International Ophthalmology and Global Eye Health

Wondu Alemayehu, MD, MPH was trained as a general medical practitioner, specialized in Ophthalmology (at Halie Silassie I University and Addis Ababa University), then received MPH and a certificate in Preventive/Community Ophthalmology (at Johns Hopkins University, USA). Wondu Served as faculty member, Assistant and then Associate Prof., in the Department of Ophthalmology, of the Medical Faculty of AAU for over 15 years and participated in teaching, service delivery and research. He conducted research in eye health/trachoma and published, as an author and/or co-author, in reputed peer reviewed medical journals. Subsequently, Wondu worked as a Country Director of Project ORBIS International, Inc.–Ethiopia. In this capacity, he was instrumental in playing a pivotal leadership role in the development of viable eye health program in Ethiopia. This included advocacy for eye health, strengthening of tertiary academic eye health institutions and as part of rural eye health program, the implementation of the complete SAFE (Surgery, Antibiotics, Face washing and Environmental improvement) strategy for the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem. Other critical components of the country program were building the first viable Eye Bank in sub-Saharan Africa and building medical equipment management capacity as well as research in eye health. Currently, Wondu is working as a Global Trachoma Technical Adviser to The Fred Hollows Foundation and General Manager and Consultant Ophthalmologist, at Berhan Public Health & Eye Care Consultancy Plc. During his professional career, Wondu received various awards and certificates including International Agency for Prevention of Blindness’s (IAPB) 2004 regional achievement award; Certificates of appreciation by the Ophthalmological Society of Ethiopia (OSE) and Ethiopian Optometry Association (EOA). Other certificates of achievement include: The ICTC MacCallan Medal for outstanding achievement in trachoma implementation, 25 September 2014; The L’OCCITANE Foundation’s Sight Award for research, 2016; the “Bego Sew” nominee award in the field of Science, September 03, 2016, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; The Diploma of Laureate by the Abyssinia Award on October 29, 2017. Award in recognition of the development of the Eye Bank of Ethiopia October 04, 2018. Certificate of appreciation in recognition of outstanding scientific contribution to21st ESO 2024. Wondu is a member of the National Committee for the Prevention of Blindness and National Trachoma Task Force, Ethiopian Medical Association and American Academy of Ophthalmology. In addition, he is serving as Chair of the Technical Working Group for the 2nd National Eye Health Survey of Ethiopia; the Post-operative trachomatous trichiasis (PTT) management guideline development team, and The Policy -Advocacy Committee of the OSE of which he was the 1st Secretary. Furthermore, Wondu works as Ethiopia Principal and Co- PI of ongoing research studies in trachoma. Most recent academic activities include presentations: 21st Emirates Society of Ophthalmology Conference (ESO) (2-4 Feb. 2024) entitled “Restoring sight amongst disadvantaged people”, Ethiopian Corneal Surgeons Advisory Council meeting (Feb 24, 2024) - “Trachomatous Corneal Opacity (TCO) reversing the “irreversible”” virtual CME organized by the Ethiopian Medical Association as its 60th pre- medical conference annual activity (March 04, 2024)- “Towards elimination of Trachoma in Ethiopia, turning the last stone” virtual panel discussion on the International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration event (March 08, 2024) organized by The Fred Hollows Foundation - “The Negative Impact of Trachoma on Women/Mothers: Recommendations and Solutions”

Eduardo C. Alfonso, M.D., is director of the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology, and holder of the Kathleen and Stanley J. Glaser Chair at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Physician, surgeon, professor, researcher, and administrator, he is known for his clinical and research expertise in eye diseases, corneal surgery, ocular microbiology, and administrative skills in healthcare. Born in Cuba, Dr. Alfonso grew up in Puerto Rico. He received a bachelor degree (Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa) and medical degree from Yale University. He completed his residency in ophthalmology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. This was followed by fellowships in clinical and surgical cornea at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, in ophthalmic pathology at the David G. Cogan Eye Pathology Laboratory, and research at the Howe Laboratory, all of Harvard University. Dr. Alfonso joined the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute University of Miami faculty in 1986 as assistant professor and became a tenured professor and Edward W.D. Norton Distinguished Chair in 1998. Since 2007, Dr. Alfonso has served as the leader of the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. He oversees the clinical, educational, and research programs. He is