John A. Moran Eye Center Focus 2023

FOCUS 2023

CHAIR MESSAGE

Building a Pipeline of Hope

4 8 12 14 18

MILESTONE

Patient Testing Begins for AMD Gene Therapy

RESEARCH

What’s Next in Glaucoma Innovation?

RESEARCH

Life After Death for the Human Eye

RESEARCH & CARE

Utah Lions Eye Bank Celebrates 50th Anniversary

PATIENT CARE

Family’s Eye Cancer Experience Inspires Children’s Book

Official Publication of the John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah Health

John A. Moran Eye Center

65 Mario Capecchi Drive

Salt Lake City, Utah 84132

801-581-2352

Co-Editors

Anna Cekola, Communications Editor

Elizabeth Neff, Director, PR, Communications, Marketing

External Relations Team/Contributors

Natalie Lam, Administrative Assistant

Tawnja S. Martin, Development Officer

Mia McCain, Marketing Manager

Brett Prettyman, Corporations and Foundations Development Editor

Heidi G. Reid, Director of Development

Lynn Ward, Executive Director, External Relations

C onsultants

Virginia Rainey, Writer/Editor

Catherine Reese Newton, Copy Editor

Graphic Design

Spatafore Design

Photography

Michael Schoenfeld, Major Portrait Photography

Todd Collins

Austen Diamond

James Gilman, CRA, FOPS

Matthew Hepworth

Kristan Jacobsen

Bryan W. Jones Laboratory

Laura Kinser

Scott Peterson

Cover Illustration

Russ Gray | Design & Illustration

Printing

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A special thanks to the many hard-working Moran Eye Center employees, management, health care workers, physicians, patients, and researchers who generously contributed their time and talent to make this publication possible.

Research work highlighted in this publication was supported by an Unrestricted Research Grant from Research to Prevent Blindness, New York, New York, to the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Utah.

©️2023 John A. Moran Eye Center. All rights reserved. The Moran Eye Center does not assume responsibility for any representation therein, nor the quality or deliverability of the product itself. Reproductions of articles or photographs, in whole or in part, contained herein are prohibited without the publisher’s express written consent, unless otherwise stated.

What’s In Our Pipeline? Hope.

As physicians, we help our patients choose the best therapies, lifestyle changes, or surgeries to help their unique situation.

After all, what works for one person may underperform or not work for another—and now we know more about why. Each day scientists understand more about how genetics influence our risk for developing disease and the severity of the disease.

Over the past decade, it’s become clear a personalized medicine approach tailored to each person’s genetic makeup holds so much promise. Just one gene therapy might stave off a lifetime of struggles with medicines and procedures in the healthcare system.

At the John A. Moran Eye Center, we’re not just talking about it; we’re doing it. Gregory S. Hageman, PhD, is on the cusp of achieving a dream I share with him: defeating age-related macular degeneration.

Our first therapy for this blinding disease, developed by Moran’s Sharon Eccles Steele Center for Translational Medicine (SCTM), is being tested in humans. It will take time to get results, but boy, do we have hope.

Hope is, of course, irrevocably tied to innovation and change.

Visionaries like Dr. Hageman embrace it. He took a chance to study a disease the field had dubbed incurable and embraced the unorthodox as the SCTM developed a new way to speed drug development in academia.

This step for Dr. Hageman and his multidisciplinary team of experts is a testament to their approach.

We have five potential new AMD therapies in our drug pipeline and are beginning to tackle another frustrating, blinding disease: glaucoma.

Our Alan S. Crandall Center for Glaucoma Innovation, led by Iqbal “Ike” K. Ahmed, MD, FRCSC, is doing just that — raising hope. Alan would be so proud to see the impact it is poised to make.

At the forefront is a neuroprotective therapy developed by David Krizaj, PhD, and a team of multidisciplinary collaborators. And Dr. Ahmed continues to push the field forward with research on new surgical devices and approaches.

Have you ever heard of exosomes? They are a hot new research area, and our latest recruit to the Crandall Center, Fiona McDonnell, PhD, is excited to tap into their potential for new therapies and diagnostics.

The excitement doesn’t stop there, of course. In 2022, the Moran Eye Center ranked among the nation’s Top 10 eye centers. It is a remarkable honor that eye doctors around the country recognize the exceptional care we provide.

We could not have done any of this without the kind donors who have supported Moran throughout the years. Some have donated eye tissue upon death to our Utah Lions Eye Bank, which just celebrated its 50th anniversary. Others have lent their financial support to our institution, putting hard-earned money behind our efforts to create a brighter future for patients.

Randall J Olson, MD, and Gregory S. Hageman, PhD, are pictured shortly after they founded the Center for Translational Medicine (now the Sharon Eccles Steele Center for Translational Medicine) in 2009.

This year’s edition of FOCUS shares these stories and more. Many of you know I like to say we swing for the fences. We’ve taken some big swings, and they are heading straight out of the park.

Sincerely,

Randall J Olson, MD

Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Utah

The Cumming Presidential Endowed Chair CEO, John A. Moran Eye Center Director, University of Utah Vision Institute

2022-2023

TONI BLOOMBERG

La Jolla, California

WILLIAM “BILL” CHILD

Salt Lake City, Utah

THOMAS “TIM” DEE III

Salt Lake City, Utah

CHRISTENA HUNTSMAN

DURHAM

Salt Lake City, Utah

SPENCER F. ECCLES

Salt Lake City, Utah

CHRISTINE A. FAIRCLOUGH

Salt Lake City, Utah

WAYNE A. IMBRESCIA

John A. Moran Eye Center

CLAUDIA S. LUTTRELL

Salt Lake City, Utah

JOHN A. MORAN

Palm Beach, Florida

RANDALL J OLSON, MD

John A. Moran Eye Center

LYNN WARD

John A. Moran Eye Center

JOHN E. WARNOCK, PhD

Los Altos, California

NORM A. ZABRISKIE, MD

John A. Moran Eye Center

Patient Testing Begins for New AMD Therapy Developed at Moran

Patient testing is underway for a new therapy for agerelated macular degeneration (AMD) developed by the Moran Eye Center’s Sharon Eccles Steele Center for Translational Medicine (SCTM).

The treatment—a gene therapy delivered to the back of the eye—is the first of several precision medicine drugs developed by the SCTM to enter the FDA pipeline. It is tailored for individuals with the most prevalent form of AMD, caused by genetic mutations in the Complement Factor H gene (CFH) on Chromosome 1. The gene therapy delivers a modified version of CFH to the eye.

A Phase 1 clinical trial is assessing the drug’s safety in AMD patients who fit an appropriate genetic profile and have already lost their vision. A Texas woman became the first to receive the drug at a private practice in December 2022.

Physicians will give the therapy to nine patients during the Phase 1 trial. Once confident that the drug is safe, researchers will use larger groups of sighted patients in a Phase 2 trial to evaluate whether the treatment can slow or halt disease progression.

For SCTM Executive Director Gregory S. Hageman, PhD, this moment has been three decades in the making. Driven by a curious nature and inspired by a relative losing her sight to AMD, the then-marine biologist dove into what would become a lifelong passion for understanding—and treating—the disease.

His success could alter the course of history. While AMD is a leading cause of blindness for 1 in 5 Americans over age 70, there is no cure and few available treatments.

“When I decided to work on AMD, we knew practically nothing about its biology or clinical course, and many individuals told me I was wasting my time,” says Hageman. “Now I look back and think, ‘Wow, we’re actually going to give treatment a go.’ I have great confidence in the science, the unique genetic targeting behind our approach, and the SCTM’s extremely talented staff. I really believe this is going to work.”

ANATOMY OF A GENE THERAPY

Gene therapy is a personalized approach that could free patients from the burdens of ongoing treatment. But it was more of a dream than reality before technological advances allowed scientists to deliver genetic material into the cells of patients using harmless modified viruses.

To develop a gene therapy, SCTM researchers first needed a more complete understanding of the biology of AMD. Hageman’s methodical research over the past decades, which included conducting one of the largest ocular genetic studies, gave the world a new understanding of the role of genetics and biology in the development of AMD.

AMD-associated genes on chromosomes 1 and 10 account for approximately 90% of a person’s risk for developing AMD. A cluster of six genes on chromosome 1, which play critical roles in the immune system, directs one form; a pair of genes on chromosome 10, associated with maintaining ocular health as we age, causes a second. Importantly, Hageman’s team also discovered genetic variants on chromosome 1 that offer strong protection against developing AMD.

“We carry two copies of every gene, so if a person carries two copies of chromosome 1-associated protective genes, they’re highly protected and not likely to develop AMD,” explains Hageman. “If an individual carries two risk copies, they’re highly likely to develop AMD. Interestingly, if someone carries one protective gene and one risk gene, the risk of developing AMD is greatly diminished.”

Commercialized in conjunction with one of the SCTM's corporate partners, the lead product was designed to provide protection for individuals with one or more risk copies of CFH on chromosome 1.

T HE ROAD TO APPROVAL

FDA approval requires multiple phases of testing in humans. The Utah Retinal Reading Center (UREAD)—a component of the SCTM—will analyze images from all patients entered into the clinical trials worldwide. Using retinal imaging techniques, the SCTM has characterized AMD progression in specific genetic groups. Armed with the data, scientists and clinicians will use this information to evaluate the impact of the new gene therapy among the genetic groups.

Phase 1 patients are being divided into three groups. The first will receive the lowest dose of the drug and will be monitored for any complications, such as inflammation, for six months.

The dose will escalate to higher levels in the other two groups, which will also be closely monitored for adverse impacts.

P ATIENT AND DONOR SUPPORT

Although he’s not participating in the clinical trials, Moran patient Stephen Denkers and others like him have made this moment possible.

Denkers is one of thousands who have enrolled in an SCTM patient study to better understand the genetic inheritance within his family and to advance AMD research. He’s also a philanthropic donor to the program.

When his Moran physician explained there was nothing to stop AMD from stealing his sight, Denkers took comfort in thinking about a different future for his loved ones.

“I told him, ‘You may not be able to help me, but you can likely help my children, grandchildren, and so many others,’ ” says Denkers.

Since there are no animal models to research AMD, SCTM researchers chose early on to work with study participants and donated human eye tissue. The ongoing SCTM study Denkers enrolled in now has over 5,000 people with and without AMD or a family history of the disease. The study and the SCTM’s eye tissue repository of nearly 10,000 pairs of donor eyes made breakthroughs possible.

“Without people like Steve, quite simply, we wouldn’t have a drug in clinical trials,” says Hageman.

T HE END GAME

In 2022, the FDA approved four new gene therapies. This year another wave of approvals is anticipated for as many as 13 new gene therapies.

“Personalized medicine is the future, and Dr. Hageman is leading us into that future,” says Moran Eye Center CEO Randall J Olson, MD. “I couldn’t be more excited about this clinical trial because I know it’s based on meticulous work. There is no one who understands AMD at the level of Dr. Hageman and his team.”

Significant investments of time, finances, and resources that were made to understand the genetic underpinnings of AMD as the first step toward building a gene therapy have paid off. Researchers now also understand the genetic inheritances in different ethnic groups.

W hile the SCTM’s first new drug targets chromosome 1-directed AMD, the team is developing additional therapies to treat patients with chromosome 10-directed AMD.

For people like Denkers, it’s a pipeline of hope.

“I can only imagine where we will be 10 years from now,” said Denkers. “I can’t wait to see what this does for families and the world.”

BEHIND THE SCIENCE

The SCTM draws upon the collective strength of its interdisciplinary research team members. Their expertise has been vital to developing the lead product being tested. Key SCTM team leaders in this program are:

Monika Fleckenstein, MD, Clinical and Research Faculty

Jill Hageman, RN, Clinical Research Associate

Jin Liu, PhD, Research Scientist

B urt Richards, PhD, Director of Translational Vector Sciences

Steffen Schmitz-Valckenberg, MD, Clinical and Research Faculty, and Director, UREAD

B randi L. Williams, PhD, Director of Research and Science

Moussa A. Zouache, PhD, Research Faculty

Gregory S. Hageman, PhD.

STEP 1:

The SCTM therapy uses a vector, in this case a virus modified to be harmless, to deliver the protective gene.

HOW THE SCTM GENE THERAPY IS DESIGNED TO WORK

SCTM scientists have designed a gene therapy that adds a protective gene in the back of the eye to help slow tissue damage caused by AMD.

STEP 2:

Physicians will deliver the SCTM therapy through a single injection to the macula where AMD originates.

STEP 3:

The cells receiving the therapy serve as “factories” to make protective proteins. These proteins can then move throughout the eye to slow tissue damage.

Research for a new drug begins in the laboratory.

Vector with protective gene delivered to cells in the macula

Drugs undergo laboratory and animal testing to answer basic questions about safety.

and effective. The

What’s Next in Glaucoma Innovation?

Some of the biggest leaps researchers at the Alan S. Crandall Center for Glaucoma Innovation are taking come in small packages. Scientists are vetting new surgical devices so small they require a microscope to view. They are building molecules for the center’s first glaucoma drug. And they are studying how exosomes—the smallest portion of all nanoparticles released by human cells—might be used to treat or detect glaucoma.

The Crandall Center fosters success in the science of small by encouraging large, interdisciplinary teams to share disease models and test new ways of treating glaucoma together.

Researchers and physicians alike are looking toward a future when they can use a simple blood test to diagnose glaucoma and provide treatments that prevent vision loss.

“When you’re doing this kind of science, it really does take a village,” says Crandall Center Associate Director David Krizaj, PhD. “We are recruiting highly accomplished glaucoma researchers from across the country to turbocharge our output, and we are funding new research paradigms. All the puzzle pieces that need to come together for that future are assembled at the University of Utah.”

A NEW DRUG

Krizaj has spent the better part of his career tunneling deep into a narrow topic.

Glaucoma is not a well-understood disease, and it has taken Krizaj more than a decade to understand exactly how a muscular tissue in the eye known as the trabecular meshwork senses and regulates the eye’s internal fluid pressure. This mechanism is key to understanding glaucoma, a potentially blinding disease characterized by high fluid pressure. This elevated pressure kills the cells that make up the eye’s optic nerve, which is responsible for sending information from our eyes to our brain to create vision.

