John Henry Rockey, an emeritus professor of ophthalmology in Penn’s School of Medicine, passed away on January 22. He was 90.

Dr. Rockey obtained both an MD and a PhD, then joined the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania's (HUP) faculty in 1962 as an assistant professor of microbiology. In 1969, he transferred to Penn’s School of Medicine’s department of ophthalmology, where he was promoted to associate professor in 1970 and full professor three years later. Dr. Rockey was involved with the fledgling Scheie Eye Institute, now a major center for American ophthalmology research. He worked in the field of molecular biology, particularly the molecular approach to hypersensitivity. He published over 90 peer-reviewed journal articles, concentrating on the ocular immune system in cats, cattle, and guinea pigs and using the antibodies in tears as a metric.

Dr. Rockey retired from Penn in 1997 and took emeritus status.  

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