the medical director of its clinical facilities which include the University of Miami Hospital and Clinics, the Anne Bates Leach Eye Center, Jackson Memorial Hospital and Health System, the Veterans Administration Hospitals, and Bascom Palmer’s outpatient facilities in Palm Beach Gardens, Plantation, Naples, and Coral Gables, Florida. The Institute’s medical education program trains ophthalmology residents, fellows, researchers, medical students and clinical observers. The continuing education program has over 1,500 yearly attendees. Research accounts for more than 25 million dollars a year in clinical and laboratory research programs. Since the U.S. News & World Report national rankings began in 1990, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute has been named as one of the top two eye hospitals in the country, achieving the #1 position each year for the past 21 years. The Institute has also repeatedly received the top eye hospital ranking and the top clinical care program ranking by Ophthalmology Times; and the ophthalmology residency program is continually recognized as the best in the country by Doximity.com. Dr. Alfonso is an internationally known clinical and research expert on cornea and ocular infectious diseases. He specializes in corneal transplants, having performed more than 1,000 surgeries in adults and children. He has developed the surgical and clinical applications of keratoprosthesis, an artificial cornea. The National Eye Institute, foundations, and philanthropy have funded this research. He has delivered more than 25 named honor lectures, has been an invited lecturer in over 200 national and international meetings, serves on the editorial boards of ophthalmology journals, and authored more than 300 scientific publications. Since 1985, he has been certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and voluntarily re-certified in 2015. Dr. Alfonso has received numerous awards, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Honor Award, Senior Achievement Award, Life Achievement Honor Award, and Special Recognition Award. He has been honored with the Pan American Ophthalmological Foundation Ambassador for Education Award and received the Heed-Gutman Award from the Society of Heed Fellows. South Florida Business presented him with the CEO of the Year Award and named him one of the 100 most influential leaders in South Florida. He was honored with the Florida Society of Ophthalmology Leadership Award, and the Medical Faculty Award by ORBIS International. Dr. Alfonso was inducted into the American Ophthalmological Society, the University of Miami Iron Arrow Society, the Academia Ophthalmologica Internationale, Alpha Omega Alpha, Phi Beta Kappa and the Order of St John. Florida Trend has included him in their list of most influential leaders each year since 2018. He has been included in Best Doctors in America by Woodward/White since 1994, Top Doctors in the United States by Castle Connolly since 2000, and named to The Ophthalmologist Power List in 2014, 2016, 2018, 2022, and 2023, which names the world’s 100 most influential people in ophthalmology. He has served as director and president of the Miami Ophthalmological Society, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute Alumni Association, Sociedad Iberoamericana de Cornea y Cirugia Refractiva, Cuban Ophthalmological Society in Exile, Ophthalmology Research Foundation, Ocular Microbiology and Immunology Group, Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology, Heed Ophthalmic Foundation, and Pan American Association of Ophthalmology. He has served or serves on the board of directors of the Society of Heed Fellows, Cornea Society, International Council of Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology Foundation, Florida Society of Ophthalmology, and the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research and the Alliance for Eye and Vision Research. Dr. Alfonso founded the Cornea and External Disease Academic Society in 1988. He has served as vice chair of the University of Miami Medical Group, chair of the by-laws and finance committees, and vice chair of the Board of Governors of the Anne Bates Leach Eye Hospital. He has served on several search committees at the University of Miami and/or the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine including those identifying and recommending applicants for Provost and Executive Vice President (chair), President, and numerous department chairs, as well as serving on the search committee for the Deputy Director of the National Eye Institute. Dr. Alfonso has also served on scientific boards for industry, National Eye Institute, Hope for Vision, Prevent Blindness America, Alcon Research Institute, and Research to Prevent Blindness. He was appointed by the Secretary of Health & Human Services to serve on the National Institute of Health’s National Advisory Eye Council, a prestigious panel of leading scientists that advises the National Eye Institute. Dr. Alfonso and his wife, Molly, live in Key Biscayne, Florida. They have three children, two sons-in-law, and five grandchildren. They enjoy the outdoors, exercise, boating and travel.