Now, Krizaj is using his knowledge to develop a potential new therapy, a one-two punch that stands to be the Crandall Center’s first blockbuster medication. Lab tests have shown his approach successfully lowers pressure; however, the jaw-dropping novelty of the treatment is its potential ability to also prevent optic nerve cells from dying —a function known as neuroprotection.

There are no neuroprotective drugs on the market for glaucoma, and one that could deliver such treatment would revolutionize care.

W hile universities have traditionally looked to big pharma to translate their discoveries into drugs, Moran has been changing that paradigm. Its Sharon Eccles Steele Center for Translational Medicine (SCTM) establishes partnerships

At left: Trabecular meshwork cells, which play a critical role regulating intraocular pressure. To better understand how the cells function, researchers use fluorescent stains to mark their proteins.

among philanthropists, industry, and academic scientists to speed up drug development. Krizaj points to the SCTM model when describing how interdisciplinary collaboration and private funding will take his discovery from bench to bedside.

Krizaj needed the help of other researchers—chemists and pharmacologists—and private investor funding to complete his work. The research team includes scientists at the University of Utah who are experts in synthetic and medicinal chemistry, organic and bioorganic chemistry, and pharmacology and toxicology.

“Different fields have different priorities, standards, and expectations,” says Krizaj. “That means you have to learn and respect where other people are coming from and then negotiate to find common ground. You have to merge visions of what a successful treatment is.”

The team is in the final stretch of experiments using disease models and next will apply to the FDA for permission to begin testing in humans.

The University of Utah research team developing the glaucoma therapy includes, from left, Ryan E. Looper, PhD, Department of Chemistry; Paul Richard Sebahar, PhD, Department of Chemistry; Christopher Reilly, PhD, College of Pharmacy; and David Krizaj, PhD, Moran Eye Center.

NEW DEVICES

Until the past decade, glaucoma patients had the choice of taking several costly prescription eye drops daily for life or undergoing invasive surgeries with high complication rates and long recovery times.

Championed by Crandall Center Director and worldrenowned surgeon Iqbal “Ike” K. Ahmed, MD, FRCSC, micro-invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) changed all of that. MIGS places microscopic devices smaller than 1 mm inside the eye to drain fluid and lower pressure, and it is becoming the cornerstone of modern glaucoma care. Ahmed leads the field in designing and testing new MIGS devices.

Among the devices he’s studying at the Crandall Center are a new laser for glaucoma surgery and an adjustable MIGS device that can be customized for each patient. So-called “cold,” or excimer, lasers generate power from light in the ultraviolet range, and ophthalmologists already use them for procedures such as LASIK. Now, glaucoma surgeons might use the ELIOS excimer laser to create microscopic openings in the trabecular meshwork.

These holes would allow more fluid to drain out of the eye, reducing pressure.

“Currently, we use instruments and devices to remove parts of the drainage channel in a rudimentary way,” explains Ahmed. “An excimer laser is a more precise way to do that with less tissue damage. So much of glaucoma surgery is based on how the eye heals, so anything that can reduce the amount of tissue trauma is potentially better for patients.”

Ahmed is also testing a unique new MIGS device by Myra Vision. The device allows a surgeon to adjust fluid outflow at any point after surgery.

“One of the problems we have with glaucoma devices is that they are set with just a standard flow for all patients, and for some that might be too low, for others too high,” explains Ahmed. “This implant allows us to use a laser to open or close valves to determine how much flow we want at any given time for any given patient. This allows us to really customize the amount of drainage we have to each patient to reach the right target pressure.”

Ike Ahmed, MD, FRCSC, is director of the Crandall Center.

NEW RECRUIT

Born in Ireland, Fiona McDonnell, PhD, joined the Crandall Center in 2022 by way of Duke Eye Center. She specializes in one of the most exciting new areas of glaucoma research—nanoparticles released by all cells in the human body called exosomes. They have several potential applications in new therapies or diagnostic tests.

Studying exosomes, which are 20-150 nanometers in size, requires specialized expertise and equipment—not to mention patience, as she must painstakingly separate them from other cells. Funded by the National Eye Institute, McDonnell is trying to find exosomes specific to the trabecular meshwork—something that could one day help develop a simple blood test for glaucoma. She will also study whether introducing healthy exosomes to damaged cells can repair them.

“If so, a new treatment might be as easy as taking exosomes from a healthy donor or from another part of the body that is not diseased and introducing them into the eye,” explains McDonnell. “It’s similar to stem cell therapy in that you’re using the patient’s own cells.”

Exosomes are already used as carriers to introduce drugs into other parts of the human body. Now, McDonnell wants to see if they can deliver glaucoma therapies to the back of the eye.

COLLABORATIONS AHEAD

Microscopic imaging of exosomes, the subject of glaucoma research in the McDonnell Laboratory.

SCTM Executive Director Gregory S. Hageman, PhD, has changed the world’s understanding of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a blinding disease impacting adults 55 and over. He and his team clarified the genetics and pathology of the disease. Now he’s testing his team’s first therapy in humans.

Hageman has noticed a potential connection between AMD and glaucoma. Genetic variants on chromosome 1 that increase a person’s risk for developing AMD also appear to increase a person’s risk for developing glaucoma. He’ll explore the finding as head of the Crandall Center’s Translational Research Initiative.

“W hile the SCTM approach was first used to study AMD, we are now excited to focus on glaucoma,” says Hageman. “There is so much work to do, and we have an amazing team of experts to do it.”

Fiona McDonnell, PhD, is principal investigator of a new lab at Moran focused on glaucoma research.

Life after Death for the Human Eye: Vision Scientists Revive LightSensing Cells in Organ Donor Eyes

Moran Eye Center scientist Frans Vinberg, PhD, grew up in Finland with the darkness of Arctic winters and the contrast of its midnight sun.

As a scientist, he’s made a career out of studying how the eye’s retina processes the contrasts between light and dark. His innovative approach stands to transform brain and vision research.

In 2022, Vinberg made headlines when he and colleagues revived light-sensing neuron cells in organ donor eyes and restored communication between them. Published in the prestigious journal Nature, their work provides a road map for how the field can begin using functioning human eye cells for research and drug development.

“The scientific community can now study human vision in ways that aren’t possible with animal models,” says Vinberg.

Fatima Abbas, PhD, lead author of the study, conducted experiments in the dark as she exposed donor eye tissue to different kinds of light and recorded photoreceptor responses.

T HE STORY OF A NEURON

Billions of neurons in our central nervous system transmit sensory information as electrical signals; specialized neurons known as photoreceptors sense light in the eye.

Vinberg’s research used the retina as a model of the central nervous system to investigate precisely how neurons die— and new methods to revive them.

It was a painstaking process requiring years of experimentation conducted in a dark room to record cell responses to different light stimuli. Fatima Abbas, PhD, lead author of the published study and then a postdoctoral fellow in the Vinberg Lab, performed most of the experiments.

“We were able to wake up photoreceptor cells in the human macula, which is the part of the retina responsible for our central vision and our ability to see fine detail and color,” explains Abbas. “In eyes obtained up to five hours after an organ donor’s death, these cells responded to bright light, colored lights, and even very dim flashes of light.”

W hile initial experiments revived the photoreceptors, the cells appeared to have lost their ability to communicate with other cells in the retina. The team identified oxygen deprivation as the critical factor leading to this loss of communication. They procured organ donor eyes in under 20 minutes from death to overcome the challenge.

Vinberg, who has a PhD in biomedical engineering, designed a special transportation unit to restore oxygenation and other nutrients to the organ donor eyes. Vinberg also built a device to stimulate the retina and measure the electrical activity of its cells. With this approach, the team restored an electrical signal seen in living eyes, the “b-wave.” It was the first b-wave recording from the central retina of postmortem human eyes.

“We were able to make the retinal cells talk to each other, the way they do in the living eye to mediate human vision,” says Vinberg.

To some, Vinberg’s approach might border on the macabre. But its benefits are clear.

Scientists can use the process demonstrated by the team to study other neuronal tissues in the central nervous system to develop potential new therapies for neurodegenerative

Frans Vinberg, PhD.

diseases, including blinding retinal diseases.

The method can reduce research costs when compared to nonhuman primate research. It also reduces dependence on animal models that don’t always apply to humans. Mice, for example, are often used for research, but they lack a macula, a critical structure in the back of the human eye involved in central vision.

“We hope this will motivate organ donor societies, organ donors, and eye banks by helping them understand the exciting new possibilities this type of research offers,” says Vinberg.

Authors of the study were Abbas, Silke Becker, PhD, Bryan W.Jones, PhD, and Vinberg of the University of Utah; Ludovic S. Mure, PhD, and Satchidananda Panda, PhD, of The Salk Institute for Biological Studies; and Anne Hanneken, MD, of Scripps Research.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Working with the Utah Lions Eye Bank, Vinberg is refining techniques to revive donor eye tissue recovered within one hour after death. This would extend the time window for harvesting functioning retinal tissue for research.

LEARN MORE

Scan to view a video about the Vinberg Lab research breakthrough.

Utah Lions Eye Bank Celebrates 50 Years of Giving the Gift of Sight

The Moran Eye Center’s nonprofit Utah Lions Eye Bank (ULEB) recently celebrated 50 years of working with eye tissue donors and their families to provide corneal tissue for sight-restoring transplants and eye disease research.

Donor families, transplant recipients, and ophthalmologists gathered at the ULEB in September 2022 for a celebration featuring educational tours, food trucks, and games.

“The celebration allowed us to extend our personal thanks to families of tissue donors who have provided hope to thousands of people and share our state-of-the-art facility and process,” says ULEB Director Chris Hanna. “Our coordinators work 24/7 to provide sensitive, timely service, so it was a great opportunity to give people an inside view of what we do.”

ULEB donors give the gift of sight in two ways:

 Tissue donation for cornea transplants. This common and effective procedure restores vision for people with certain corneal diseases, such as keratoconus, or damage to the cornea from injury or infection.

 Tissue donation of healthy and diseased eyes for research. ULEB supplies eye tissue to world-class researchers developing innovative treatments for various blinding eye diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Research on human tissue allows scientists—including those developing AMD therapies at Moran’s Sharon Eccles Steele Center for Translational Medicine (SCTM)—to investigate disease progression, genetics, and potential new therapies.

The ULEB serves Utah and Idaho as well as patients domestically and internationally. Since Lions Clubs International members founded the ULEB in 1972, it has provided more than 20,000 grafts of corneal tissue to restore vision.

A GRATEFUL PATIENT HONORS HER PHYSICIAN

By the time Janice Evans met Moran’s Mark Mifflin, MD, in 2013, she had a long history of eye problems.

Doctors diagnosed Evans with keratoconus, a potentially blinding corneal disease, at age 11. Now 70, she has had four cornea transplants (three of them in her right eye).

Keratoconus affects one in every 2,000 Americans and is the most common reason for a cornea transplant. The disease causes the cornea, the clear, dome-shaped window in front of the eye, to slowly thin and develop a cone shape over time. Because the cornea focuses light into the eye, the condition causes light rays to go out of focus, blurring and distorting vision. It makes daily activities, such as reading or driving, difficult.

“Keratoconus requires patients to be adaptive and resilient,” explains Mifflin. “It often starts in the late teens or early 20s, but symptoms slowly progress over 10 to 20 years. We can often correct a patient’s vision with glasses or special contact lenses, and the cornea will stabilize. Still, in about 10% to 20% of people, the cornea will eventually become too scarred or will not tolerate a contact lens. If either of these problems occur, we may need to do a transplant.”

Chris Hanna is director of the ULEB.

A LONG & WINDING ROAD TO GOOD VISION

Evans’ keratoconus diagnosis did not come as a surprise. Her father and half of her siblings also have some form of the condition.

Evans could not see with eyeglasses and has worn some form of rigid contact lenses for nearly 60 years. Before her diagnosis, Evans loved playing softball and basketball. She had to stop playing sports as her sight deteriorated.

She worked editing news film during college and later as a broadcast news producer at KSL-TV News in Salt Lake City. By age 21, fuzzy vision in her right eye made reading impossible, and she had her first cornea transplant.

Six years later, she needed a cornea transplant in her left eye and had to turn down an offer to work for CBS News. However, the network waited for her eye to heal and hired her as a producer in the Chicago bureau. She then worked in the Washington, D.C., bureau before returning to KSL.

Cornea transplants can fail for various reasons, including rejection of the donor cornea or other complications. By 2009, Evans had a second cornea transplant in her right eye. By 2013, she needed a third and final one in that eye.

“I liked Dr. Mifflin right away,” she says. “Since it was my third time with that eye, I asked him, ‘How many at-bats do I get?’ He was so kind and direct. Without missing a

beat, he told me he has one patient who’s had six. I felt confident with him; he really eased my anxiety. You’re awake when they do the surgery, so I could tell he was a solid leader working with a great team.”

Mifflin has helped Evans manage her vision since that time. When the National Keratoconus Foundation (NKCF) solicited nominations for 2022 honors, Evans drew on her recent years of experience and deep gratitude to nominate Mifflin. Her story led the NKCF to name him its 2022 Top Doc.

Today, Evans wears rigid scleral contact lenses, lives independently, can drive, and enjoys cooking and reading.

As director of Moran’s Cornea and Refractive Division, chief of surgical services, and associate medical director of the ULEB, Mifflin has a unique perspective on the importance of corneal tissue donation.

“We could not restore sight to patients like Janice without tissue donated through the eye bank,” he says. “This is a life-changing surgery for patients with corneal diseases that span almost all decades of their life. I have greatly appreciated my long association with patients, families, and with the donors who make it possible to keep on trying and, in most cases, succeeding.”

Grateful for years of vision-saving care that included four cornea transplants, Janice Evans, left, nominated Mark Mifflin, MD, for a national award. Her nomination and story led the National Keratoconus Foundation to name Mifflin its 2022 Top Doc.

