by Esinam Bediako
Dr. James T. Rosenbaum has spent his career at the cutting edge of medical science, earning a global reputation as one of the foremost experts on ocular inflammation. A rheumatologist by training, he made history as the only rheumatologist/non-ophthalmologist to serve as the Chair of Ophthalmology at Legacy Devers Eye Institute. With nearly 650 scholarly publications, a long-standing position at Oregon Health & Science University, and a 41-year streak of continuous NIH funding, Rosenbaum’s credentials speak for themselves.
And in January 2025, he stepped into a new role: Chair of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board of the Spondylitis Association of America (SAA).
Yet, for all of his achievements in medicine, there’s something many people might find surprising about Dr. Rosenbaum—he’s also the author of a newly published children’s book.
Dr. Rosenbaum’s literary ambitions didn’t begin in a lab. They began at bedtime, 40 years ago, when he told made-up stories to his young daughters—just as his own grandfather had done for him. One story in particular stuck with him.
That story became Eleanor and Geraldine, an illustrated book about the unlikely friendship between Ellie the elephant and Gerry the giraffe. Eleanor and Geraldine explores teasing, individuality, and self-acceptance—themes that feel especially relevant in today’s social media-driven world.
Intended for readers ages 3 to 9, the book features whimsical illustrations by Dr. Rosenbaum’s lifelong friend, Douglas G. Katagiri, an artist he’s known since high school.
Despite his decades of success in academic publishing, Dr. Rosenbaum had to navigate an entirely new world when bringing Eleanor and Geraldine to life. Ultimately, he chose to publish through Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)—an independent route that allowed him and his illustrator to maintain full creative control.
Published in January 2025, the book continues to find its audience, slowly but surely, through word of mouth and Amazon reviews.
“The first review was from someone I don’t know at all,” he says. “The first time you realize that a stranger has read and liked your book feels very rewarding.”
If publishing a debut children’s book at 75 seems unusual, Dr. Rosenbaum sees it as part of a family tradition. His grandmother, who owned a delicatessen, decided at age 70 to write down her recipes—resulting in two bestselling cookbooks. His father wrote and published A Taste of My Own Medicine, a memoir about his experience as both doctor and cancer patient. The book was later adapted into the Disney film The Doctor.
Just as writing runs in the family, so does medicine. Dr. Rosenbaum once held the Edward E Rosenbaum Professorship in Inflammation Research at Oregon Health & Science University—a professorship named after his father. Among Dr. Rosenbaum’s close relatives, medicine is practically a shared language; his wife, two daughters, and two of his three brothers are all physicians.
Dr. Rosenbaum has been a leading expert in inflammatory eye diseases since 1978. He has taught at UCSF Medical School and Oregon Health & Science University, where he became Chief of Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases. He also served as Director of the Kuzell Institute for Arthritis Research, Chief of Ophthalmology at Legacy Devers Eye Institute, and most recently, Senior Vice President for Research at Corvus Pharmaceuticals.
His research has advanced the understanding of ocular inflammation, the microbiome, and the connection between the eye and rheumatic diseases. Expertscape ranks him as the world’s top uveitis researcher based on publication influence. Over the years, he has helped shape the field through groundbreaking studies and more than 650 scholarly publications.
Now semi-retired, Dr. Rosenbaum isn’t slowing down. As Chair of SAA’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Board, he sees the role as an opportunity to support the next generation of researchers and further the organization’s mission.
“SAA has been a huge part of my career,” he says. “They’ve been generous in supporting research that I or my colleagues have done. So, serving as MSAB chair is a privilege.”
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