Specialized in clinical ophthalmology of the anterior segment of the eye, Elena Barraquer is internationally renowned in the field of cataract surgery and the evolution of its treatment. Thus, since she graduated in 1977 in Medicine and Surgery at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, ​​Elena Barraquer has focused on the development of ophthalmology, especially in the care and treatment of patients. Elena Barraquer developed her professional career in the United States and Italy. What was presented to her in 1977 as an opportunity to learn research in Maryland ended up becoming a stay of more than 11 years of training. After two years working at the National Institute of Health, and two other doing pathological anatomy at the Wilmer Eye Institute (Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions), she earned her medical degree and majored in ophthalmology at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (Harvard Medical School), making her one of the few specialists in ophthalmology who o performed her entire specialty in the USA. Later she moved to Turin, Italy, where from 1989 to 2002 she practiced as an ophthalmologist and surgeon at the Bosio Barraquer Associated Medical Studio. In 2003, she returned to Barcelona to continue her career: Elena Barraquer has been adding milestones in the field of international cooperation, with the Fundación Elena Barraquer being her most ambitious and charismatic project up to date.

Lucian V. Del Priore, MD, PhD specializes in the surgical and medical treatment of retinal disease, including age-related macular degeneration, retinal detachment, diabetic retinopathy, macular holes, epiretinal membranes, and ocular trauma. He received his BS in Physics from the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, an MD with Distinction in Research from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and an MS and PhD in Physics from Cornell University.  He completed a residency in Ophthalmology and fellowships in Vitreoretinal Surgery and Glaucoma at the Wilmer Eye Institute of the Johns Hopkins Hospital.  He has served on the faculty of Washington University School of Medicine and Columbia University, where he rose to the ranks of Professor and Robert L. Burch III Scholar in the Department of Ophthalmology and was a member of the Stem Cell Consortium.  Prior to coming to Yale, he was the Pierre G. Jenkins Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Professor of Regenerative Medicine and Director of the Albert Florens Storm Eye Institute at MUSC in Charleston, SC.          Dr. Del Priore is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Macula Society, the Retina Society, the American Society of Retinal Specialists, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, and the International Society for Eye Research.  Dr. Del Priore has published extensively in the peer-reviewed literature and has given numerous invited lectures throughout the world on the treatment of retinal diseases.  He maintains an active research laboratory in the biology of retina in health and disease.  He was recently elected to the New York Ophthalmological Society, and is a Life Fellow and Member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, having previously received a Senior Achievement Award in recognition of commitment to advancing the profession. He has also received a Senior Honor Award from the American Society of Retina Specialists, and is a Fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. He has received an MA (honorary) from Yale University, and a Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute at Johns Hopkins in recognition of outstanding contributions to ophthalmology as a Wilmer Graduate. He has received the Lew R. Wasserman Award from Research to Prevent Blindness and a Teacher of the Year Award. He is listed consistently within the Castle Connolly Guide to America’s Top Doctors, as well as Connecticut Magazine Best Doctors.

