A Legacy of Giving
Dr. E.R. and Edna Wattis Dumke.
DR. EZEKIEL R. AND EDNA WATTIS DUMKE FOUNDATION The Dr. Ezekiel R. and Edna Wattis Dumke Foundation has given a transformative $1 million gift to support sight-saving outreach work in Utah and around the world by creating the Moran Eye Center Global Outreach Division’s first endowed directorship. For decades, humanitarian work has been integral to the Moran Eye Center, which has a culture of connecting its physicians and staff, working on a volunteer basis, with those in need. “This generous gift comes at a critical time,” said Randall J Olson, MD, Moran CEO and chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Utah. “It makes it possible for us to recruit an outstanding, visionary leader to guide our team as we work to expand the program and to meet increasing needs in Utah. The Dumke 28
family has always been there for us, and we could not be more grateful for their support and confidence in our program.” Funded solely by donors, the outreach team partners with governments, academic institutions, and physicians in the developing world to create low-cost, high-volume ophthalmic surgical centers of excellence. In addition to conducting sight-restoring surgeries and ophthalmic training abroad, Moran’s outreach work is making a significant and growing impact in Utah. In the greater Salt Lake area, Moran physicians and staff provide eye screenings and glasses regularly to the refugee, homeless, and uninsured populations. They perform much-needed charity surgeries throughout the year, making it possible for patients to continue to work and care for their families.
In partnership with the Utah Navajo Health System, the outreach team has visited the Navajo Nation more than 40 times over the past five years to provide eye surgeries, vision screenings, and eyeglasses.
A LONG HISTORY OF SUPPORT The ability to see the need and make a difference by supporting health care and humanitarian causes in Utah runs long and deep in the Dumke family, starting with the philanthropy of Dr. E.R. and Edna Wattis Dumke in the 1950s. Their philanthropic work, carried on by their children and grandchildren today, has left its mark on countless lives and institutions. Moran’s new endowed directorship came as part of a major donation by the Dr. Ezekiel R. and Edna Wattis Dumke Foundation to University of Utah
