The Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration

We are pleased to announce the 2024 Eye-Bank Young Ambassador and STEM Scholarship winners! The $3,000 Young Ambassador Scholarship was awarded to Hannah Ganson, a graduate of Commack High School who will be attending the University of Rhode Island’s College of Nursing in the fall. Hannah created promotional items and conducted outreach activities to promote eye donation at Nassau Community College. The $3,000 STEM Scholarship was awarded to Abou Fofana, a rising sophomore at the State University of New York at Old Westbury. Abou proposed a method of increasing awareness of the need for eye donation utilizing virtual reality technology. Congratulations, Hannah and Abou! More information about The Eye-Bank's academic scholarships visit https://lnkd.in/efJwq5KS 

So many signs of #Pride can be seen throughout our service area! Many symbols and flags are displayed year-round, and that's a beautiful sight! The Eye-Bank is proud to serve the vibrant LGBTQIA+ community in New York City, Long Island, and the Lower Hudson Valley. Happy Pride Month!

Happy Father’s Day!! Here’s to amazing dads like cornea transplant recipient, Kelvin, who is so grateful for the simple pleasures he enjoys with his restored sight, like driving his daughter to the playground after school. Thank you to all the eye donors and donor families whose selfless gifts make it possible for dads like Kelvin to watch their children grow up. 💚💙 The Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration

The Eye-Bank congratulates our Medical Director Michelle Rhee on her election to the Board of the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA)! Dr. Rhee was elected to be one of three Members-at-Large on the Board at the national organization's annual meeting held in Kansas City, MO on June 5-8. The EBAA has a membership of non-profit eye banks serving all fifty states and around the world by providing safe, quality donor tissue for sight-saving transplants. Currently, EBAA member eye banks recover more than 69,000 ocular donations each year. As an At-large Director of the EBAA's Board, which is comprised of both eye bankers and corneal surgeons, Dr. Rhee will help serve the Board's strategic needs and uphold it's mission of advancing the profession of eye banking. Dr. Rhee, a cornea specialist, is currently an Associate clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) in New York and Associate Director of Ophthalmology at Elmhurst Hospital Center where she serves as Surgical and clinical Preceptor for the ISMMS Ophthalmology Residency Program.

The Eye-Bank attended the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) annual meeting held in Kansas City last week! The four-day conference provided informative programming, workshops and a great opportunity to connect with nonprofit eye bankers from around the country. Eye-Bank President Dennis Tarzian attended the meeting along with Executive Director Patricia Dahl, Associate Director Ed (Edwin) Roberts, Immediate Past Chair of the EBAA and Communications Director Noel Mick, Ocular Laboratory Director Hortense Kendall, and Associate Medical Director Joann Kang, M.D. Our Research and Relationship Development Manager YoneJung Yoon, Ph.D. Yoon, PhD presented the work of our research program in both the Scientific Symposium and on a panel titled, Research Requests: Maximizing the Gift and Advancing Innovation. Our Communications Manager Maria Chelko presented ways to expand community on social media platforms in a Social Media Strategies panel. We value the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with our eye banking colleagues. See you next year in San Diego!

Big thanks to everyone who came out and made our Spring Benefit Disco such a groovy good time! It was such a pleasure to celebrate The Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration’s sight-saving work with colleagues, friends, and collaborators, and under a disco ball! Shout out to Karen Bardavid, Robert Hankins, Michele Linton, and Renee DaCruz on our Eye-Bank Development team for organizing such a fantastic event! 🕺✨ Amanda Vesey-Askey Paulina Kaczmarczyk Chelci R. Bidos, BA, MSJ Dorothy Lamore Eduardo Gonzalez Himani Goyal, MD

The Eye-Bank's Executive Director Patricia Dahl, Research and Relationship Development Manager YoneJung Yoon, Ph.D. and Associate Director Ed (Edwin) Roberts Roberts attended the Annual Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) conference held May 5-9 in Seattle. The Eye-Bank hosted a reception for research scientists wanting to learn more about The Eye-Bank's Ocular Tissue Research Program which you can read about on our blog here: https://lnkd.in/edyR4P39

Happy Mother's Day from The Eye-Bank! The gift of sight brightens the lives of mothers and their families. Our latest blog post features two moms whose lives were changed in different ways by the generous gifts of eye donors. https://lnkd.in/ep399Zis

Happy #NursesWeek! The Eye-Bank celebrates all the dedicated nurses who care for patients every day with skill and compassion. Nurses play an essential role in the eye donation process. Their collaboration supports our sight saving mission. Here are just some of the nurses whose efforts we appreciate at NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens, St. Albans VA Medical Center, Catholic Health Good Samaritan Hospital and Jamaica Hospital, pictured with Eye-Bank Senior Hospital and Community Liaison Amanda Vesey-Askey.

This Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (#AANHPI) Heritage Month we are proud to recognize an essential figure in The Eye-Bank's history: Wing Chu, M.D. In addition to being The Eye-Bank's Medical Director for 30 years and one of New York's top-ranking ophthalmologists and corneal surgeons, Dr. Chu was widely acclaimed throughout the field of eye banking for his expertise and dedication. He served as the Chair of The Eye Bank Association of America and worked to share best eye banking practices worldwide. He gave presentations on eye banking and the need for safety standards in China, the Dominican Republic, Italy, France, the Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates. During his time as The Eye-Bank's Medical Director, more than 36,000 New Yorkers received the gift of sight. When Dr. Chu passed away in 2012, he became an eye donor himself and gave the gift of sight to two people. The Eye-Bank's Ocular Laboratory and annual Cornea Fellow Day are named in memory of Dr. Wing Chu for his many significant contributions to the profession.