Dr. Dragomir Dragonov is a well-known, highly respected international ophthalmologist and glaucoma specialist whose home is in Varna, Bulgaria. Prior to becoming an ophthalmologist, he was a general practitioner in both civilian and Bulgarian military life (1976). He graduated from the Medical University of Varna, where he received his doctorate in medicine. Following his time in the military, he completed a residency in ophthalmology at the Medical University of Varna, Medical Academy in Sofia, Bulgaria. He completed a Glaucoma Fellowship at the Cincinnati Eye Institute in the United States. In Bulgaria, he has served as the Head of the Glaucoma Department at the Specialized Eye Hospital in Varna. He has also served as Director and Deputy Director of that eye hospital. He is currently a consulting ophthalmologist at a number of medical clinics in Varna. Dr. Dragonov was well-loved as a team leader on the ORBIS plane, both as a Staff Ophthalmologist and Field Medical Director. During his four years at ORBIS, from 1994 to 1998, he participated and led missions to dozens of countries. He was responsible for ensuring that each three-week Orbis plane program achieved the pre-planned goals jointly developed by the host ophthalmologists and the Orbis team. This included overseeing the training of key ophthalmologists, nurses, healthcare workers, and equipment technicians. It also included selecting the most appropriate patients, from a sometimes-overwhelming potential group, to best demonstrate the requested surgery. This often required the deft handling of requests from influential individuals in the community and the sensitive and compassionate interaction with patients and their families. It also required meeting with key government officials, up to and including presidents and prime ministers to increase their awareness of the severity and consequences of blindness and visual impairment and increase their support for programs to combat these problems. He handled all these responsibilities calmly and effectively in dozens of countries across multiple continents for several years. He always wanted to do more for everyone involved in the programs.

Dr. Peter E. Liggett is a nationally renowned macula and retina specialist who has received numerous grants and awards and has written more than 75 articles and chapters in peer-reviewed literature. He has written four major textbooks on diseases of the macula and retina. He is an examiner for the American Board of Ophthalmology. He was the founder and president of New England Retina Associates until August of 2013. Dr. Liggett is a nationally renowned educator who has been a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at both Yale School of Medicine and the Cornell Weill College of Medicine in New York. He taught at Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University and the Doheny Eye Institute at the University of Southern California. Dr. Liggett was a principal investigator on the National Institute of Health Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study. Dr. Liggett received his medical degree from Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. He completed his internal medicine and ophthalmology residencies at Cornell University Medical Center in New York City, and his vitreoretinal surgery fellowship at the University of Southern California with Steve Ryan. He is board certified in both ophthalmology and internal medicine. Additionally, Dr. Liggett is a member of all three of the peer invitation-only societies: the Retina Society, the Macula Society, the Jules Gonin Society (the international society for retinal diseases) and the American Uveitis Society. Dr. Liggett was a principal investigator in the National Eye Institute’s National Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study and the Silicone Oil Study for Complicated Retinal Detachments. He is listed in the peer-compiled book, “Best Doctors in America.”

Eugenio J Maul, M.D. is a renowned specialist in the surgical and medical treatment of glaucoma, as well as an expert in Public Health, particularly in countries in South America. He was the Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology of the Medical School of Pontifica Universidad Catolica de Chile from 1986 to 2011. Dr. Maul received his medical degree from Pontifica Universidad Catolica de Chile (PUC) and completed his residency in ophthalmology and a Fellowship in Glaucoma at PUC as well. He completed a Glaucoma Research Fellowship in the laboratory of Marvin Sears at Yale University. He has also been a fellow in Public Health at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and participated in Research Methodology in Public Health and Clinical Ophthalmology in New Delhi, India, with the National Eye Institute. Dr. Maul is Past President of the Chilean Society of Ophthalmology, the Founder and Honorary President of the Chilean Society of Glaucoma, and Past President of the Pan American Glaucoma Society. He is also a member of the American Glaucoma Society, and an International Member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, where he served on the International Meetings Committee. In the Public Health arena in ophthalmology, Dr. Maul has served as Secretary for the Prevention of Blindness of the Chilean Society of Ophthalmology, been a Member of the Advisory Group for Blindness Prevention of PAHO, served as Technical Advisor of SightFirst Program (17 countries in Latin America) as a joint effort of Lions Clubs International Foundation and the National Eye Institute, was Co-Chairman for South America, International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, London, UK, and a Member of the Advisory Group for the Prevention of Blindness of the World Health Organization. He is the author of numerous articles in peer-reviewed literature and has been recognized with multiple awards and guest lectureships, such as the American Journal of Ophthalmology Lecture at the XX Pan-American Congress of Ophthalmology, the Gradle Lecture at the XXV Pan-American Congress of Ophthalmology, the Achievement Award of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Senior Achievement Award of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Dr. Maul is internationally known and respected, having developed the friendship and esteem of ophthalmology colleagues throughout the world.