WW2 'CANDY BOMBER' DONATES EYES FOR RESEARCH

Not all tissue donated to ULEB is used to restore vision. Tissue donated for research can have an equally significant impact for future patients.

Recently deceased, Colonel Gail S. Halvorsen donated his eyes to the ULEB. The Utahn lived by the principles described by family members as “service before self, attitude, gratitude, and that little things add up to big things.”

Better known as “The Candy Bomber,” Halvorsen played a vital role as a pilot in World War II’s Berlin Airlift, supplying food and other crucial supplies to civilians on the ground in West Berlin. One day, after he shared a few sticks of gum with a group of local children and saw the

joy they took in that small offering, he made it his mission to add packets of gum and chocolate to his airdrops. The idea soon took on a life of its own, bringing comfort to thousands of children.

That spirit of giving back lives on through the corneas Halvorsen donated to research upon his passing at age 101 in 2022.

“W hatever a donor’s age and the quality of their vision, each and every donation to research makes a difference in our efforts to translate scientific discoveries into treatments for blinding eye diseases,” says Gregory S. Hageman, PhD, executive director of Moran’s SCTM.

Colonel Gail S. Halvorsen.

Colonel Gail S.

A longtime partnership with the ULEB has helped the SCTM develop the world’s largest donor eye tissue repository dedicated to research, with 10,000 pairs of eyes available for scientists to compare healthy and diseased tissue. As a result, the SCTM has made groundbreaking discoveries related to AMD—a common blinding disease among Americans age 55 and older.

The number of Americans with AMD is expected to grow to 40 million by 2050.

Since there are no animal models to study AMD, scientists work with donated human ocular tissue to research the biology of the disease.

“Without donations to research, we would not have made such rapid progress toward a gene therapy we have in clinical trials to treat a prevalent form of AMD,” Hageman says. “Colonel Halvorsen did incredible things with his life. He gave and gave, and then when he passed away, he gave once again. We could not be more honored that he chose to donate to the ULEB and SCTM.”

Says Halvorsen’s daughter Denise Williams: “My father focused on helping others during his life, and he saw eye tissue donation as another way to continue to do that, even in death.”

Halvorsen' s daughter, Denise Williams brought her grandchildren to an open house in September 2022 celebrating the ULEB's 50th anniversary.

donor.

From Daisy to Mina —New Book Helps Families Dealing with a Rare Eye Cancer

Daisy Callister was just 16 months old when her parents noticed a peculiar white spot in her right eye. Days later, they sat in a hospital waiting room while surgeons removed Daisy’s eye—full of cancer.

Daisy, now a spirited 9-year-old, lives a happy life with her parents and two siblings as a survivor of retinoblastoma, a rare cancer that usually affects children under the age of 5.

The family’s journey—from the first realization that something was wrong until Daisy became comfortable with her prosthetic eye—was at times heartbreaking and difficult to navigate. Along the way, they found comfort in hearing stories of other young children forced down the same path.

So they decided to pay the experience forward to help other families facing similar circumstances.

The result is a children’s book based on Daisy’s journey titled Mina and Her New Eye.

Written by Lisa Ord, PhD, LSCW, director of the Moran Eye Center’s Patient Support Program, the story follows a young mouse named Mina who encounters a similar diagnosis and outcome to Daisy’s.

The Daisy Callister Fund, created by Daisy’s grandparents through the family’s Edward J. Callister Foundation, donated funds for the project, part of a retinoblastoma education and support campaign across the Salt Lake Valley.

Retinoblastoma, a cancer that develops in the eye’s lightsensitive retina, affects about 300 U.S. children annually. With current treatments, the survival rate is greater than 95%. Early detection and intervention—as was the case with Daisy—are essential to prevent the cancer from spreading.

“Having a resource like this book is super important, not only for the child but also for the parents and siblings grieving for the loss their loved one is experiencing,” Ord says.

Ord decided that original plans to focus on patients with actual photos might be a little too real for children and their families.

“Using animals as the characters takes it one step away from the person involved,” Ord says. “It’s not quite as scary; they can view it from a distance, so to speak, but

Daisy Callister 's experience with retinoblastoma inspired “ Mina and Her New Eye.”

they still understand it is the process they will be experiencing themselves. It helps them know what to expect.”

Holly Nielsen, an award-winning illustrator, brought Mina—and other characters like Dr. Badger, Dr. Bunnywhite, and Mr. Hedge, the prosthetic eye-maker— to life.

In the book, Grandpa Mouse takes a photo and notices a white glow in Mina’s eye and shows it to Mama Mouse, who promptly takes her young daughter to the eye doctor. This is often how cases of retinoblastoma are discovered.

Michelle and John Callister kept noticing something different about their daughter’s right eye and started investigating. Eventually, they determined they were seeing a flash of white in Daisy’s pupil.

They called John’s parents, who advised them to contact the Moran Eye Center immediately.

The following days, weeks, and months were a whirlwind for the Callisters. Somewhere in the blur, they received a book called My Fake Eye. When family members created the fund in honor of brave little Daisy, they wanted to create a new, updated book.

Specialists known as ocularists custom-make prosthetic eyes for each patient to provide a natural appearance. (Courtesy Richard T. Caruso, Eye Prosthetics of Utah)

Ord consulted many specialists while writing the book, and Hailey Haffey, PhD, a medical storytelling expert at the University of Utah School of Medicine, provided editing support.

Sprinkled throughout the pages are questions for young patients to consider. They provide a safe way to discuss difficult issues with children and allow them to express their feelings.

How do you feel about your surgery?

W hat do you want to do to be happy while you get ready for your new eye?

W hat do you want to do to be happy when you have your new eye?

“The Callister family was so generous to take their experience and want to help make a difference for others who will be going through the same thing,” says Ord.

ABOUT MORAN’S PATIENT SUPPORT PROGRAM

The nationally recognized Patient Support Program at the Moran Eye Center offers a variety of professionally moderated support groups and vision rehabilitation services to help patients of all ages, families, and caregivers find ways to understand, accept, and move past the limitations of vision loss. For more information, visit moraneye.link/patient-support.

MINA AND HER NEW EYE Scan to download a PDF of the book.

Changing Lives through the Art of Specialty Contact Lenses

Beyond a range of everyday vision-correcting options in rigid and soft contact lenses, the Moran Eye Center provides patients with access to new generations of specialty contacts for challenging or rare eye issues.

Brandi Lavoie is one of those patients. She came to Moran with achromatopsia — a rare condition marked by the partial or total absence of color vision.

“This inherited retinal condition leads to reduced visual acuity, severe loss of color discrimination, day blindness, and extreme light sensitivity,” explains Dix Pettey, OD, Lavoie’s contact lens specialist.

Lavoie has lived with achromatopsia since she was an infant and could not open her eyes outside. She got by with tinted glasses for most of her childhood.

“In my early teen years, lens options advanced, and my doctor found special contacts that could work for my situation,” Lavoie says. “After trying lots of tints and colors, he found a solution. I started using one pair for day and one for night. When I moved to southern Utah for college, I worried I wouldn’t find a contact lens specialist, so I flew home for appointments. Since I’m legally blind without my lenses, it was scary to contemplate a change.”

After college, Lavoie started as an associate director of student philanthropy and engagement at the University of Utah. She decided to give Moran a try.

“It turns out I didn’t need to worry about switching doctors,” she says. “Everyone at Moran had full knowledge of my condition. They have my lenses hand-painted in Colorado, and they’re great.”

Pettey employs tinted and painted contact lenses for various eye conditions, including aniridia (partial or complete loss of the iris), double vision, migraine, and heterochromia (different-colored eyes in the same person).

“Thanks to advances in contact lens technology, we can add specialized tints to soft contacts to help with light sensitivity, improve patient comfort, and allow them to function at their very best,” says Pettey.

Brandi Lavoie uses one pair of special hand-painted contact lenses for day and one for night to help manage a rare condition affecting color vision.

SCLERAL CONTACT LENSES

Barbara Wesley relies on sharp vision to create her finely detailed glass art pieces. She credits special scleral contact lenses, along with the “kindness and caring” of Moran’s David Meyer, OD, with improving her personal and professional life.

Wesley has keratoconus, which causes the cornea (the clear part of the eye) to become thin and develop a conelike bulge. This results in distorted vision and sensitivity to light and glare.

“In the early stages of keratoconus, you can often improve vision with glasses or soft contact lenses,” explains Meyer, Moran’s director of contact lenses. “But as it progresses, you need special contact lenses to maintain the best vision possible.”

Wesley received her keratoconus diagnosis around age 20.

“By the time I was 40, my vision had really gotten bad,” Wesley says. “I saw double, and everything was blurry. That’s when I was fortunate enough to get a cornea transplant from Dr. Randall Olson at Moran. It changed my life. I remember driving home from the university, and I saw an airplane lower its landing gear and trees on the mountains—it was amazing, and I am forever grateful.”

For several years, Wesley wore gas-permeable lenses, which are hard contact lenses that allow more oxygen to reach the eye than soft options. However, the lenses are small and tend to fall out. They were uncomfortable if any dust or debris came in contact with them.

“Those lenses just didn’t work for me,” Wesley recalls. “I missed seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time because dust was blowing everywhere, and I couldn’t get out of the car because I knew it would blow right into my eyes.”

W hen Meyer met Wesley in 2014, he knew she was a perfect candidate for scleral lenses.

“They’re made specifically for irregular corneas and are much larger than rigid lenses, so they rest on the entire white part of the eye,” says Meyer. “They do a great job of sealing around the eye.”

Another advantage of scleral lenses is that a chamber of fluid forms between the cornea and the back of the contact lens. Because of this, one of the nicknames for a scleral lens is a “liquid bandage.”

“My husband says the lenses changed his life, too,” says Wesley. “Instead of looking for lost contacts and sitting in the car to avoid dust, we enjoy spending time outdoors.”

Barbara Wesley displays one of her intricate works at a Glass Art Guild of Utah holiday show and sale at Red Butte Garden.

Survey Identifies Diabetic Retinopathy Screening and Care as Top Outreach Eye Care Need

“ARCHES provides a roadmap for a coordinated, statewide response to providing eye care where it’s needed most.”

Craig J. Chaya, MD, medical director of Moran's Global Outreach Division

W here is Utah succeeding, and where is it falling short in providing eye care to the state’s most underserved groups?

A recent survey of eye care providers and stakeholders identified screening and care for diabetes-related vision loss as the most urgent need for residents on the Navajo Nation, people experiencing homelessness, former refugees, and underinsured or uninsured Utahns. Vision screenings for children and access to eyeglasses closely followed.

The insights are part of the ongoing Utah Assessment and Review of Community Health Eye Care Study (ARCHES), launched in 2020 by a team of Moran Eye Center and University of Utah health care professionals.

W hile Moran’s Global Outreach Division provides donorfunded charitable care for thousands of Utahns each year at clinics around the state and on the Navajo Nation, the need for care outpaces capacity. Outreach Division Medical Director Craig J. Chaya, MD, University of Utah Division of Public Health Associate Professor Sharon Talboys, PhD, and Moran resident Sean Collon, MD, spearheaded the study to address the challenge by bringing more voices and providers to the table.

“Preserving vision is an investment in our communities that allows our neighbors to fully participate in society, find or hold jobs, care for their loved ones, and engage in school,” says Chaya.

T OP PRIORITIES AND BARRIERS TO EYE CARE

With 61 responses from ophthalmologists, optometrists, and vision health stakeholders, the survey results mirrored the state’s geographic population distribution. Respondents named screening and care for diabetic retinopathy their top priority for underserved residents.

Diabetic retinopathy causes irreversible vision loss as it changes the blood vessels in the retina in the back of the eye. It is the most common diabetic eye disease and a leading cause of blindness in American adults, but many patients skip screenings and treatment due to care costs. Only one survey respondent reported more than 50% of their underserved diabetic patients were up to date on their annual eye screening—a necessary sight-saving precaution. In 2021, Moran’s Global Outreach Division launched a monthly Hope in Sight Retina Clinic as a first step to address the dire need for ongoing monitoring and care, including laser treatments and injections.

T OP OUTREACH VISION HEALTH PRIORITIES

missing work and lack of transportation were the second most significant barriers, closely followed by a lack of awareness about eye disease and knowledge about resources.

Nearly 85% of survey respondents reported their institution is equipped to serve uninsured patients, non-English speakers, and people with disabilities. Fifty percent of ophthalmologists and 23% of optometrists reported having a funding stream for uninsured patients’ care. Yet, many commented that one of the most significant limiting factors in underserved groups receiving eye care was the lack of patient awareness about how or where they could receive care, coupled with a limited understanding of why they need to receive such care.

“The need for better collaboration among providers and communicating with patients are key takeaways,” says Collon.

Talboys says the findings “will help us advance a public health model for vision care in Utah, where screenings, health education, and linking people to needed services become an integral part of the overall approach.”

N EXT STEPS

➢ Create a referral network that connects primary care community clinics across the state with charitable eye care resources.

➢ Use teleophthalmology to screen diabetic patients for diabetic retinopathy at their local primary care clinics.

➢ Conduct community focus groups and interviews to refine the list of vision care needs and priorities.

➢ Distribute educational materials to patients that explain the basics of eye diseases, eye care and safety, and the need for regular dilated eye exams.

➢ Create research projects to address care priorities.

A patient receives an eye exam at a past Hope in Sight Redwood Outreach Clinic.

Navajo Nation Study: Cataracts, Unmet Need for Eyeglasses Are Top Two Causes of Blindness

Conducting the first large-scale eye study of its kind on the Navajo Nation, Moran Eye Center researchers determined cataracts and the unmet need for eyeglasses are the top causes of blindness for the country’s largest Native American tribe.

