Join us in celebrating National Doctors’ Day on March 30th

We celebrate the dedication, compassion, and skill of our doctors at UCSF Department of Ophthalmology and Francis I. Proctor Foundation. Help support these remarkable individuals by making a donation in honor of National Doctors’ Day advancing vision research and education.

Together, we can show our doctors the gratitude they deserve, as our young pediatric opthalmology patient has done so beautifully through art (pictured above).

To make a tax-deductible gift to the doctor of your choice, please visit our Donate page.

1. Select National Doctors’ Day under designation from the dropdown menu
2. Make this gift is in honor, memory, or support of someone — note your doctor’s name under Tribute Gift

Thank you for considering this special gesture of appreciation.

A Brief History of Doctors’ Day

The first Doctors’ Day was held in Winder, Georgia on March 30, 1933. It was initiated by a physician’s wife to honor healthcare professionals. The community sent cards and placed flowers on doctors’ graves. The red carnation became the symbolic flower.*

March 30th was chosen because it commemorates the first use of anesthesia in 1842. In 1991, President George H.W. Bush officially declared National Doctors’ Day to recognize physicians’ dedication.*

* Source: National Day Calendar (2024). National Doctors Day – March 30. National Day Calendar. https://www.nationaldaycalendar. com/national-day/national-doctors-day-march-30