Dillon Pitcher receives Gift of Sight Award for transforming Wayne County’s donation culture – increasing donor referrals and overall donations, giving the gift of sight and transforming lives.
Washington, DC—The Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA), the world’s oldest transplantation organization and nationally-recognized accrediting and standards setting body for eye banks, today announced Dillon Pitcher as the recipient of 2026 Gift of Sight Award. The Gift of Sight is presented to a professional who works closely with the eye banking community whose efforts demonstrate significant support of eye banking and corneal donation.
“Dillon Pitcher has built his life around public service,” said EBAA President & CEO, Kevin Corcoran. “In his role as Chief Deputy Coroner, that service extends to cornea donation. He has built pathways, creating awareness about sight restoration and securing donation permissions in tight timeframes and difficult circumstances.”
Pitcher’s passion for donation is deeply personal, as his grandfather was a cornea donor. His grandfather’s gift to two individuals brought comfort to his family and himself, inspiring him to educate others about eye donation and facilitate life-transforming donor referrals and authorizations. There are an estimated 12 million individuals around the world suffering from corneal blindness that could be corrected with a corneal transplant. There is no artificial cornea—the transplantation process depends on the priceless gift of donation from one human to another. Nearly anyone can be a cornea donor, as blood-type, eye color, vision quality, and age are not relevant to donation.
EBAA will present the 2026 Gift of Sight Award to Dillon Pitcher, at the 2026 EBAA Annual Meeting in Indianapolis during its Awards Luncheon on Friday, June 5.