Publishing in Vision, the researchers examined records from the first visits of 2,251 patients to Moran physicians on the Navajo Nation between 2013 and 2021. Among first-time patients without eyeglasses, 20.67% had mild visual impairment, 9.71% had moderate to severe impairment, and 3.13% were blind. Cataracts, a clouding of the eye’s lens that occurs with aging, were the most common cause of blindness, affecting 40% of these patients. The unmet need for eyeglasses was the second most common cause at 33%. The study additionally found 17.71% of diabetic patients had diabetic retinopathy, a potentially blinding complication of diabetes.

“Until now, no large-scale study of distance and near vision impairment has been conducted on the Navajo Nation,” says Craig J. Chaya, MD, medical director of Moran’s Global Outreach Division and a study author.

“We believe data is the first step toward long-term resolution of eye care health inequities for tribes in the United States. We will use this data to inform our continued efforts on the Navajo Nation.”

Moran’s Global Outreach Division has partnered with Utah Navajo Health Services to provide eye care and sight-restoring cataract surgeries on the Navajo Nation since 2013. While the study was limited to Moran patients, it gives key insights into eye care needs on the Nation, which encompasses portions of Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico and is home to an estimated 173,000 people. Many residents live remotely without adequate access to eye care. They may also experience high rates of sun exposure and have little access to nutritious food, contributing to the development of cataracts and diabetes.

The published study is “Patterns of Blindness on the Navajo Nation: A 9-Year Study,” authored by Ryan T. Wallace, MD; Michael Murri, MD; Lori McCoy; Esteban Peralta; Jeff Pettey, MD, MBA; and Chaya.

Patients from a September 2022 clinic at Navajo Mountain High School, including a mother and daughter at right, are pictured outside the campus before their exams. More than 100 adults and 30 children received exams and eyeglasses or updated prescriptions at the clinic, one of several hosted by the outreach team in 2022. Patients with more intensive needs, like retina and glaucoma issues, were scheduled for surgeries or follow-up procedures

930+

Comprehensive Eye Exams for Adults

Local Outreach Overview 2022

410+

Comprehensive Eye Exams for Children

280+

Adult Glasses

210+

Pediatric Glasses

135+

Cataract and Other Eye Surgeries for Adults and Children

Sofiia, a nurse who settled in Utah recently from Ukraine, received a free eye exam and new eyeglasses as part of the Hope in Sight Outreach Clinic at the Midvalley Health Center in October 2022. She was among 68 Utahns who are former refugees to receive comprehensive eye exams, eyeglasses, and surgery referrals if needed at the clinic.

Scan for more photos from Moran’s outreach clinics.

distributing about 80 pairs of glasses to students.

Moran’s outreach team visited the Navajo Nation’s Kayenta Elementary School in September 2022, providing nearly 90 vision screenings and eye exams and

Support for Promising Young Physician-Scientists

The Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation of Utah has selected two incoming Moran Eye Center residents to receive its 2023-2024 research scholarships. This year, ARCS will award $15,000 each to the two incoming Moran residents to pursue research during residency with the hope they will choose careers that continue their scientific investigations. Moran matches the award for the following two years of residency, providing a total of $45,000.

George Sánchez, MD, will receive the Might Family Foundation Award in memory of Bertrand T. Might; and Erica N. Woertz, MD, PhD, will receive the Mark and Kathie Miller Award in honor of Moran CEO Randall J Olson, MD.

Sánchez earned his medical degree at Dartmouth Medical School. His honors included receiving the Arthur Naitove Surgical Scholar Award, given to one graduating medical student with the greatest potential for making a significant contribution to the field of surgery.

At Dartmouth, Sánchez conducted research in a variety of topics, including the role of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy injections to treat age-related macular degeneration.

Sánchez, who grew up in Hialeah, Florida, as the son of Cuban immigrants, is passionate about providing care to underserved and Spanish-speaking communities. At Moran, he looks forward to continuing his research and providing high-quality, cutting-edge patient care.

Woertz earned her medical degree and doctorate at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW). Her dissertation on the visual system in human albinism —completed under the direction of Joseph Carroll, PhD, through the Dennis P. Han, MD Advanced Ocular Imaging Program— earned a top MCW prize. She has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and contributed to work presented at prestigious vision and neuroscience conferences. Her extensive training included a visiting student research rotation at Moran under the mentorship of Paul S. Bernstein, MD, PhD. During this rotation, she continued to study human albinism using fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy, an advanced imaging technique designed to characterize pigments in the retina.

During her residency training, she plans to further her research into the connection between retinal pigment, retinal cellular structure, visual acuity, and genetic variability in human albinism.

From left: ARCS Foundation Utah President Sue Dintelman; Moran CEO Randall J Olson, MD; ARCS Scholar

Erica N. Woertz, MD, PhD; ARCS Scholar

George Sánchez, MD; Moran Vice Chair of Education Jeff Pettey, MD, MBA; and ARCS Foundation Utah Vice President for Scholar Outreach Anne Erickson.

New Ophthalmic Hospitalist Position Combines Teaching Moments with Enhanced Patient Care

As the Moran Eye Center’s first ophthalmic hospitalist, Theresa Long, MD, is breaking new ground in resident education and patient care.

One of only a handful of specialists in the emerging ophthalmic hospitalist field, Long recently completed her residency and a tailor-made anterior segment and ophthalmic hospitalist fellowship at Moran.

In her new role, she conducts inpatient and emergency room consults at University of Utah hospitals and supervises Moran’s consulting residents as they make training rounds. She also provides clinical care and performs surgeries at the Moran Eye Center.

“Theresa is passionate about education, and she’s an advocate for change,” says Jeff Pettey, MD, MBA, Moran’s vice chair of education. “As she runs the hospital eye service, our residents gain mentored experience with complex, vision-threatening issues from a highly trained expert. Our hospital patients are admitted with everything from eye socket fractures to strokes in the eye that require specialized care. Residents follow these patients throughout their hospital stay, armed with in-depth knowledge about their conditions. It’s a win-win for hospital patients and trainees.”

Long will continue to expand her educational role as a lecturer and member of Moran’s resident admissions committee and academic administration.

“I’m excited to work with trainees in hospital settings. This will allow them to learn to assess and manage clinically complex patients experiencing a range of conditions,” says Long. “Every moment of our time on the consult service leads to incredible teaching opportunities.”

Long’s own path, Pettey says, offers a perfect example of the individual approach Moran’s nationally ranked education program takes with trainees.

“We work with them to identify strengths and find ways to invest in their success,” he says. “During Theresa’s residency, she blossomed with some unique skills and strengths, making her the ideal candidate to mentor and pioneer our hospital service.”

Associate Program Director of Education Rachel Simpson, MD, adds: “Theresa is highly contemplative—the type of person who devotes time to think things through and figure out how to ensure we do the best job possible. Her skill set lends itself well to this type of medicine.”

Resident Mubarik Mohamed, MD, left, and Theresa Long, MD, discuss a case while making rounds at the University of Utah Hospital.

Moran offers one of the nation’s top educational programs, providing excellent didactic training and extensive surgical experience. The latest Ophthalmology Times survey of chairpersons and residency program directors at eye centers across the country ranked Moran No. 9 for Best Residency Program. A 2022 survey by physician website Doximity placed Moran’s residency program at No. 5 in the U.S. and No. 1 in the West.

FOR 4 SPOTS IN 2023

340+ MORAN-TRAINED OPHTHALMOLOGISTS

PRACTICING in 45 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 2 countries

FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM 2022-2023

Katherine Hu, MD Cornea

Shawn Gulati, MD Glaucoma

Spencer Fuller, MD, MPH Retina

Malka Davina Kirschenbaum, MD Cornea

Carolyne Riehle, DO Neuro-Ophthalmology

James Kohler, MD Retina

Paul Chamberlain, MD Glaucoma

Christopher Bair, MD Retina

Marcus Altman, MD Uveitis

IN A TYPICAL THREE-YEAR period, one Moran resident, on average, performs about 740 SURGERIES & PROCEDURES.

300 MORE THAN ARE CATARACT SURGERIES

86 IS THE NATIONAL REQUIREMENT

57 PRESENTATIONS

39 PUBLICATIONS BY MORAN TRAINEES IN 2022 AND CURRICULUM DETAILS

Scan for more information about our Education Program.

2022-2023 OPHTHALMIC PATHOLOGY/RESEARCH FELLOWS 2022-2023

Sean Collon, MD

Abigail Jebaraj, MD Allie Simpson, MD Cole Swiston, MD

Nnana Amakiri, MD Jordan Desautels, MD Mubarik Mohamed, MD Ashley Polski, MD

Tyler Etheridge, MD Brandon Kennedy, MD Anthony Mai, MD Lydia Sauer, MD

George Sanchez, MD Intern Ayesha Patil, MD Intern Samuel Wilkinson, MD Intern Erica Woertz, MD, PhD Intern

Nour Bundogji, MD Ocular PathologyResearch

John A. Musser, MD, MPH Glaucoma Research Fellow

Vivian Hawn, MD Ocular PathologyResearch

John Cumming, left, and Randall J Olson, MD, talk recently about the newly established Cumming Presidential Endowed Chair to honor Olson.

Endowed Chair Marks a Lifetime of Care, Friendship, and Support

John Cumming has seen firsthand how the Moran Eye Center helps people with vision issues and gives them hope.

Cumming’s struggle to keep his eyesight started in his early teens after being shot in the eye by a BB gun. The injury damaged his pupil and impacted his vision in certain light conditions. His father, Ian, turned to Moran CEO Randall J Olson, MD, for help.

“I had been seen by a lot of folks,” says John Cumming, founder and chairman of Powdr, a Park City-based ski and adventure lifestyle company. “Their answer was, ‘That is just the way it is going to be’ or ‘You are just lucky you can see.’ My dad got me an appointment with Dr. Olson, and that all changed.”

L IFETIME OF CARE

Olson remembers that first visit with Cumming—then a young teen feeling socially conscious about his eye looking like a “cat eye” thanks to his injured pupil.

More concerning was the vision loss Cumming experienced—a dangerous issue for an athletic and active young man.

Olson performed surgery on the injured eye, repairing the damaged pupil by removing scar tissue and stitching up a tear.

“It was pretty avant-garde back then to go in and suture that torn area and make sure it was totally free to create the new pupil,” Olson says. “The re-formed pupil and surgery have held to this day.”

Olson and Cumming’s relationship has spanned more than 30 years and more surgeries than Cumming wants to remember. Over time, it turned into much more than purely medical.

For those reasons, John and his brother, David, decided to establish the new Cumming Presidential Endowed Chair to honor Olson.

“Looking at life through broken eyes is not something I’ve enjoyed, but having a partner to guide me through it has been a gift,” Cumming says.

“Dr. Olson has been a tether of optimism for me. Everything he says is thoughtful, empathetic, and responsible. Even when he has news I don’t want to deal with, it is always delivered with a warm, positive, enthusiastic, and can-do spirit.”

G IVING BACK, SUPPORTING A PASSION

In addition to the initial eye injury in his teens, Cumming has dealt with one eye problem after another, including cataracts, floaters, retinal detachment, optic neuritis due to multiple sclerosis, and a macular hole.

In appreciation of the ongoing care, the Cumming Foundation created the endowed chair for Olson. Once Olson retires, the title will change to The Randall J Olson, MD, Presidential Endowed Chair to honor his legacy.

“This endowment is extremely important, and it is going to be used for critical needs I have from time to time,” Olson says. “It makes a huge difference when there is a flexible fund for the department chair to utilize when a pressing need arises. This is just the latest evidence of the Cummings’ generosity for giving.”

Ian Cumming, who passed away in 2018, was known as a corporate titan who quietly supported causes to help under-served communities. He played an important role on a committee helping to create venues for the 2002 Winter Olympics and made many local philanthropic donations. John Cumming has carried on the tradition. Cumming says funding the endowment is “tiny” compared to what he and so many others have gained from Olson and the Moran Eye Center.

“The reality through all of it is that I can see,” Cumming says. "Moran’s efforts have helped so many, many hundreds of thousands of people across the world. For that, we are very grateful. I hope, in some incremental way, it will help maintain the momentum Randy has created at Moran. When you are confronted with not being able to see, it is terrifying. Having help in resolving those issues in a rational, thoughtful way is a gift beyond description.”

“Looking at life through broken eyes is not something I’ve enjoyed, but having a partner to guide me through it has been a gift. Dr. Olson has been a tether of optimism for me. Everything he says is thoughtful, empathetic, and responsible. Even when he has news I don’t want to deal with, it is always delivered with a warm, positive, enthusiastic, and can-do spirit.”

JOHN CUMMING

WHAT IS AN ENDOWMENT?

An endowment is a gift to the university where the principal — the original value of the gift — is invested and not spent directly. Only a portion of the interest accrued on the endowment is distributed to support a program or need. The remainder is reinvested and augments the principal, so the endowment can grow and keep pace with inflation. Endowments last in perpetuity and support distinctive programs, scholarships, research, professorships, buildings — per the donor’s wishes — for generations to come.

Moran Names Two New Endowed Chair Holders

John E. and Marva M. Warnock Presidential Endowed Chair

Craig J. Chaya, MD, medical director of Moran’s Global Outreach Division, has been named as the Warnock Presidential Endowed Chair. Moran CEO Randall J Olson, MD, nominated Chaya to fill the endowed position left vacant with the death of Alan S. Crandall, MD. The Warnock Presidential Endowed Chair agreement requires an ophthalmologist with a passion for outreach work who shares Moran’s commitment to fighting preventable blindness worldwide. Chaya received training in international ophthalmology as a Himalayan Cataract Project/Freedom Foundation Fellow in Kathmandu and Hetauda, Nepal, and volunteered with Crandall on many outreach trips locally and internationally.

“There are overwhelming unmet vision care needs in the world,” Chaya says. “Technology and innovation will allow us to reach more people with visual impairment than ever before. I am grateful for the unwavering commitment of the Warnock family, and I am honored to be leading our Moran outreach initiatives.”

Dr. Ezekiel R. and Edna Wattis Dumke Endowed Chair

Jeff Pettey, MD, MBA, Moran’s vice chair of Education, has been named the inaugural holder of the Dumke Endowed Chair for Global Outreach in the John A. Moran Eye Center.