Nationally renowned Ophthalmologist and Healthcare Equity Advocate Dr. Mildred MG Olivier is Associate Dean of the School of Medicine at Ponce University, leading PHSU St. Louis’s new four-year Doctor of Medicine program at the St. Louis campus. She has spent many years advocating for health equity and better access to healthcare education and truly understands PHSU’s mission for our students. When she accepted her most recent position, she stated:“Students of color and low-income students are largely underrepresented in health care, which in turn perpetuates healthcare disparities and distrust in medical professionals,” said Dr. Mildred Olivier. “PHSU is using data, cutting edge technology, and a singular focus on equity to redefine the way we recruit, train, and deploy healthcare workers here in the U.S. I could not be more honored to be joining this community and look forward to the work we can do together.” Dr. Olivier was previously Assistant Dean for Diversity and Global Health Chair for Chicago Medical School, Professor of Ophthalmology at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science/John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County Her extensive academic work includes clinical instruction of medical students and residents in glaucoma. She is the founder and CEO of the Midwest Glaucoma Center, P.C. Dr. Olivier is a member-at-large of the Board of Trustees of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Past President of Women in Ophthalmology. She previously served on the Diversity Issues Committee at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), as well as the Advisory Council of the National Eye Institute, and is an AAO delegate to the American Medical Association. Since 2004, she has been a member of the steering committee for AMA’s Commission to End Health Care Disparities. In addition, she is past president of the Chicago Glaucoma Society and is Treasurer of the American Glaucoma Society Foundation. Dr. Olivier served on the board for Prevent Blindness America. She is also a board member of the DuSable Museum of African American History. Dr. Olivier has published in peer-reviewed journals and has co-authored books and book chapters. She served on the AAO’s COMPASS panel for glaucoma. Dr. Olivier has been conducting regular medical missions to Haiti since 1993. She is frequently called upon to speak on glaucoma, health care disparities and global health at national and international medical conferences.

Dr. Gullapalli Nageswara Rao (Nag) completed his residency training in ophthalmology in India and then went to the United States where he did his fellowships at the Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, and later at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, where he continued as the clinical faculty until his return to India in 1986. Dr. Rao is the Founder-Chair of L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI). Established in 1987, LVPEI has positively impacted the lives of 30.64 million people and has been providing equitable and quality eye care to all sections of society with the vision ‘So that all may see’. The LVPEI Eye Health Pyramid with its four-tier eye care delivery system – primary, secondary, tertiary and advanced care – focusing on ‘people-centred eye care’ is the brainchild of Dr Rao. A World Health Organization Collaborating Centre (WHO) for Prevention of Blindness, LVPEI provides more than 50% of its services free of cost to the underserved through its network of over 215 centres. Under his stellar leadership, LVPEI has established itself as a globally recognized eye care institute with strong components of clinical care, low vision and rehabilitation, training, eye banking, research, product and technology innovation, public health and capacity building. Through several capacity building initiatives, Dr. Rao and LVPEI have played a pivotal role in helping upgrade eye health programs in twelve countries in Asia and Africa, and eighteen states in India, the latest impactful one being the Liberia Eye Health Initiative. Dr. Rao has published over 300 papers and contributed several book chapters, in addition to serving on the Editorial Boards of several journals. He holds several important leadership positions in prominent national and international organisations. Some of the significant recognitions and honours include (a) Former Secretary-General and later Chair of the Board and CEO of the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), wherein he played a pivotal role in developing and fostering the global initiative to eliminate avoidable blindness, along with WHO – VISION 2020: The Right to Sight in partnership with WHO (b) Former President of ‘Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis (AOI)’, group of 80 of the most eminent academicians in ophthalmology in the world (c) Inducted into ‘Ophthalmology Hall of Fame’ at the meeting of American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) in Los Angeles. Only 57 Ophthalmologists from around the world have been inducted into the Hall of Fame in the past three centuries (d) Recipient of World Cornea Congress Medal from International Cornea Society (among the first ten) for outstanding contribution to the field of cornea (e) Invited Editorial for the 100th year issue of British Journal of Ophthalmology (f) Honoured with the institution of ‘Gullapalli N Rao – AIOS Endowment Lecture’ by the All India Ophthalmological Society (one of the five instituted by AIOS in 2020) (g) Member of the Jury for the Champalimaud Award, a € 1.0 million award for outstanding contributions to vision care or research and h) Five honorary doctorates from Australia, UK and India.

