international invited presentations, and over 500 national meeting talks. He has trained over 80 clinical and 13 research fellows. He has given many prestigious named lectures including the Marshall Parks Lecture at the AAO, the Costenbader lecture at AAPOS and the Richard Scobee Memorial Lecture for the AACO. Although he is considered an expert in multiple aspects of pediatric ophthalmology, Dr. Buckley is best known for his research and clinical innovations involving the treatment of complicated strabismus and congenital cataracts. 

From 2007 until 2025 Dr. Buckley served as the Vice Dean for Education for the Duke School of Medicine. In this role he led major curriculum revisions at Duke that integrate basic science and clinical training with the latest pedagogical innovations. His creation of the Primary Care Leadership Track (PCLT) exemplifies his commitment to training physicians who impact primary care delivery.  He championed the development of Longitudinal Integrated Clinical Curriculum –a 16 week longitudinal integrated ambulatory clinical experience and created an early meaningful clinical experience by introducing increased clinical exposure in the pre-clinical curriculum including a 2-week emersion course starting from day one.

Among his other educational accomplishments were the creation of a Master's in Biomedical Sciences, a Master’s program in Biostatistics, and a doctorate program in Occupational Therapy. Additionally, his efforts in constructing the state-of-the-art Trent Semans Center for Health Education demonstrate his dedication to advancing medical education infrastructure.

To support health professions faculty he created Duke AHEAD (Academy for Health Professions Education and Faculty Development) an academy for health professions faculty development and support.  He also established the Professor of the Practice of Medical Education, a faculty track for faculty who were primarily medical educators. He served as “Chair” for this faculty cohort. As part of this effort  he created a core group of full-time faculty dedicated to health professional education.