Daniel Jay Mayer, MD – 50th Reunion Essay

Daniel Jay Mayer, MD

575 South Court Street

Medina, OH 44256

mayermd1@aol.com

330-242-3412

Spouse(s): Janet Mayer (1981)

Child(ren): Jason Mayer (1983), Rachel Mayer (1983)

Grandchild(ren): Michael Gregorio, Matthew Gregorio

Education: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine MD 1973; Residency in Ophthalmology 1977

Career: 7 year fellowship in cornea at Queen Victoria Hospital, Sussex, England; now in solo private practice

Avocations: Travel, cycling, swimming, reading, golf

College: Ezra Stiles

My Journey

A lot has happened in the 50 years since graduating from Yale. Since that time, the Vietnam and Cold Wars have ended, numerous presidents have lead this country and information technology has taken over. While I was at Yale my father passed away. He was an ophthalmologist who died from metastatic bladder cancer due to cigarette smoking. I still remember my Yale roommates acting as pallbearers at his funeral. I was distraught and unsure of what my future might bring. I was at a loss for direction as my father had been my mentor and friend at that time. I had made a previous commitment to him that I would pursue a medical career and now I had to live up to that. Yale played a key role in putting me in the right direction. My studies and extracurricular activities kept my mind on target. I applied to medical school and sweated out those last few weeks until my admission forms arrived from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Since then I have finished medical school, an internship, a residency program in ophthalmology, an extended corneal fellowship abroad in England, an assistant professorship in Denver and finally opened my own practice in Ohio. At each juncture of training I had decisions to make. Do I pursue an academic career in medicine or do I enter private practice? I realized I enjoyed the patient contact more than being in a lab doing research. While in England during my extended fellowship I met Janet, an auxiliary nurse, working on the eye ward. We then got married, the wisest decision I ever made. We purchased a little cottage in a small village south of London. Soon thereafter, our twins Rachel and Jason were born. I soon realized that my future in medicine did not lie in the United Kingdom, but in the States. Again I had to decide between a university position in an eye department or opening up a private practice. I opted for the former at this time and brought my family to Denver, Colorado, to work at the University’s eye department. This lasted only a year and a half before we found our permanent home in Ohio. I joined a private practice group and also kept my hand in teaching at the University of Akron. After three years, I became a solo practitioner in northern Ohio.

I am currently in the process of slowing down and eventually retiring to pursue my interests in traveling, cycling, and golfing with friends and family. Looking back on these past 50 years, I have learned that family, friends, and your health are the most important things in your life. I am lucky to have met such wonderful people throughout my journey and the memories I have acquired I will take with me as it continues on. I look forward to the next chapter in my life with my family and friends by my side. I thank Yale for shaping me into the man I have become, for without which, my journey may not have led me to the memories I hold so dearly.