Royal School, Armagh

Keith Martin, MA BM BCh DM MRCP FRCOphth ALCM 1980-1987, Head Boy (1986-1987)

Keith Martin was recently elected as the first Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Cambridge, becoming the youngest medical professor in the university. He is also Clinical Director for Ophthalmology at the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

After A levels at the Royal, Keith won a place at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge in 1987. He graduated in 1990 with a ‘Triple First’ in medical science and neuroscience and then transferred to Oxford University where he was awarded a Clinical Medical Scholarship before qualifying as a doctor in 1993. This was followed by further medical training in Oxford and London, eye surgery training in Cambridge, then three years of research and clinical fellowship training in the USA and at Moorfields Eye Hospital and the Institute of Ophthalmology in London.

Professor Martin established the Glaucoma Research Laboratory at the University of Cambridge in 2005, aiming to develop new treatments for eye disease using stem cells, gene therapy and other techniques. He has raised over £1.5M in grant funding in the last five years to support this work. In 2010, Professor Martin was presented with the ARVO Foundation for Eye Research/Carl Camras Translational Research Award. This International Award is given to a researcher from any country under the age of 50 years whose research is judged to have the greatest potential to lead to major breakthroughs in the treatment of eye disease.

Clinically, Professor Martin specialises in the medical and surgical management of complex glaucoma in adults and children. He is the Basic Science Editor of the Journal of Glaucoma and the Treasurer of the World Glaucoma Association, the largest organisation in the world dedicated to improving the treatment of glaucoma, the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. He is married to Dr Susie Harden, a leading lung cancer specialist, and lives in Cambridge with their three young children. Despite a rather busy schedule, he remains a keen pianist, sailor and windsurfer, and is also currently working towards a black belt in karate. He hopes to continue attending Ireland rugby internationals each year with old rugby team-mates from the Royal, all of whom played the game far better than he did!