Alfredo A. Sadun, M.D., PhD. holds the Flora L. Thornton Endowed Chair and is Chief at Doheny and Vice-Chair of Ophthalmology at UCLA. Dr. Sadun graduated from MIT (1972). He received his Ph.D. and M.D. at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1976 and 1978. He completed a residency in Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School and, after a fellowship in Neuro-Ophthalmology, joined the full-time faculty at Harvard, Department of Ophthalmology in 1983. In 2014, he helped lead Doheny in its transition to UCLA. Dr. Sadun actively pursues and has received the greatest distinction in all three classical academic missions. His research in vision was honored by the lifetime achievement award given by Lighthouse International, the 1999 Pisart Award. His contributions to residency teaching in ophthalmology were honored by the AAO and AUPO highest award for education, the 2002 Straatsma Prize. In 2012, Dr. Sadun received the Hoyt Award, the highest prize offered in clinical neuro-ophthalmology, given jointly by the AAO and NANOS. He also received the prestigious Heed Award for Academic Excellence at the AAO meetings in 2014 and Albert Einstein Col. Of Medicine’s highest honor for contributions in science and medicine, the Purpura Prize, in 2016. He was a recipient of the AAO Life Achievement Award, 2017 and the ARVO Gold Fellow Award, 2020. Dr. Sadun is an international authority in neuro-ophthalmology and especially in diseases of the optic nerve. He has published over 420 peer-reviewed articles, 80 book chapters and co-authored or edited 5 books. He has over 30,000 citations and an H-factor of 79. Dr. Sadun was a leader of ophthalmology residency programs directors becoming the first president of the AUPO Program Directors’ Council. Dr. Sadun maintains an active laboratory with research centered on the clinical, psychophysical and laboratory studies of diseases of the optic nerve. Dr. Sadun was the first to identify an optic neuropathy associated with Alzheimer’s disease. In 1993, the United Nations and Orbis asked him to lead an investigative team to determine the cause of an epidemic of optic neuropathy in Cuba. In these and other studies, he has investigated the role of mitochondria in the brain, optic nerve and retina.