The Dr. Ezekiel R. and Edna Wattis Dumke Foundation established the endowed chair to promote excellence in teaching, research, and leadership in global outreach.

Pettey has long been a part of Moran’s outreach team locally and internationally and has lectured worldwide on ophthalmic education and outreach.

With support from the endowed position, Pettey will continue efforts to expand access to eye care throughout Utah and the Navajo Nation.

“I’m honored to be the recipient of this generous gift from the Dumke family,” Pettey says. “The endowment supercharges the Moran Eye Center’s global education mission and will expand training, collaboration, and capacity building. The Dumke family’s rich legacy will live on through the gift of sight throughout the world.”

Awards & Honors

NATIONAL RANKINGS

We feel honored and humbled each year to receive recognition as one of the nation’s top academic ophthalmology centers. In 2022, our rankings soared, and we are excited to share the news.

The Moran Eye Center rose to No. 10 in the U.S. News and World Report magazine’s 2022-2023 Best Hospitals for Ophthalmology ranking. The magazine bases its rankings on voting results asking ophthalmologists nationwide where they would send their patients with the most complex eye conditions.

The 2022 Ophthalmology Times magazine survey of eye center chairpersons and residency program directors ranked the Moran Eye Center as No. 10 in Clinical Care. The survey also placed the Moran Eye Center as a leading institution in its other polled categories:

No. 9 Best Residency Program

No. 12 Best Research Program

No. 12 Best Overall Program

In a third recent survey, Doximity’s Residency Navigator ranked Moran’s residency program at No. 5 nationwide and No. 1 in the West. A social networking website for physicians, Doximity conducts an annual survey to determine rankings used by medical school graduates evaluating high-quality training programs. Moran selects just four residency applicants from a pool of more than 700 annually.

POWER LIST

Iqbal “Ike” K. Ahmed, MD, FRCSC, a physician and director of the Alan S. Crandall Center for Glaucoma Innovation, is the second most influential person in ophthalmology worldwide, according to The Ophthalmologist magazine power list. Widely recognized as one of the world’s top surgeons for complex eye conditions, Ahmed is also renowned for his innovative surgical devices for treating diseases, including glaucoma and surgical complications.

A lso, in 2022, Ahmed received the Charles Kelman Medal from the Brazilian Association of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (BRASCRS). As part of the honor, he delivered an address—“IOL Fixation Beyond the Capsular Bag”—during the BRASCRS 2022 convention in Salvador, Brazil.

Awards & Honors

Liliana Werner, MD, PhD, a celebrated researcher focusing on artificial intraocular lenses (IOLs), broke ground as the first woman selected for the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s (AAO) Charles D. Kelman Award and Lecture in 2022. One of the most coveted awarded lectures in ophthalmology, the honor recognizes outstanding achievements in improving cataract surgery through education or innovation.

Werner presented her “25 Years Evaluating New IOL Technologies and Complications” lecture at AAO’s annual meeting in Chicago. She is the fourth Moran faculty member to receive the Kelman Award.

The year brought several additional honors for Werner.

“The Dead Bag Syndrome,” a video produced by Werner and a stellar team of collaborators, continues to receive accolades, including 2022 honors as “Best of Show” at AAO; “Best of the Best” (Cataract Complications) at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery; the Michael Blumenthal Award at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ESCRS) Video Festival; and first prize in the category of Complications in Cataract and Refractive Surgery from the Brazilian Association of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

The International Society of Refractive Surgery (ISRS), a partner of the AAO, selected Werner as a 2022 recipient of the Presidential Recognition Award. The award honors her contribution to the field of refractive surgery and the ISRS. Co-director of the world-renowned Intermountain Ocular Research Center, Werner joined Moran in 2002. She and her team vet new IOL technologies worldwide and conduct critical research on related complications. Their work has established foundational knowledge regarding interactions between ocular tissues and IOL design, materials, and surface modifications.

Werner has authored more than 360 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, co-edited three books, and received numerous awards in international meetings for scientific presentations, videos, and posters. In 2020, she became the first woman and the first Latina to hold the position of U.S. Associate Editor for the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery

She serves as Moran’s inaugural vice-chair for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

Awards & Honors

Paul Bernstein, MD, PhD, a physician-scientist and Moran’s vice-chair for clinical and basic science research, received the Best Investigator of the Year award at the annual Brain and Ocular Nutrition (BON) Conference in Cambridge, United Kingdom.

The award recognizes Bernstein’s remarkable contributions to the field of ocular nutrition, including his work as a principal investigator on the benchmark Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2), which followed up on an earlier AREDS study to zero in on the effects of certain antioxidants and eye health. As part of the award, he presented a lecture titled: “The role of carotenoids and very-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in retinal health and disease throughout the lifespan.”

BON brings together global experts in brain and ocular nutrition to share research findings on the role of nutrition and lifestyle for the eye and brain and discuss ideas relating to the role of nutrition in human health, function, and well-being.

Amy Lin, MD, a cornea specialist and researcher, received an Achievement Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO).

The Achievement Award program recognizes members for their contributions to the AAO, its scientific and educational programs, and the field of ophthalmology.

Brian Stagg, MD, MS, a glaucoma specialist and researcher, earned a David L. Epstein Clinician-Scientist Research Award from the Chandler Grant Glaucoma Society.

He received a $10,000 grant for his project, predictive modeling to provide personalized recommendations for testing frequency for glaucoma patients.

The reward honors David L. Epstein, MD, widely considered one of the most influential leaders in the world of glaucoma and research into the disease over the past 40 years.

Scholars Honors

The Utah Health Equity Leadership & Mentoring (U-HELM) program selected Moran’s Afua Oteng Asare, OD, PhD, as one of 12 scholars for 2022-23.

Launched at the University of Utah School of Medicine in 2018, U-HELM provides mentoring and leadership development opportunities to scholars from underrepresented populations in the health sciences or involved in health equity research and practice.

Asare also has been accepted into the University of Utah Vice President’s Clinical and Translational Research Scholars Program, which is designed to offer intensive mentorship and support to early-stage faculty members engaged in clinical and translational research. The goal is to help these faculty transition into the role of accomplished, funded principal investigators.

Awards & Honors

Promoting Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Healthcare

Moran hosted its inaugural Diversity Day Robert H. Hales, MD, Memorial Endowed Lectureship in April 2022.

The event aimed to “recognize and honor the diversity around us all,” according to Liliana Werner, MD, PhD, vice-chair for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). Speakers and participants emphasized the need for more diversity in ophthalmology, why it matters, and how the entire community can work to address the many issues involved.

Featured speaker Terri L. Young, MD, MBA, FARVO, FAOS, chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Wisconsin, presented “Mentoring and Sponsoring Social Identity and Building an Inclusive Environment.”

Abdulkhaliq Barbaar, MSW, MBA, former director of Moran’s Global Outreach Division who is now director of Health, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the University of Utah, presented “Voices of New Americans.”

He detailed the challenges of the refugee and resettlement process and how it affects medical care, something he experienced firsthand. The endowment that supported the event honors the late Robert H. Hales, a prominent Utah ophthalmologist and local medical community leader known for his love of teaching and mentorship.

Moran’s EDI program marked another milestone in 2022, welcoming the first recipient of a new scholarship for medical students who demonstrate a commitment to increasing opportunities for underrepresented minorities within the field of ophthalmology.

Medical student Ruby Garcia, University of Nevada, Reno, spent four weeks at Moran working with clinical and research mentors. The fellowship included direct patient care experiences covering a broad range of ophthalmic specialties.

From left, Terri L. Young, MD, MBA, FARVO, FAOS; Liliana Werner, MD, PhD; Abdulkhaliq Barbaar, MSW, MBA; and Jeff Pettey, MD, MBA

CELEBRATING GIFTS OF SIGHT

Moran CEO Randall J Olson, MD, welcomed donors to celebrate a newly updated donor wall displaying 1,421 names in December 2022.

“You are making it possible for us to carry out our mission that ‘no person with a blinding condition, eye disease, or visual impairment should be without hope, understanding, and treatment,’” Olson told generous donors who gathered in the Moran atrium where the wall is on display.

Donations to Moran support many causes, including breakthrough research that enables physicians and researchers to take on the challenges of glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and other blinding diseases and transform their findings into clinical care.

Donors also make it possible for people in underserved communities in Utah and worldwide to have sight-restoring surgeries and care that changes lives.

From left, Ira Rubinfeld, Randall J Olson, MD, Harald Olafsson, OD, and Ranae Olafsson.

Kerry and David Carlson.

Moran CEO Randall J Olson, MD, addresses donors at the wall celebration.

Joseph and Margaret “Pinky” Viland.

Highlights

Translational Research Day

Moran’s annual Translational Research Day welcomed Nicole Fram, MD, director and managing partner of Advanced Vision Care and clinical instructor of Ophthalmology at the Stein Eye Institute, UCLA, as its keynote speaker.

Her lecture, “How Complications Become Your Lessons,” looked at how the interaction of bench research and clinical experience solves clinical dilemmas.

The annual conference, co-chaired by Bryan W. Jones, PhD, and Leah Owen, MD, PhD, included presentations from six Moran faculty members on a variety of ophthalmic research topics.

Global Ophthalmology Summit

With the mission of improving eye health and eliminating vision loss through public health advocacy and global ophthalmology education and research collaborations, the American Academy of Ophthalmology held its first Global Ophthalmology Summit in Park City, Utah, in August 2022.

The summit, which brought all ophthalmology subspecialties and interested eye care professionals to the table, included networking events based on geography and focus areas, cutting-edge surgical simulation technology, and an in-depth look at the current state of vision impairment and its causes worldwide.

The event grew from a global ophthalmology fellows retreat Moran hosted in 2020.

Interventional Glaucoma Consortium

The Interventional Glaucoma Consortium, an expansion of the Interventional Glaucoma Congress (IGC), brought together the top thought leaders in the interventional glaucoma field at the Moran Eye Center and Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City in 2022.

The event included a dedicated program for glaucoma fellows in partnership with Moran. Consortium chairs, including Moran’s Ike Ahmed, MD, FRCSC, and Rachel Simpson, MD, curated the program.

The IGC’s think tank approach encouraged the select group to exchange innovative ideas and education that “promotes a proactive, not reactive, approach to patient care.”

Moran Vice Chair of Education Jeff Pettey, MD, MBA, co-hosts a session at the Global Ophthalmology Summit 2022 with California cataract expert David Chang, MD (shown on video screen).

From left, Bryan W. Jones, PhD, Nicole Fram, MD, and Leah Owen, MD, PhD.

Moran’s Ike Ahmed, MD, FRCSC, and Rachel Simpson, MD, participate in an IGC session.

Iqbal

Professor

SPECIALTIES

• Glaucoma

• Complex Cataract Surgery

• Lens Implant Complications

Associate Professor

SPECIALTIES

• Comprehensive Ophthalmology

• Cataract Surgery

• Refractive Surgery

Adjunct Associate Professor; Associate Editor of morancore.utah.edu

SPECIALTY

• Glaucoma

Associate Professor

SPECIALTIES

• Neuro-Ophthalmology

• Oculoplastics and Facial Plastic Surgery

CEO of the John A. Moran Eye Center

Randall J Olson, MD

Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

The Cumming Presidential Endowed Chair

Director, University of Utah Vision Institute

SPECIALTIES

• Cataract Services

• External Eye Diseases

Craig J.

Professor; Val A. and Edith D. Green Presidential Endowed Chair

SPECIALTIES

• Vitreoretinal Diseases and Surgery

• Retinal Biochemistry

• Macular and Retinal Degeneration

Kathleen B. Digre, MD

Distinguished Professor of Neurology and Ophthalmology; Chair of Clinical Ophthalmology

Resource for Education (Moran CORE) Committee

SPECIALTY

• Neuro-Ophthalmology

Associate Professor; Warnock Presidential Endowed Chair; Medical Director, Moran Global Outreach Division

SPECIALTIES

• Cataract Surgery

• Glaucoma

• Anterior Segment Surgery

David C. Dries, MD

Associate Professor

SPECIALTIES

• Pediatric Ophthalmology

• Adult Strabismus

• Complicated Adult and Child Strabismus

• Craniofacial Disorders

William Barlow, MD

Paul S. Bernstein, MD, PhD

Chaya, MD

Susan Chortkoff, MD

Alison Crum, MD

“Ike” K. Ahmed, MD, FRCSC

Professor

SPECIALTIES

• Treatment and Management of AMD

• Degenerative Retinal Diseases

Professor SPECIALTIES

• Pediatric Ophthalmology

• Adult Strabismus

Meet Our Physicians

Assistant Professor; Director of Ocular Oncology

SPECIALTIES

• Vitreoretinal Diseases and Surgery

• Ocular Oncology

Assistant Professor SPECIALTIES

• Adult and Pediatric Retina Conditions and Surgery

Professor

SPECIALTIES

• Cataract Services

• Neuro-Ophthalmology

• Comprehensive Ophthalmology

Scan for a video playlist to learn more about the care our physicians provide.

Assistant Professor SPECIALTIES

• Uveitis and Ocular Immunology

• Comprehensive Ophthalmology

• Cataract Surgery

Associate Professor; Vice-Chair Faculty Affairs

SPECIALTIES

• Retinal Diseases and Surgery

• Macular, Retinal Degeneration

Associate Professor; Medical Director of Utah Lions Eye Bank

SPECIALTIES

• Corneal Transplantation

• Cataract Surgery

• Vision Correction Surgery (LASIK, PRK, Phakic IOLs)

• Ocular Surface Disease

Associate Professor; Director of Medical Student Education for the Department of Ophthalmology; Editor of morancore.utah.edu

SPECIALTIES

• Pediatric Ophthalmology

• Adult Strabismus

Assistant Professor SPECIALTIES

• Cataract Surgery

• Comprehensive Ophthalmology

• Ophthalmic Hospitalist Services

Griffin Jardine, MD

Marissa Larochelle, MD

Bradley J. Katz, MD, PhD

Eileen Hwang, MD, PhD

Robert O. Hoffman, MD

Rachael Jacoby, MD

Monika Fleckenstein, MD

Eric Hansen, MD

Theresa Long, MD

Amy Lin, MD

Meet Our Physicians

Scan for a video playlist to learn more about the care our physicians provide.

