2024:
Year in Review

Letters From Our Leadership

Message from the Chair:
Jim Quirk, CEBT
Chair of the Board
As we reflect on the past year, I want to review our collective achievements and the remarkable strides we’ve made together. It has been a year of transformation, growth, and deepening impact on the lives of so many individuals.

President’s Address:
Kevin Corcoran, CAE
President & CEO
This is the work that we do every day; initiatives that build on our past successes and lay the foundation for a long and successful future for EBAA, our partners, and the countless cornea recipients and donor family members we serve each year.

Report from the Board:
Shannon Schweitzer, CEBT
Speaker of the House
2024 was an eventful year for the EBAA Board of Directors. We wanted to focus on board outreach and member engagement. We began with unfinished business from 2023 to determine a dues structure that would work for all of our members – both big and small.
Regulations and Standards Overview
Sepsis Screening for Tissue Donation
Two recent Mycobacterium tuberculosis outbreaks linked to bone allografts led to FDA’s inspectional focus on proper donor screening and practices by eye and tissue banks with regards to sepsis.
This alert outlined risk mitigation strategies to identify risk factors, conditions, clinical evidence, and physical evidence that can be associated with an increased risk for TB (including active TB and LTBI) and/or an increased risk of sepsis.
This alert outlined risk mitigation strategies to identify risk factors, conditions, clinical evidence, and physical evidence that can be associated with an increased risk for TB (including active TB and LTBI) and/or an increased risk of sepsis.
Several FDA inspections of eye banks have resulted in Form FDA 483, Inspectional Observations, for not determining donors to be ineligible with a diagnosis of sepsis. All cited eye banks utilized the same Infectious Disease consultant and in some cases had only been reviewing records from a donor’s last 5 days in the hospital.
Meetings and Educational Offerings
EBAA Annual Meeting

Eye bank professionals and corneal surgeons gathered in Kansas City in June for the 2024 EBAA Annual Meeting for four days of education, hands-on experiences, governance, networking, and fun. The meeting featured innovation, artificial intelligence, community partners, and leading with happiness. The Annual Meeting blog post contains full overview of the meeting.
Following their board meetings, the Accreditation Board released the minutes and the updated Accreditation Status List, and the Medical Advisory Board (MAB) released the minutes, updated Procedures Manual, and Medical Standards – updates went into effect on October 1, 2024. The Annual Meeting Package featuring 19 hours of educational content is available on-demand.
Fall Leadership Meeting

The EBAA membership gathered in Chicago during October for the EBAA 2024 Fall Leadership Meeting.
Following their board meetings, the Accreditation Board released the minutes and an updated Accreditation Status List; while the Medical Advisory Board (MAB) released the minutes, updated Medical Standards, and a Medical Advisory which highlights the changes going into effect in 2025. The Policy & Position Review Subcommittee (PPRS) of the MAB released an Informational Alert: Chagas Disease and Eye Tissue Donation. The MAB has endorsed Eye-Only versions of the updated Uniform Donor Risk Assessment Interview (UDRAI) Forms for adults and children.
Cornea and Eye Banking Forum

EBAA and Cornea Society hosted the 2024 Cornea and Eye Banking Forum on Friday, October 18, in Chicago. Co-moderated by Soledad Cortina, MD, and Jessica Ciralsky, MD, the event featured new research, clinical trial findings, lectures, award presentations, lively discussions and the R. Townley Paton Luncheon. Visit the Cornea and Eye Banking Forum Blog Post for a full recap of the event. The presentations are available on-demand.
Technician Education Seminar (TES)

The Technician Education Seminar (TES) took place in early 2024, with 44 attendees from the US and around the world. The 6-week virtual seminar was an opportunity for beginning eye bank professionals to gain more in-depth knowledge of the profession by focusing on the practical, technical, and scientific aspects of eye banking. The annual course continues to evolve, offering each class a unique and meaningful experience, furthering their careers.
Certification
The Certified Eye Bank Technician program is a long-standing, well-respected program ensuring that eye bank technicians are well-versed in the standards and regulations of eye banking. The CEBT Exam was held in April and October of 2024. Congratulations to the candidates who earned their CEBT designation, taking the next step in their eye banking careers.
eyeLEARN

EBAA provides continuous educational training and resources all year long. Visit eyeLEARN, EBAA’s educational portal, to register for an upcoming webinar, learn eye banking skills, observe a surgical procedure, or watch an on-demand session.
Featured On-Demand Resources
On-demand resources are available for members to view at their convenience for CEU credit or overall educational knowledge. Explore the library of featured sessions to boost your eye banking and cornea transplantation expertise.
Webinars
EBAA’s monthly webinars are a consistent means of educating on topics of relevance to eye bank professionals. There are twelve webinars from 2024 that are all free for members and available on-demand on eyeLEARN.
Member Discussions
EBAA members gathered virtually periodically to discuss topics affecting the eye banking community and the association. EBAA hosted two Town Hall Discussions giving members the opportunity to hear from the Speaker of the House about the work of the Board and ask direct questions about current events in eye banking, Throughout the year, Community Chats provided an opportunity to engage with fellow members on relevant topics.
2024 Eye Donation Month
We Can See Clearly Now

