Posted on November 11, 2004 at 9:12 a.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Raymond E. Butler, FACHE, has been named president of the Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital at UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham). Butler, who had been senior vice president since 2002, was named to the top post in October 2004 by the Eye Foundation Inc. Board of Directors and the UAB Health System.

Butler will oversee all operations of the 106-bed, freestanding, ophthalmic specialty hospital and ambulatory surgery center. The Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital is the only eye specialty hospital in Alabama and one of the few facilities in the world entirely dedicated to advancements in ophthalmology.

“In the 11 years that he has been with UAB, Raymond has continually demonstrated the kind of strong leadership and keen insight that are keeping the Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital and the UAB Health System at the forefront of medicine in Alabama and throughout the world,” said David Hoidal, chief executive officer of the UAB Health System.

Butler came to UAB in 1993 as administrative director of the UAB Center for Psychiatric Medicine. He later served as an associate executive director of University Hospital before taking on responsibilities for the Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital.

A graduate of the University of Alabama, he earned a Master of Science in Hospital and Health Administration from UAB’s School of Health Related Professions in 1981.

The Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital, which became part of the UAB Health System in 1997, treats more than 23,000 patients a year. The hospital has a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week eye emergency room, a comprehensive laser center and nine operating rooms.