MD

Mark D.

Professor; Director, Cornea and Refractive Division; Chief, Surgical Services; Associate Medical Director, Utah Lions Eye Bank; Director, Cornea Fellowship Program

SPECIALTIES

• Corneal Transplantation

• Cataract Surgery

• Vision Correction Surgery (LASIK, PRK, Phakic IOLs)

Assistant Professor

SPECIALTIES

• Cataract Surgery

• Medical and Surgical Glaucoma

• Comprehensive Ophthalmology

Professor; Director of the Ophthalmic Pathology Laboratory

SPECIALTIES

• Cataract Services

• Ophthalmic Pathology

• Comprehensive Ophthalmology

Associate Professor

SPECIALTIES

• Pediatric Ophthalmology

• Adult Strabismus

Associate Professor; Dumke Endowed Chair for Global Outreach; Vice Chair, Education; Residency Program Director

SPECIALTIES

• Anterior Segment and Complex Cataract Surgery

• Comprehensive Ophthalmology

Adjunct Associate Professor SPECIALTY

• Comprehensive Ophthalmology

Associate Professor; Division Chief of Oculoplastic and Reconstructive Surgery

SPECIALTIES

• Oculoplastic and Facial Plastic Surgery

• Pediatric Eyelid, Eye Socket, Tear Duct Abnormalities

Professor

SPECIALTIES

• Oculoplastic and Facial Plastic Surgery

Steffen Schmitz-Valckenberg, MD

Professor; Jon M. Huntsman Presidential Chair at the University of Utah

SPECIALTY

• Macular and Vitreoretinal Diseases and Surgery

Leah Owen, MD, PhD

Bhupendra C. K. Patel, MD, FRCS

Brian T. Rose, MD

Douglas Marx,

Nick Mamalis, MD

Austin S. Nakatsuka, MD

Mifflin, MD

Jeff Pettey, MD, MBA

Assistant Professor; Chair of Visual Electrophysiology

SPECIALTIES

• Neuro-Ophthalmology

• Visual Electrophysiology

Assistant Professor; Associate Program Director of Education

SPECIALTIES

• Glaucoma

• Cataract Surgery

• Anterior Segment Surgery

Adjunct Associate Professor SPECIALTY

• Comprehensive Ophthalmology

Professor; Director of Moran’s Uveitis Division

SPECIALTIES

• Uveitis and Ocular Immunology

• Vitreoretinal Diseases

Professor; Chief of NeuroOphthalmology; Vice-Chair of Quality and Value

SPECIALTY

• Neuro-Ophthalmology

Professor; Director of Vitreoretinal Diseases and

• Retinal Diseases and Surgery

Assistant Professor

SPECIALTIES

• Glaucoma

• Comprehensive Ophthalmology

• Cataract Services

• Geriatric Ophthalmology

Assistant Professor

SPECIALTIES

• Neuro-Ophthalmology

• Pediatric Ophthalmology

• Adult and Child Strabismus

Adjunct Associate Professor; Resident Research Director SPECIALTY

• Glaucoma

Associate Professor; Chief of the Division of Pediatric Ophthalmology

SPECIALTIES

• Pediatric Ophthalmology

• Adult Strabismus

Brian C. Stagg, MD

Meagan Seay, DO

Rachel G. Simpson, MD

Albert T. Vitale, MD

Michael P. Teske, MD

Jean Tabin, MD

Sravanthi Vegunta, MD

Judith E. A. Warner, MD

Marielle Young, MD

Barbara M. Wirostko, MD, FARVO

Meet Our Physicians

Scan for a video playlist to learn more about the care our physicians provide.

Professor; Vice Chair and Medical Director of Clinical Services; Executive Director of Clinical Operations

SPECIALTIES

• Glaucoma Services

Associate Professor

SPECIALTIES

• Corneal Transplantation

• Cataract Surgery

• Vision Correction Surgery (LASIK, PRK, Phakic IOLs)

OTHER SPECIALTIES

G.

Medical Director of Anesthesia Services at Moran

SPECIALTY

• General Anesthesiology

Robert M. Christiansen, MD, FACS

Patient Support Program Specialist

SPECIALTY

• Vision Rehabilitation

Director, Ophthalmic Ultrasound Department

SPECIALTY

• Ophthalmic Ultrasound

Director, Patient Support Program SPECIALTIES

• Psychosocial and Functional Issues Related to Vision Loss

Norm A. Zabriskie, MD

Brian E. Zaugg, MD

Lisa Ord, PhD, LCSW

Roger P. Harrie, MD

Patrick

Bakke, MD

Deepika Bagga, OD, provides a full range of optometry services, with special interest in contact lenses and dry eye management.

John A. Moran Eye Center Midvalley Health Center

Brandon J. Dahl, OD, FAAO, specializes in comprehensive optometry, pediatrics, disease management with special emphasis on anterior segment disease, and contact lenses.

Farmington Health Center

David Meyer, OD, FAAO, is the Director of Contact Lens Services, specializing in fitting lenses for keratoconus, post­surgical corneas, pediatrics, irregular or high astigmatism, and eye trauma. He also provides comprehensive eye care for glasses and soft contacts.

John A. Moran Eye Center Midvalley Health Center

Shandi M. Beckwith, OD, provides a full range of optometry services for adults and children, with special interests in myopia management and contact lenses.

Farmington Health Center

Redwood Health Center

South Jordan Health Center

Timothy L. Gibbons, OD, is the Director of the Optometry Division, specializing in comprehensive eye care with special interest in contact lenses, pediatrics, and glaucoma.

Redwood Health Center Stansbury Health Center

Spencer D. Mortensen, OD, FAAO, specializes in contact lenses, sports vision, and general optometry.

Midvalley Health Center

Robert H. Corry, OD, provides a full range of optometry services for adults and children, with a special interest in ocular pathology, contact lenses, and dry eye management.

South Jordan Health Center

Gabriel A. Hulewsky, OD, provides comprehensive optometry services, with special interest in contact lenses, dry eye management, and sports vision.

Midvalley Health Center Parkway Health Center

Edward R. Nicholls, OD, provides comprehensive eye care services, with special interest in contacts, ocular pathology, myopia control, pediatrics, and those with special needs.

Westridge Health Center

Ryan Coyle, OD, provides a full range of optometry services, with an emphasis on primary care, contact lenses, and the diagnosis and treatment of ocular diseases.

Redstone Health Center

Mark A. McKay, OD, specializes in full ­scope optometric care, including adult and pediatric care, contact lenses, and anterior segment eye disease.

John A. Moran Eye Center Redwood Health Center

Dix H. Pettey, OD, MS, specializes in fitting contact lenses for keratoconus, pediatrics, post­surgical, and eyes with severe or irregular astigmatism. He also provides comprehensive eye care for glasses and soft contacts.

John A. Moran Eye Center Midvalley Health Center

MORAN EYE CENTER Research Team

Iqbal “Ike” K. Ahmed, MD, FRCSC

Professor; Director, Alan S. Crandall Center for Glaucoma Innovation

SPECIALTIES

Glaucoma, Cataract, and Lens

Implant Surgical Therapeutics; Novel Device and Surgical Technique Development

Research Assistant Professor

SPECIALTIES

Retinal Electrophysiology; Retinal Degenerative Diseases; Diabetic Retinopathy; Photoreceptor Physiology

Research Associate Professor (Emerita)

SPECIALTY

Retinal Cell and Molecular Biology

Professor; Mary H. Boesche

Endowed Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

SPECIALTIES

Visual Cerebral Cortex Structure and Function; Development of Novel Technologies

Paul S. Bernstein, MD, PhD

Professor and Vice-Chair for Clinical and Basic Science

Research; Val A. and Edith D. Green Presidential Endowed Chair

SPECIALTIES

Nutritional Biochemistry; Macular and Inherited Retinal Degeneration; Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Ophthalmoscopy

John A. Moran Presidential Endowed Chair; Executive Director, Sharon Eccles Steele Center for Translational Medicine

SPECIALTIES

Genetics and Assessment of Pathways Involved in AMD Etiology; AMD Target Identification and Therapeutic Development

Research Assistant Professor SPECIALTIES

Pediatric Vision Health; Health Services and Systems Research; Health Equity and Disparities; Cost Effectiveness Analysis; Implementation Science

Research Professor (Emeritus) SPECIALTY Electrophysiology

Professor; Ralph and Mary Tuck Presidential Endowed Chair

SPECIALTIES

Membrane Protein Transport in Photoreceptors for Inherited Retinal Disease; Photoreceptor Biochemistry; Molecular Cell Biology

Professor

SPECIALTIES

AMD, Degenerative Retinal Diseases; High-Resolution Imaging; Identification of Prognostic Biomarkers for Disease Progression; Validation of Clinical Endpoints for Interventional Trials

Assistant Professor SPECIALTIES

Vitreous; Collagen; Extracellular Matrix; Aging; Protein Aggregation

Associate Professor; Direc tor, Marclab for Connectomics

SPECIALTIES

Retinal Degeneration Disorders; Retinal Neurotransmission and Neurocircuitry; Metabolomics

Alessandra Angelucci, MD, PhD

Jeanne M. Frederick, PhD

Monika Fleckenstein, MD

Silke Becker, PhD

Donnell J. Creel, PhD

Wolfgang B. Baehr, PhD

Afua Oteng Asare, OD, PhD

Gregory S. Hageman, PhD

Bryan W. Jones, PhD

Eileen Hwang, MD, PhD

MORAN EYE CENTER Research Team 2022-2023

Professor

SPECIALTIES

Photophobia (abnormal light sensitivity); Migraine: its effects on visual quality of life; Ischemic Optic Neuropathy

Professor; Co-Director, Intermountain Ocular Research Center

SPECIALTIES

Ocular Pathology; Comprehensive Ophthalmology; Intraocular Lens Research; Postoperative Inflammation

Professor (Emeritus); Distinguished Professor of Bioengineering, University of Utah; Doctor Honoris Causa, Universidad Miguel Hernandez de Elche, Spain

SPECIALTIES

Artificial Vision/Neural Prosthetics

Helga E. T. Kolb, PhD

Professor (Emerita); Doctor Honoris Causa, Universidad Miguel Hernandez de Elche, Spain; Editor, webvision.med.utah.edu

SPECIALTY Retinal Anatomy

Distinguished Professor (Emeritus) SPECIALTIES

Retinal Neurotransmission and Networks; Retinal Degenerations; Metabolomics

Associate Professor SPECIALTIES

Cognitive Neuroscience; Prefrontal Modulation of the Visual Cortex

Professor and Deputy Director of Research; John Frederick Carter Endowed Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

SPECIALTIES

Glaucoma and Intraocular Pressure Regulation; Photoreceptor Signaling; Calcium Regulation in Neuropathological Disorders

Assistant Professor SPECIALTIES

Glaucoma; Conventional Outflow Physiology; Exosomes; Biomedical Engineering Microfluidics

Associate Professor SPECIALTIES

Translational Analysis of Genetic and Molecular Disease Pathophysiology for Blinding Diseases, Including ROP, Strabismus, and Amblyopia; AMD

Research Assistant Professor

SPECIALTIES

Biochemistry and Biophysics of Macular Carotenoids; Mouse Models of Retinal Disease; Raman Imaging of Nutrients in the Retina

Research Assistant Professor; Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering

SPECIALTIES

Computational Neuroscience; Neural Mechanisms of Visuospatial Perception

Associate Professor; Dumke Endowed Chair for Global Outreach

SPECIALTIES

Phacoemulsification Platform Efficacy and Efficiency; Ophthalmology Training Methods and Outcomes

David Krizaj, PhD

Binxing Li, PhD

Nick Mamalis, MD

Robert E. Marc, PhD

Neda Nategh, PhD

Richard A. Normann, PhD

Behrad Noudoost, MD, PhD

Fiona McDonnell, PhD

Leah Owen, MD, PhD

Jeff Pettey, MD, MBA

Bradley J. Katz, MD, PhD

BUILDING BRIDGES FROM RESEARCH TO PATIENT CARE

Steffen Schmitz-Valckenberg, MD

Professor; Jon M. Huntsman

Presidential Chair; Director, Utah

Retinal Reading Center, uread.org

SPECIALTIES

AMD; Retinal Imaging; Structural-Functional Correlation

Liliana Werner, MD, PhD

Professor; Co-Director, Intermountain Ocular Research Center; Vice-Chair for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

SPECIALTIES

Ocular Biodevices Research; Different Intraocular Lens Designs; Materials and Surface Modifications; Interactions between Ocular Implants and Ocular Tissues

Brian C. Stagg, MD

Assistant Professor

SPECIALTIES

Clinical Decision Support in Glaucoma; Personalized Medicine; Health Informatics; Population Health

Jun Yang, PhD

Professor

SPECIALTIES

Pathogenetic Mechanisms of Retinal Degeneration; Cell Biology of Photoreceptors

Ning Tian, PhD

Professor; Adjunct Professor, Neurobiology

SPECIALTIES

Retinal Neurobiology; Synaptic Plasticity

Research Assistant Professor

SPECIALTIES

Retinal Degeneration Diseases; Neuroscience; Gene Therapy

Frans Vinberg, PhD

Assistant Professor

SPECIALTIES

Retinal Neurobiology; Bioengineering; Mechanisms of Light Signaling and Plasticity in the Retina; Retinal Disease

Moussa A. Zouache, PhD

Research Assistant Professor

SPECIALTIES

AMD; Genetics of Eye Disease; Computational Biology; Engineering Ophthalmology; Drug Development

The inner cells of an eye affected by retinitis pigmentosa, a blinding disease affecting approximately 1 in every 4,000 people. By Rebecca L. Pfeiffer, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Jones Lab.