Observed each November, Eye Donation Month is the Association’s largest collective awareness campaign each year. The purpose of Eye Donation Month is to:
- Raise awareness about cornea donation and transplantation
- Honor the gift of sight given by selfless donors and their families
- Celebrate cornea transplant recipients living transformed lives
- Educate about eye donation and encourage individuals to register as donors
This year’s theme was, “We Can See Clearly Now” – an ode to the lyrics of the iconic 1972 Johnny Nash song, “I Can See Clearly Now.” The theme emphasized the literal outcome of eye donation—the ability to see, and the figurative outcome of what people experience or “see now” as a donor family, recipient, or champion of eye donation.
We featured two “faces” of Eye Donation Month. Josie, a donor wife, is a U.S. Army Veteran whose husband Julian, was also an Army Vet. His life was dedicated to serving others, and Josie saw donating his corneas and organs as his final act of service. Danny is a bi-lateral cornea recipient, and a living kidney donor after donating to his father-in-law. Danny’s unique perspective as both a recipient and donor is a powerful testament the gratitude recipients feel and the selflessness of donation.
We Can See Clearly Now Photo Contest
EBAA once again held a photo contest for Eye Donation Month. Using the theme, “We Can See Clearly Now” as inspiration, we asked individuals to submit a photo that represents what they can see clearly thanks to the gift of sight. With more than 100 entries, winning submissions were made into Eye Donation Month branded social media graphics for sharing during November.





EBAA Research Grants
A key component of EBAA’s mission is the awarding of funds to promote scientific research and innovation in the fields of eye banking and corneal transplantation. During 2024, EBAA awarded two different grants to nine individuals/research teams.
EBAA High Impact Research Grant
The 2024 High Impact Research Grant was awarded to Alfonso Sabater, MD, PhD, for the proposal, “Lateral Flow Assay and Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification for Detecting Candida albicans Contamination in Corneal Storage.”
Dr. Sabater is a surgeon-scientist, Associate Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology, and is the Medical Director of the Ocular Surface Service and Director of the Corneal Innovation Lab at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. Research in his laboratory is aimed at investigating strategies for corneal and ocular surface protection and regeneration. Dr. Sabater is also the co-founder of three University of Miami spin-off companies focused on developing therapies and devices for patients with corneal and ocular surface diseases.
For 2025, EBAA will be collecting proposals on “Artificial Intelligence Applications in Eye Banking.”
Pilot Research Grant
The Pilot Research Grant funds early-stage research, short-term protocols or pilot projects. Multiple awards up to $7,500 each are awarded annually.
2024 Grant Recipients:
- Joshua Hou, MD, University of Minnesota/ Lions Gift of Sight
- Mark Mannis, MD, University of California, Davis
- Elisha Monson, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
- Mohit Parekh, PhD, Schepens Eye Research Institute/ Mass Eye and Ear
- Christopher Sales, MD, University of Iowa
- Sonia Yeung, MD, PhD, FRCSC, FACS, University of British Columbia
- Yuanyuan Zhang, MD, PhD, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine
- Asmaa Zidan, MD, Schepens Eye Research Institute/ Harvard Medical School
Awards and Scholarships
Eye banking and cornea transplantation have grown from their humble beginnings through the dedication of countless individuals who shared their time and expertise with the profession. EBAA’s awards are designed to recognize these individuals, with different awards intended for specific constituencies.

Leonard Heise Award
Charles Pivoney, MBA, CEBT
President
The Eye Bank of Kentucky
Charles (Chuck) Pivoney began his career in eye banking 39 years ago as a CEBT, and is now the President of The Eye Bank of Kentucky. Chuck enhanced his technical eye banking and administrative experience working in various management and executive leadership roles. Throughout his career and in collaboration with likeminded colleagues in the community, donation awareness and the quality of clinical processes progressed to a point at which keratoplasty is now routinely performed in the US on an elective basis.

R. Townley Paton Award
Bennie Jeng, MD, MS
Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
Bennie H. Jeng, MD, MS, is the William F. Norris and George E. de Schweinitz Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, and Director of the Scheie Eye Institute, at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Dr. Jeng has been very active with EBAA, dedicating his time and expertise to the association. He has served on (and chaired) both the Research Committee and the Scientific Programs Committee, and he is a long-standing member of both the Accreditation Board and the Medical Advisory Board. He has also served on the EBAA Board of Directors. He presented the R. Townley Paton lecture, “The Unsung Heroes of Eye Banking and Corneal Transplantation” at the 2024 Cornea and Eye Banking Forum.
Crystal Cornea Award

Patty Jo Herndon
CEO
Michigan Donor Family Council
Gift of Sight Award

Sanford Health Fargo Donor Council
Communication Optics Award

Teresa Ham
Chief Administrative Officer
Advancing Sight Network
Mary Jane O’Neill Fellowship

Rocío Ivania Arias Silva, MD
Eye Bank Technician and Administrative Support Doctor
Eye Bank of Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social, Costa Rica