Member, Board of Directors, VISION2020/USA, 2020-2024Founding Vice Chair, Advisory Board of the International Pediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus Council, 2013-2024Consultant, AAO Global Education & Outreach Committee, 2013-present, prior iterations of committee from 1996Member, National Eye Institute’s Ad Hoc Committee to develop the International Consortium for Research in Eye Health, 2022-2024Life Member, The St. John Ophthalmic AssociationVice President, International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, 2015-2021President & CEO, International Eye Foundation, 1990-2020 Victoria Sheffield has over 50 years’ experience in ophthalmology and international blindness prevention. She was certified as an Ophthalmic Medical Technologist after graduating from the 2-year training program at the Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, DC 1975-1977. A Vietnam-era veteran of the US Air Force Medical Corps, she served in the US, the Philippines, and Italy1966-1972. Ms. Sheffield was appointed Assistant Director for Paramedical Training Programs at the International Eye Foundation (IEF) in 1979 after serving on an IEF corneal transplant team to develop the “new” Jordan Eye Bank in Amman. She lived in Kenya working with IEF’s “Kenya Rural Blindness Prevention Project” 1980-1983 with follow on assignments in the Middle East and Caribbean. Joining Helen Keller International in 1984 as Director of Technical, Educational, and Scientific Services, she designed training programs and materials, and conducted surveys with a focus on vitamin A deficiency in several countries in Asia and Africa. Working closely with UNICEF during the drought and famine in Ethiopia and Sudan 1985-1989 battling vitamin A deficiency and trachoma, HKI then seconded her to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) "Programme for Prevention of Blindness" in Geneva 1985-1987 to design and produce public eye health education materials for WHO. In 1990, she returned to IEF as President & CEO and retired June 30, 2020. A recognized leader in the field of international eye health programming, Ms. Sheffield represented IEF and HKI at WHO technical meetings in Geneva for 35 years. After retiring, she served as a consultant to IEF as a Senior Technical Advisor to USAID’s Child Blindness Program 2020-2023. Ms. Sheffield has lectured at US and UK universities; presented at the Royal Society of Medicine in London; authored 27 publications, 6 book chapters, 83 presentations at professional conferences, and served as technical reviewer on 7 publications. She participated in the launch of VISION2020: The Right to Sight at WHO in Geneva 1999 as chair of IAPB’s "Partnership Committee” (forerunner of the Council of Members) 1993-1998; co-chaired IAPB’s North America Region 1999-2012; and served as an officer on the Board of Directors of InterAction, a US-based consortium of over 160 international NGOs. Ms. Sheffield was given the rank of Dame by HM Queen Elizabeth II in The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem and served on the St John Eye Hospital’s Board of Trustees 2009-2015 chairing the Strategy Committee and serving on the Clinical Governance Committee. She served on the US Priory of the Order of St John’s Chapter (Board) 2015-2021 serving on the Development, Finance, and Investiture Committees. After service on the Chapter, she served on the US Priory’s National Development Committee 2021-2022 and the Finance Committee 2021-present. She received an IAPB Vision Excellence Award 2020, AAO Senior Achievement Award 2014, AAO Secretariat Award 2013, Prince Abdulaziz Ahmad Al Saud Prevention of Blindness Award from the Middle East Africa Council of Ophthalmology at the AAO 2010, AAO Achievement Award 1999, IAPB Regional Achievement Award 1998, and Statesmanship Award from the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology 1990. Ms. Sheffield served on the United Nations Association/ National Capital Area Board receiving a Human Rights Award in 1998. She is an Overseas Life Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine UK, a member of DACOR-An Organization of Foreign Affairs Professionals, and an Honorary Member of the Union of Bulgarian Ophthalmologists and the Albanian Society of Ophthalmology. She is listed in Who’s Who in America receiving its 2020 Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award and 2022 Distinguished Humanitarian Award. Ms. Sheffield is a member of the Travelers’ Century Club, having traveled to 111 countries, lived in five countries on four continents, and has professional experience in 48 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.

Dr. M. Roy Wilson, is a scholar and academic leader, driving innovation in medicine and research. He is currently President Emeritus of Wayne State University, where he became the 12th president in August of 2013 and served in that position for ten years. Prior to joining Wayne State, President Wilson served as deputy director for strategic scientific planning and program coordination at the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health. Previously, he was dean of the School of Medicine and vice president for health sciences at Creighton University, president of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, and concurrently, chancellor of the University of Colorado Denver and chair of the Board of Directors of University of Colorado Hospital. President Wilson also chaired the Board of Directors of the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and was acting president during part of that time.017 to 2018, he was the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Dr. Wilson is an accomplished researcher, receiving the NIH Director’s Award for his research on glaucoma and blindness in West Africa, the Caribbean and underserved communities in the United States. He received his undergraduate degree from Allegheny College, an M.S. in epidemiology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and an M.D. from Harvard Medical School. Dr. Wilson is a world-renowned ophthalmologist and physician who has worked with Dr. Martone at a number of locations in the Caribbean and Africa. We are very fortunate that he has agreed to serve as an advisor to the Section of International Ophthalmology and Global Eye Health in our department.