MORAN EYE CENTER ADJUNCT RESEARCH TEAM

INTERNAL University of Utah

Paul Bressloff, PhD

Brittany Coats, PhD

Karen Curtin, PhD, MStat

Michael Deans, PhD

Jungkyu Kim, PhD

Kristen Kwan, PhD

Jon Rainier, PhD

Jason Shepherd, PhD

Monica Vetter, PhD

Catherine Bowes Rickman, PhD

Carter Cornwall, PhD

Margaret DeAngelis, PhD

Adam Dubis, PhD

Eugene de Juan, MD

Eduardo Fernandez, MD, PhD

Anne Fung, MD

Werner Gellermann, PhD

Mary Elizabeth Hartnett, MD

Wen Fan Hu, MD, PhD

Ariana Levin, MD

Li Jiang, MD, PhD

Tiarnan Keenan, MD, PhD

Anat Loewenstein, MD

Philip Luthert, MBBS, FRCP, FRCPath, FRCOphth

Jordi Monés, MD, PhD

Debra Schaumberg, ScD, OD, MPH

Omer Trivizki, MD

Larry A. Wheeler, PhD

Barry Willardson, PhD

Lloyd Williams, MD, PhD

ADJUNCT VOLUNTEER OPHTHALMOLOGISTS 2022-2023

Adjunct volunteer faculty collaborate on research projects, participate in clinical studies, attend teaching opportunities, and assist on our outreach medical missions.

Jason Ahee, MD St. George, Utah

Arwa Alsamarae, MD Santa Rosa, California

Lisa Arbisser, MD Sarasota, Florida

Nicholas Behunin, MD St. George, Utah

John Berdahl, MD Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Ashlie Bernhisel, MD Merced, California

Ronnie Bhola, MBBS St. Augustine, Trinidad

Kristin O. Bretz, MD Salt Lake City, Utah

Eric Brinton, MD Salt Lake City, Utah

Gregory Brinton, MD Murray, Utah

Michael Burrow, MD Salt Lake City, Utah

Joseph Chen, MD Ventura, California

Robert J. Cionni, MD Salt Lake City, Utah

Richard P. Corey, MD Salt Lake City, Utah

David A. Crandall, MD West Bloomfield, Michigan

Sonya Dhar, MD New York, New York

Jane Durcan, MD Salt Lake City, Utah

Jayson David Edwards, MD St. George, Utah

David Faber, MD Salt Lake City, Utah

Sophia Fang, MD Tigard, Oregon

William J. Fishkind, MD Tucson, Arizona

Roger C. Furlong, MD Butte, Montana

Mitchell J. Goff, MD Salt Lake City, Utah

Reeta Gurung, MD Kathmandu, Nepal

Anna Gushchin, MD Hines, Illinois

Arezu Haghighi, MD Ventura, California

Tara Hahn, MD Houston, Texas

Bradley Hansen, MD Idaho Falls, Idaho

Matheson A. Harris, MD Salt Lake City, Utah

James G. Howard, MD Murray, Utah

Todd Jackson, MD Las Vegas, Nevada

Zachary Joos, MD Renton, Washington

Khizer Khaderi, MD Sacramento, California

Victoria Knudsen, MD Murray, Utah

Elliott Kulakowski, MD Park City, Utah

Robert C. Kwun, MD Murray, Utah

David P. Lewis, MD Brigham City, Utah

Jay J. Meyer, MD Auckland, New Zealand

Majid Moshirfar, MD Draper, Utah

Valliammai Muthappan, MD Sewickley, Pennsylvania

William Myers, MD Chicago, Illinois

Anastasia Neufeld, MD Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Tom Oberg, MD Salt Lake City, Utah

Hreem Patel, MD Stickley, Illinois

Rachel Patel, MD Sacramento, California

David B. Petersen, MD Salt Lake City, Utah

Marcos Reyes, MD St. George, Utah

Trent Richards, MD Layton, Utah

Christopher Ricks, MD Provo, Utah

Sanduk Ruit, MD Kathmandu, Nepal

Derek J. Sakata, MD Salt Lake City, Utah

Joshua Schliesser, MD St. George, Utah

Loren S. Seery, MD Kennewick, Washington

D. Snow Slade, MD St. George, Utah

Robert E. Smith, MD West Valley City, Utah

R. Doyle Stulting, MD, PhD Atlanta, Georgia

Russell Swan, MD Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Scott O. Sykes, MD Ogden, Utah

Geoff Tabin, MD Palo Alto, California

Robert L. Treft, MD Layton, Utah

James Tweeten, MD Boise, Idaho

Albert Ungricht, MD Salt Lake City, Utah

Jeremy Valentine, MD Provo, Utah

Aaron N. Waite, MD Lehi, Utah

Gary Wallace, MD Idaho Falls, Idaho

Matthew S. Ward, MD Provo, Utah

Charles H. Weber, MD Oregon City, Oregon

Eric Weinlander, MD Madison, Wisconsin

Robert C. Welch, MD Twin Falls, Idaho

John Welling, MD Medford, Oregon

Brice J. Williams, MD, PhD Ogden, Utah

Darcy Wolsey, MD, MPH Salt Lake City, Utah

Gilbert C. Wong, MD West Jordan, Utah

DonRaphael Wynn, MD Boise, Idaho

Zachary J. Zavodni, MD Salt Lake City, Utah

JOHN A. MORAN EYE CENTER

Donor Report

The following individuals and organizations contributed to the Moran Eye Center from January 1, 2022-December 31, 2022.

DONORS

gifts of $1,000,000 and above

Dick and Timmy Burton Foundation

The Cumming Foundation

Olson-Huntsman Vision Foundation

Perceive Biotherapeutics

gifts of $100,000 and above

The Lawrence T. and Janet T. Dee Foundation

Melvin J. Harwood

Judelson Family Foundation

Gabe L. Newell

Ruth and Randall Olson, MD

Research to Prevent Blindness

Sharon Steele-McGee

gifts of $50,000 and above

Val A. Browning Foundation

Thomas and Candace Dee Family Foundation

Thomas H. and Carolyn L. Fey Family Foundation

William B. Hale*

Kenneth L. Russell, DDS*

James W. and Jeanne J. Welch

JOHN A. MORAN EYE CENTER Donor

gifts of $25,000 and above

Bill and Barbara Chrisman

Stephen G. and Susan E. Denkers Family Foundation

Willard L. Eccles Charitable Foundation

William and Fern England Foundation

Grandeur Peak Global Advisors, LLC

Thomas R. and Susan C. Hodgson

Kemmerer Family Foundation

James M. and Alison Luckman

The Mark and Kathie Miller Foundation

The June Morris and Frendt Family Foundation

Dave and Donna Newberry

Edward H. Skinner

Lisa and Bill Wirthlin

gifts of $10,000 and above

Anonymous

American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery

ARCS Foundation, Utah Chapter

William and Sara Barrett

David L. and Kerry Ellen Carlson

Julie T. Crandall

Linda Mara Damiano

Teri and Dean Flanders Foundation

Cecelia H. Foxley, PhD

Doug, Miranda, and Elke Freeman

R. Craig and Gloria H. Hansen

Margaret D. Hicks

Stephen and Lynda Jacobsen Foundation

G. Frank and Pamela M. Joklik

Klintworth Family Foundation

Donald A. and Susan P. Lewon

John and Irene Martin

Thomas O. and Diane J. Might

The Olch Family Trust

Thomas C. Praggastis and Michelle Dumke Praggastis

Richard and Carmen Rogers

Shiebler Family Foundation

Sidra Tree Foundation

James M. Steele and Linda Wolcott-Steele

Dean T. Terry

Utah Lions Foundation

Theodore Waddell and Lynn H. Campion

Terry L. Wright

gifts of $5,000 and above

Anonymous

Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology

Fred and Linda Babcock

David Bernolfo

Rodney H. & Carolyn Hansen Brady Foundation

Coon Family Foundation

Errol P. EerNisse and Sonja Chesley EerNisse

Christine A. and Fred W. Fairclough

Joan B. Firmage

Rick Frerichs and Jean Zancanella

Elaine Gordon

Drue B. Huish

Daniel C. and Barbara Hurlbutt

John C. Jarman

Kay W. Lipman

Suzelle and William McCullough

Charles H. McLeskey, MD, and Nanci S. McLeskey, DNP

Karl and Joan M. Mosch

Pegah N. and Majid Moshirfar, MD

Robert N. Owens and Brenda B. Harding

JOHN A. MORAN EYE CENTER Donor

Frank C. and Alice K. Puleo

Zoe and Lon Richardson Jr.

