For Immediate Release
Director of Transplant and Research, Brian Philippy, CEBT, earns Leonard Heise Award for dedication to eye banking, corneal transplantation, the restoration of sight.
Baltimore, MD—The Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA), the world’s oldest transplant association and nationally-recognized accrediting and standards setting body for eye banks, will present the 2021 Leonard Heise Award to Brian Philippy, CEBT, Director of Transplant and Research at the Lions Medical Eye Bank & Research Center of Eastern Virginia. The Heise Award is the association’s most prestigious honor presented to a non-physician eye banker in recognition of their outstanding devotion to the eye banking profession and for exemplifying the precepts of Leonard Heise, one of EBAA’s founders.
“Brian’s devotion to eye banking and EBAA is unquestioned,” said EBAA President & CEO, Kevin Corcoran. “From engaging in all aspects of eye banking and serving on countless EBAA committees, to sharing his knowledge with colleagues and developing the next generation of eye bankers, Brian’s career is truly a testament to EBAA’s mission to restore sight worldwide.”
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 2021 Heise award to Brian Philippy at the 2022 EBAA Annual Meeting in Baltimore, MD during an awards dinner on Friday, June 3. His recognition was delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
