When Jeff’s family and friends decided to create the Jeffrey W. Berger Research Scholarship Foundation after his untimely death in January 2001, we never envisioned the far-reaching impact it would have, necessitating the creation of this website. We created the foundation as a way to memorialize our husband, father, brother, son, friend and colleague who accomplished so much in his short life. Twenty years later, we are still amazed at the impact he has had on so many, directly and indirectly. For our family, especially his children who were quite young when he passed, it offered a window into his incredible achievements in the world of ophthalmology, which he rarely brought into his home life.
Since the creation of this foundation, so many have shared their memories of Jeff and the impact he had on their lives and their careers. Each year, we are amazed to find another brilliant speaker for our annual lecture at the Scheie Eye Institute who was impacted by Jeff and his work. And in turn, we pass this on to the younger generation of upcoming ophthalmologists as we provide scholarships for them to pursue serious ophthalmologic research. In this way, Jeff’s love for research and teaching continues.