GAEBA welcomes Lions Eye Bank of West Central Ohio as new Sector Member
What is the mission of Lions Eye Bank of West Central Ohio?
Lions Eye Bank of West Central Ohio is a non-profit, non-governmental organization. Our mission is to serve donor families, the medical community, and recipients in communities nationally and internationally through education, research, and the gift of sight. We work with local Lions Clubs and Lions International to serve through collaboration and promotion of donation and transplantation within our community and across with world.
Shannon Schweitzer, CEBT, is the Executive Director for Lions Eye Bank of West Central Ohio.
About yourself: What experience do you have in the field of cornea donation/transplantation and eye banking?
Personally, my experiences in cornea donation/transplantation are rooted in eye banking. I have over 20 years of experience in the profession. However, Lions Eye Bank of West Central Ohio has a core team who has worked together for many years. Our eye bank started out very small, so I have worn many hats in the eye bank. I have approached families for donation, performed hundreds of cornea excision recoveries, evaluations, tissue processing, and donor eligibility determinations. I have worked in collaboration with my team to distribute thousands of corneas to people with cornea blindness in the US and abroad. Today, I am the Executive Director and aim to serve as the visionary for the organization and expand operations to help more people regain sight through the gift of cornea donation.
How did your Eye Bank become a member of GAEBA and what motivated you to do so?
We wanted to join GAEBA because of the need for collaboration with our international eye banking communities about best practices, challenges, and new technologies. There is an ongoing need for corneas, especially internationally. There is also a big need to combine statistical measurements and create a standardization among the profession that would in turn benefit both our surgeons and their patients.
What are your goals in becoming involved with GAEBA?
Our goal in becoming a part of GAEBA is to support their mission and strategic goals to elevate the profession of eye banking.
What do you expect/wish to get out of being a member of GAEBA?
Being a member of GAEBA creates an individual eye bank alliance and we hope to support their mission and strategic initiatives. Lions International is a member and represents the Lions Eye Banks in the United States. However, additional support from individual eye banks as a sector member will help GAEBA gain resources and additional support in creating global advocacy. It will also provide resources and support to their goal of creating a register of eye banks that will provide data for global statistics on eye donation and transplantation.
Is there anything you would like to share with other GAEBA members or specialists in general in the field of eye banking and cornea donation?
We are happy to support and promote both GAEBA and the five basic objectives of their MOU. We hope to be a collaborative sector member that contributes to the benefit of the global profession of eye banking through the work of GAEBA.