In Memoriam
It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of William “Russ” O’Donnell, Chief of NEI’s Clinical Operations Branch. Russ passed on February 7, 2026 following a short battle with cancer.
Throughout his 53-year career, Russ dedicated his life to public service: first in the Army, and then at the NIH, where he was integral to the operations of NEI. Prior to joining NIH, Russ managed two of the largest U.S. Army ophthalmology departments during his 24 years of exemplary military service. In addition, he served as a senior staff member on two high level medical commands. He spearheaded early adoption of an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
As a newly hired chief of NEI’s clinical services section in 1997, Russ built a centralized pool of resources to support NEI’s intramural clinical trials. In 2015, he shepherded the first-ever NEI human gene therapy trial for the vision disorder X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS) through the NEI clinic. Once the capacity for clinical trials at the NEI was established, he continued to advocate for the Institute, overseeing the expansion of the NEI Clinic, an endeavor that often required making tough calls – which Russ could be relied on to do with loyalty to the mission. In addition to his role at the NIH Clinical Center, he served as chief of staff in the NEI Office of the Scientific Director, where he actively promoted translational and transformative research across DIR to directly support the mission of the NIH Intramural Research Program.
After joining the NIH, he earned his Master of Science in healthcare administration and a Master of Business Administration at the University of Maryland University College.
Russ truly gave his heart and soul to his work, managing the complexities of relationships across the NIH and will be deeply missed by his many friends and colleagues across the agency.