Festus R6 School District

Teacher and astronaut Christa McAuliffe once said, “I touch the future. I teach.” The same can be said of 2025 Festus R-VI Hall of Fame inductee Dr. Karen Gehrs. A 1979 graduate of Festus High School, Dr. Gehrs may not have envisioned herself as a teacher at the time, but today she considers her greatest professional accomplishment the more than 50 vitreoretinal fellows she has trained. Many of those doctors have gone on to train others, extending her legacy for generations.

In high school, Karen Gehrs aspired to be an optometrist. She always loved science and math, encouraged by both family and teachers.   Her own nearsightedness sparked an early interest in eye care. Once in college, however, she became drawn to surgery—especially microsurgery and ultimately ophthalmology.    Following medical school at the University of Missouri, she went on to train under pioneers in the field at Duke University, one of the nation’s top ophthalmology programs.  There, she completed an ophthalmology residency and fellowship in vitreoretinal disease, focusing on eye trauma, retinal detachment, macular degeneration, and diabetic eye disease.   Experiences during a year as chief resident solidified her decision to pursue a career in academic medicine.  Macular degeneration and diabetic eye disease became her main areas of research.

Dr. Gehrs began her career as an assistant professor of ophthalmology at St. Louis University, then spent a year in private practice before returning to academia in 1996 at the University of Iowa. There, she treated patients, trained students, residents and fellows, and conducted clinical research.  Many of her studies were inspired by her patients’ cases—questions that often led back to diabetic eye disease, the leading causes of blindness in working-age adults.

Among her many projects, Dr. Gehrs considers her work on macular degeneration the most impactful. Collaborating with some of the most respected scientists in the field, she helped identify key risk factors for the disease. That experience, she says, was among the most rewarding of her career.

Today, Dr. Karen Gehrs is recognized as a respected clinician, teacher, and researcher whose name appears on nearly 50 peer-reviewed studies with more than 5,900 citations. She has trained dozens of residents, fellows and future doctors while advancing the understanding of vision-threatening diseases. Looking back, it’s remarkable to think that as a graduating Festus High School student in 1979 she was planning on a career in private practice in optometry yet ended up as a professor in one of the most highly ranked ophthalmology departments in the US.  That’s why her advice to young people is simple: "Chance favors the prepared mind so always be ready for your next adventure.  You may be headed in one direction and an opportunity may come along that takes you down a different path.”

Dr. Gehrs credits her family, friends, mentors and colleagues for supporting and guiding her along an exciting and gratifying career path. For her achievements and lasting impact, Dr. Karen Gehrs is the 32nd inductee into the Festus R-VI School District Hall of Fame.