Victoria Sheffield

• Member, Board of Directors, VISION2020/USA, 2020-2024
• Founding Vice Chair, Advisory Board of the International Pediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus Council, 2013-2024
• Consultant, AAO Global Education & Outreach Committee, 2013-present, prior iterations of committee from 1996
• Member, National Eye Institute’s Ad Hoc Committee to develop the International Consortium for Research in Eye Health, 2022-2024
• Life Member, The St. John Ophthalmic Association
• Vice President, International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, 2015-2021
• President & 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.