[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 172 (Friday, October 17, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E969]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING DR. GLENN COCKERHAM

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SCOTT H. PETERS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 17, 2025

  Mr. PETERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Glenn Cockerham, a 
distinguished physician, veteran, educator, and leader in ophthalmology 
who has devoted his career to serving our nation's Veterans. Throughout 
his decades of service, Dr. Cockerham has led national efforts to 
improve eye care for Veterans, advanced ophthalmic policy across 
federal health systems, mentored future physician leaders, and 
exemplified integrity and professionalism in every role. After many 
years of service to our nation, he retired in June from the Department 
of Veterans Affairs.
  After earning his medical degree, Dr. Cockerham completed his 
ophthalmology residency at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 
Washington, D.C., followed by a fellowship in Cornea and Refractive 
Surgery at Harvard Medical School's Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary.
  He obtained the rank of colonel while serving in the U.S. Air Force 
(USAF), and his military assignments included Senior Flight Surgeon 
with the 7th Special Operations Squadron, Chief of Flight Medicine, and 
Chief Consultant for Surgery at the U.S. Air Force Surgeon General 
Office.
  Dr. Cockerham served as the National Program Executive Director for 
Ophthalmology Selvices and was responsible for the implementation of 
policies impacting eye care services throughout the Veterans Health 
Administration. His previous national leadership roles include Acting 
Deputy Director at the Department of Defense/Veterans Affairs (DoD/VA) 
Vision Center of Excellence and Acting Chief Consultant for VA 
Specialty Care Services. He is also a Clinical Associate Professor in 
both the Departments of Ophthalmology and Pathology at Stanford 
University School of Medicine.
  In 2009, Dr. Cockerham was honored with the Olin Teague Award for 
War-related Research Most Beneficial to Veterans, which he received 
alongside Dr. Gregory Goodrich. The award recognized their exceptional 
research on traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its impact on vision in 
Veterans. Their work focused on identifying and addressing vision 
problems associated with blast-related TBI, including the development 
of innovative screening tools and therapies. Dr. Cockerham's 
contributions led to the identification of critical TBI-related vision 
disorders and the generation of data that inforned U.S. Department of 
Defense prevention efforts.
  Dr. Cockerham is also a widely published academic, with peer-reviewed 
work appearing in JAMA, Opthalmology, Journal of Cataract and 
Refractive Surgery, Military Medicine, the New England Journal of 
Medicine, and others. His research has informed clinical practices and 
contributed to national conversations on eye health.
  Dr. Cockerham has played a key role in shaping the future of 
ophthalmology and advancing care for Veterans. His expertise has 
influenced health policy, clinical standards, and medical education, 
and he continues to impact both federal healthcare systems and academic 
medicine. He was and remains a strong advocate for patient safety, 
clinical excellence, and the needs of Veterans at the highest levels of 
government. It is an honor to formally recognize his remarkable service 
and enduring contributions to our nation and to the field of 
ophthalmology.

                          ____________________