JULY 2022 | VOL 7

FLORIDA LIONS EYE BANK ANNUAL RETREAT

The Florida Lions Eye Bank Board of Directors held its Annual Retreat on June 18, 2022, in Sunrise, Florida. The Retreat, held every year after the installation of a new Board President, functions as a strategic meeting of the Board, a dedicated group of men and women committed to Florida Lions Eye Bank’s mission to Restore the Beauty of Sight.

In attendance were the 2022-2023 Officers & Past Presidents, as well as Executive Director Elizabeth Fout and Medical Director Sander R. Dubovy, MD. The group discussed opportunities to expand service to the community, strategized the future direction of Florida Lions Eye Bank, approved the 2022-2023 budget, and outlined goals for the coming year.  

The 2022 Retreat was PCC Helene Thompson’s first meeting as Board President. Ms. Thompson, a long-time supporter of Florida Lions Eye Bank, assumed the role at the 2022 Installation, held the week prior.

Florida Lions Eye Bank welcomes incoming Bascom Palmer Eye Institute Cornea Fellows Ibrahim Sayed-Ahmed, MD, Stephanie Chen, MD, Menachem Weiss, MD, and Margaret Wang, MD.

These early-career ophthalmologists will receive highly specialized training in disorders of the cornea and ocular surface at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute for a period of one year. On July 11, the new fellows visited Florida Lions Eye Bank’s laboratory to learn about our history and operations and prepare for their role in restoring sight to Bascom Palmer patients for the next 12 months. 

Dr. Rahul Tonk, seated center and at far right, assisted in the orientation. Dr. Tonk, a Faculty and Corneal Specialist at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, and accomplished corneal transplant surgeon, demonstrated the different methods of evaluating corneal tissue to determine its suitability for transplant. Bascom Palmer fellows play a critical role in evaluating all corneal tissue that is provided for transplant, examining each graft with a slit lamp before it is approved for use in surgery. As fellows, Drs. Ahmed, Chen, Weiss, and Wang have completed four years of medical school and three years as ophthalmology residents. A Bascom Palmer Fellowship serves as the final year of professional training required to become corneal specialists.

In the next few weeks, Beauty of Sight Foundation will launch its Capital Campaign to fund the Florida Lions Eye Bank's new facility at 1800 NW 7th Ave in Miami. In fact, we are excited to officially announce that Beauty of Sight Foundation has received a matching gift pledge of 1 Million Dollars to kick off this project! We are incredibly grateful for this commitment and look forward to getting all of our supporters and friends involved in helping us make this dream a reality. To find out more, don't hesitate to contact Elizabeth Fout via email at efcaraza@med.miami.edu. 



We are looking forward to Building our Future Together!