Steven R. and Debra K. Rowley

Susan O. Taylor

John Cramer Terrill

Albert T. Vitale, MD, and Patricia A. Vitale, MD

Warde Foundation

James R. and Linda R. Wilson

Wolf Eye Center, Alaska

gifts of $1,000 and above

Anonymous

Daniel and Laura Alter

Curtis and Susan Anderson

David G. and Marie P. Anderson

Ronald I. Apfelbaum, MD, and Kathleen A. Murray, MD

Eugene W. Banks

Bonnie Barry

William F. and Victoria F. Bennion

Joseph Edward Bernolfo III

Ann P. Bernstein and Paul S. Bernstein, MD, PhD

Michael and Patricia Brill

Irene G. Casper and Ruth A. Morey

Glenn D. Clapp and Kara E. Clapp, PhD

William Clifford, MD, and Jean Clifford, JD

The Honorable Suzanne B. Conlon

Lisa Z. and David A. Crandall, MD

Tony and Joyce Crandall

Eileen Crawford and Alan Jones

Ronald W. Crouch and Elizabeth A. Nielson

William R. and Phyllis S. Crowley

Robert W. and Carol N. Culver

Jim and Susan C. Deacon

Kevin W. Deesing

Jane Durcan, MD and John Hoffman, MD

Henry W. and Leslie M. Eskuche Foundation

Carlton Fenzl, MD

Jack M. and Marianne Ferraro

John H. and Carol W. Firmage

Claire Freedman

Ardis and Luther L. Fry, MD

Eric Fry, MD

James R. and Barbara Gaddis

Carolyn S. and Robert O. Hoffman, MD

Julia and Clair Hopkins Jr., DDS

Jerry S. and Claudia F. Howells

Theodore M. and Charlotte G. Jacobsen

Jim S. and Jeanne N. Jardine

Donald Johnson

Kamas Valley Lions Club

Rick and Beth Kent

Judd P. and Lori R. King

Julia J. Kleinschmidt, PhD

Mel and Wendy S. Lavitt

Frank and Barbara Layden

S. Whitfield and Christina Lee

The Robert B. Lence Family

Paul and Ruth Lyon Family Foundation

Juan E. and Esther R. Medina

Vicki Bettilyon Merchant

Van B. and Maude E. Norman

Ruth L. Novak

Josephine C. and Merrill C. Oaks, MD

JOHN A. MORAN EYE CENTER Donor

Suzanne E. Oelman

Ranae and Harald E. Olafsson, OD

Nancy and Randy Parker

Bonnie D. and James L. Parkin, MD

Dinesh and Kalpana Patel Foundation

Gretchen and Jeff Pettey, MD, MBA

David P. and Suzanne J. Razor

Ronald Reaveley Family

Lynette E. and Daniel Reichert

Helene H. Richer

Edward N. Robinson

Gary W. Rodgers and Chris Filtz

Derek Sakata, MD, and Cindy Sumarauw, DDS

Joseph and Maurine Schumann

Stephen and Marji Bailey Sofro

Howard S. Spurrier, DDS

Stephen D. and Sonnie S. Swindle

Lary J. and Judy W. Talbot

David B. Theobald

Daniel M. Thomas

Douglas Unger

Cynthia A. and Gary W. Wallace, MD

Judith E. A. Warner, MD

Elizabeth B. Wilder

John C. and Carlene A. Williams

Jean A. and Harry C. Wong, MD

gifts of $100 and above

Anonymous

Hans G. Ahrens

Michael Alessandro

Anne D. Alexander

Jeffrey Allen and Gail Gidney

Carol A. and James A. Anderson, PhD

Milton M. and Emily Dianne Anderson

Barry J. and Cathy F. Angstman

Amir and Lisa B. Arbisser, MD

John B. and Neena D. Ashton

R. Larry and Alicia H. Ashton

Katherine Ashworth

Pamela J. Atkinson

Ekhlas Attia

Robert K. Avery and C. Frances Gillmor

Margaret D. and Bryce G. Barker, MD

Merlene Barlow

Thomas Bath

Margo Bathelt

Jan L. and F. Robert Bayle

David W. Becker Jr., MD, JD

Helen Begelman

John E. Bendixen

Janis S. and Richard Y. Bennion III

Ronni and Richard Bergman

Ken and Arlene Berrett

John P. Berry and William Alban

Sheila M. Bilbrey

Margaret N. and Peter W. Billings

Bonnie Blanchard

Arlyn R. and Norma Bodily

Sheri A. and O'Dell M. Bodily

Gary and Herlinda B. Bowen

Alan S. Bradbury

Richard T. and Sharon Bretzing

Michael H. and Patty P. Brimley

Joan M. and Steven M. Brinton

Merle Y. Broadbent

Jane and Lyman R. Brothers III

Marlise P. and Tim W. Brough

JOHN A. MORAN EYE CENTER

Lewis J. Brown

Reid H. Brown

Rosie Brown

Susan J. Brown

David C. Burke

Terri A. Burton

Miriam C. Bushnell

Robin C. Campbell JD, and Marion R. Riley

Randall C. Carlisle

Shirley A. and John K. Carmack

Keith Carson

Donald A. Cathcart

Patrick Reed and Angela Cattelan Reed

Jean Chang

Kirstin M. Chavez

Michelle and Craig Chaya, MD

Qing Chong

Phil W. and Susan D. Clinger

Sherman W. and Susan Clow

John Cofer

Marian Connelly-Jones

Sandra Lee Corp

Kathryn and Denny Cortez

Margaret A. Cragin-Masarone

Paul B. and Tonita M. Crookston

Charles H. Culp

Carl Dennison

Paul Dent

Carolyn Bartlett Deru

T. Jerald and Carol D. Diana

Cameron B. and Rachel M. Diehl

Marilyn E. Domenick

Anita J. and John Drew

James R. and Janet Dunn

Lois M. Dutson

Peter M. and Bonnie H. Edwards

Maureen C. Ellis

Jessie Embry

Eugene F. and Joan R. Erbin

Dennis D. and Carma B. Ewing

The Eye Institute of Utah

Fred Farmer

Rebecca Felix

Daniel S. and Carri Fergusson

Theresa Ferraro

The Firmage Group

Carole E. Fishburn

Leslie and Jon R. Fishburn, MD

Barbara D. Fitzpatrick

Linda T. Flanders

Diane R. Florez

Robert D. Folker

Norine W. Foote

Stanley and Janice T. Foutz

Elaine T. and Frank W. Fox, PhD

Michelle and Todd France

Linda L. Francis

Brian L. and B. J. Fullmer

D. Jay Gamble

Gregory and Jannis Gardner

K. Gary and Linda S. Garff

William A. and Claudia M. Gislason

Zella F. Gledhill Family Trust

John C. and Beth B. Goebel

Joni L. and Kurt Goodfellow

Robert M. Graham

Kay B. Greene

Penelope and Gary M. Grikscheit, PhD

JOHN A. MORAN EYE CENTER Donor Report

Bernard I. Grosser, MD, and Karen J. McArthur

Sivaraman Guruswamy and Vasantha Sivaraman

Margaret L. Haas

Vicky Hall

Ronald C. Hamblen

Gary Hammer

Kristine H. Hammond

Gloria J. and Jim Hannon

Heather B. Hansen

Gareld D. and Betty Jo Hanson

Joan M. and Francis V. Hanson, PhD

Timothy R. and Gloria T. Jean Hanson

Brad D. Hardy, JD, and Jolie A. Coleman

Douglas Hattery

James V. and Gail Hawkins

Susan D. Heath

Vanessa Hendricks

John R. Herman

Nicole L. Herman

Deon T. Hilger

Brad Hobbs, MD

Forest and Pamela Holmes

Barbara Horwitz

Nate Hughes

Samuel T. and Sandra A. Hunter

Thelma P. Iker

Albert Imesch

Clare E. Jackson

Stanley C. and Lana J. Jardine

Roy and Eileen G. Jenkins

Jensen Charitable Foundation

Linda H. and Leland D. Jensen

Norman S. and Gail R. Jensen

Billie Jo and Curt Jones

Jenna Jones

Ryan C. and Jaime Lynn Jones

W. Stanley Jones and M. Gay Taylor-Jones

Mary M. Katsanevas

Brad, Tracey, Sam, Jonah, and Zev Katz

Joette M. and Kurt Katzer

Robyn Carter Keller

Richard A. and Kathleen O. Kennedy

Paul and Geraldine Kilpatrick

Cornelia Kincanon

Douglas Koch, MD and Marcia Murphey

Steve Kornet

Barbara Brittain Korous

David Krajeski and Carol Kotler

Paul Kriedeman and Sarah Werner-Kriedeman

Marilyn and Bob Kukachka

Roger O. and Sue Ladle

Kate Lahey and Michael J. Lahey, MD

Nelson V. Laird

Loris Largo-Rhodes

Jean M. Larsen, PhD

Julie and Darrell R. Larsen Jr.

Christopher G. Latour and Sally M. Patrick, MLS

Harriet T. Lawrence

Lawrence J. and Wendy Foster Leigh

Amy Lin, MD

Darlene Lindley

Judy and Stephen W. Lindsey

Lindsey and Jon Little

JOHN A. MORAN EYE CENTER

Christopher and Susan E. Lockwood

Richard M. and Susan N. Lockwood

Samuel D. and Carol Loftin

Nancy T. Lombardo

Elizabeth Ann Love

Anita L. Lumadue

Dorothy Burton Lyon

Joseph A. and Kim K. Machara

David J. and Vicki W. Mackay

Neil N. and Sandra A. Malamud

Peter Mandros

Glenna Marshall

Collette Marthia

Tawnja Stout Martin

David Matheson

Kurt Matzen

Willard Z. Maughan, MD and Rona Lee W. Maughan, PhD

Bill and Sue Mautz

Mayfield Lions Club

Gary and Suzanne F. McCloskey

James P. and Karen L. McCormick

Lori L. McCoy

Marcie and Wade McEntire

Kevin J. and Pamela McLaughlin

Marvin A. and Renee B. Melville

Suzanne H. Mihalopoulos

Patricia L. Milazzo and Robert E. Briggs

Zella Fae Millard

Ann Marguarite and Kenneth G. Miller

Cory and Christine Mills

Betsy J. Minden

Bruce I. Miya

Casey E., Daysha, and Elle Moore

Edward B. Moreton

Mary and Tony V. Morgan, MD

Paula F. and Michael V. Morris

Moschetti Family

Gary and Lisa Mulcock

Margaret K. Mumford

Linda Myers

Ron and Anna M. Naylor

Barbara and Charles Neal

Marilyn H. Neilson

Sylvia C. Newton

Jeanette Nice

Deanna Nielsen

Brent T. Nilsen

Van B. and Maude E. Norman

Joan J. Odd

Sandra C. and Jim O'Hearn

Stephen L. and Barbara F. Olsen

Lisa Oransoff

Lisa M. Ord, PhD

Kami Page

Brent Palfreyman

Jill and Karl Palmer

Dennis L. and Anne J. Parker

Sangita Patel

Sarah Patrick

Carol and Andrew Pendleton

Bruno E. Perri

Elaine Peterson

Lynn and Gary G. Peterson, PhD

Nedra A. Peterson

George J. and Cynthia Strike Petrow

Jax Hayes and Kathryn H. Pettey

Tamara Phillips

JOHN A. MORAN EYE CENTER

Warren S. Phillips

Howard and Sharon Poch

Herbert H. and Dana D. Pollock

Donald R. and Joyce M. Polster

Jeanniene Turner Posey

Wayne L. and Loretta Pralle

Brent Price

John and Marcia Price Family Foundation

John R. Prokos and Melinda R. Baas

Kenneth M. Pugh

Diana L. Ramirez

V. Raman and Elizabeth Rao

W.E.* and Harriet R. Rasmussen

Elaine and Edgar Redman

Joan Reese

Jeffery A. and Heidi G. Reid

Burt T. Richards, PhD

Mary and Arnold Richer Jr.

Suzanne Rodriguez

Tonya Rogers

Gerald Rolfe

Francis X. and Georgina N. Rossbach

Michael A. Rudick, PhD and Lani Poulson

Alene M. and Leonard H. Russon

Melanie A. and John M. Sacco

J. Stanley and Patricia Schoenfeld

Susan B. Schulman

Richard and Jill Sheinberg

Becky Shiflett

David K. and Patricia L. Sias

Robert and Jan Silberling

Susan M. Skankey

Joanne C. Slotnik and Stephen Trimble

Vicki A. Slotte

Richard and Jenny M. Smartt

Brad J. Smith

Rosanne Smith

Laura J. Springhetti

Lynn H. Stevens and Nedra Wright Stevens

Ron V. and Barbara R. Stevens

Ruth C. and Michael Stevens, MD

Barbara F. and Gerald B. Stringfellow, PhD

The Surgi Care Center Of Utah

Tom and Marsha Swegle

William R. Tanner

R. Burke Teichert

Louis V. and Carole D. Tervort

Mary E. Thompson

Toni Thompson

Ning Tian, PhD and Ping Wang

Candy Turnbull

V. Randall and Susan F. Turpin

Stephen and Ingrid Tyler

John C. and Linda E. Van Dyke

Joseph S. and Margaret P. Viland

Theresa Vonier

Verdon R. and Laurene S. Walker

Everett Lee Ward

Matt J. and Lynn W. Ward

Garda L. Wardle

William J. and Gail C. Wariner

Peter C. and Susan Weaver

Bart and Marlene Wheelwright

Gordon C. and Barbara W. Whiting

Pauline Wiessner, PhD

Joleen S. Willey

JOHN A. MORAN EYE CENTER

Janet C. and H. James Williams, MD

Stephen P. and Nancy Z. Williams

Kurt and Chris Wimberg

Darcy H. Wolsey, MD, Brandon A. Wolsey, MD

Holly C. Wolsey and Tim Soper

Hope Worner

Heather Wozab

Henry C. Wurts and Elaine Ellis

Bette and Kenneth Yanni

Linda Yates

IN HONOR OF

Those in whose honor gifts were made to the Moran Eye Center from January 1, 2022-December 31, 2022.

William R. Barlow Jr., MD

David Bernolfo

Paul S. Bernstein, MD, PhD

Scott Bradbury

Doreen S. Bromfield

Craig J. Chaya, MD

Susan C. Chortkoff, MD

Joseph D' Agnillo

LaVerne A. Diehl

Kathleen B. Digre, MD

David C. Dries, MD

Abagail Durrant

Christine A. Fairclough

Fred W. Fairclough

Roger C. Furlong, MD

Eric D. Hansen, MD

Mary Elizabeth Hartnett, MD

Joseph L. Hatch, MD

Robert O. Hoffman, MD

Eileen Hwang, MD, PhD

Rachael Jacoby, MD

Griffin J. Jardine, MD

Gracie Jones

Jaime Jones

Amy Kalivas

Bradley J. Katz, MD, PhD

David Kimball, DO

Marissa B. Larochelle, MD

Amy Lin, MD

Maureen K. Lundergan, MD

Sharon Lyons

Nick Mamalis, MD

Allie M. Mecham

David A. Meyer, OD

Mark D. Mifflin, MD

Christine Mills

Majid Moshirfar, MD

Austin Nakatsuka, MD

Randall J Olson, MD

Bhupendra Patel, MD

Jeff Pettey, MD, MBA

Charles Pieper

Ashley Polski, MD

Sheila Sconiers

Akbar Shakoor, MD

Rachel G. Simpson, MD

Lois J. Spiegel

Kim Y. Taylor, MD

Colleen Thomas

Albert T. Vitale, MD

Judith E. A. Warner, MD

Miriam Wilhelm

Darcy H. Wolsey, MD

Norm A. Zabriskie, MD

JOHN A. MORAN EYE CENTER

IN MEMORY OF

Those in whose memory gifts were made to the Moran Eye Center from January 1, 2022-December 31, 2022.

Martha S. Ahrens

Margaret L. Bath

Barnie P. Bobbitt

Colleen H. Bowman

Rourke H. Bowman

Robert Brace

Lauren Elyse Bradley

Steven E. Brady, MD

William J. Buhl

Dorothy B. Burton

Richard O. Christiansen

Patricia H. Cofer

Kathleen C. Coon

Bianca Coppa

Ruth H. Craig

Alan S. Crandall, MD

Mary C. Cravens

Jack F. DeMann

Yuriko Dennison

Wayne E. Egan

Sylvia Farmer

Richard A. Fay

James W. Firmage

John Firmage, Jr.

Bruce R. Fishburn, MD

Marian B. Flandro

Zora Foote

Lynda S. Gamble

Chris Georgelas

Alona Taylor Hill

Joyce Hill

Norman C. Jensen

Paul D. Keller Jr.

Yoshie K. Kishimoto

Wm. M. Kleinschmidt

Ryan Link

Bud G. Mahas

Lois Maxwell

Ilene C. McKenna

Harvey Dee Mecham, PhD

Jay A. Meservy, JD

Jean Holt Miller

Steven J. Nichols

Verlan R. Nielsen

Marilyn Oransoff

Julie C. Palfreyman

Roy Garland Pedigo

Darcy Peterson

Darlene M. Phillips

Darlene Prokos

Marion Raish

Svetlana Stojsic

Amelia L. Stone

Graig Taylor

Randall S. Taylor

James Ward Thompson

Richard "Dick" Tomlin

Richard M. Walker

Curtis Wilde

Donald M. Willey

William A. Worner

JOHN A. MORAN EYE CENTER

PLANNED GIFTS

Those who have planned gifts in place to the Moran Eye Center as of December 31, 2022.

Anonymous

JoAnne Ambrose

Neal R. Anderson

David R. and Karen S. Bachman

Bonnie Barry

David Bernolfo

Elmen D. Bloedel

Toni F. Bloomberg

Irene G. Casper and Ruth A. Morey

Donald A. Cathcart Jr.

Richard and Susan Coe

Thomas D. and Candace C. Dee

Carol M. Fay

Dan G. Forman, DVM

Elaine T. and Frank W. Fox, PhD

Bernard I. Grosser, MD, and

Karen J. McArthur

Cliff Hammer

Joseph L. Hatch, MD

Jerry S. and Claudia F. Howells

Curtis C. and Lynne P. Kennedy

Tim and Wendy A. Lacy

Ted Albert McKay

Charles H. McLeskey, MD, and Nanci S. McLeskey, DNP

John A. Moran

Ruth and Randall Olson, MD

Sylvia Prahl-Brodbeck

Linda Stauss Rankin, PhD

Don B. Reddish

Ken and Holly Reynolds

Janet M. Schaap

Edward H. Skinner

Daniel Soulia

Sharon Steele-McGee

Susan O. Taylor

Alice G. Telford

Mary E. Thompson

Haru Toimoto

The Moran Eye Center is grateful for the contributions made to support our mission and goals. We have made every effort to ensure that this January 1, 2022-December 31, 2022, Donor Report is as accurate as possible. Should you find an error or wish to change your listing, please contact us at 801-585-9700.

*Deceased

Best Hospitals for Ophthalmology

No. 10 Nationwide

B est Clinical Care Program No. 10 Nationwide

B est Residency Program No. 9 Nationwide

B est Research Program No. 12 Nationwide

B est Overall Program No. 12 Nationwide

Residency Education No. 5 Nationwide No. 1 in the West

University of Utah Health

Top 10 in the Vizient Quality and Accountability Ranking for the 13th Consecutive Year

No. 6 Ambulatory Care No. 7 Inpatient Care

JULY 1, 2021 — JUNE 30, 2022

Moran Eye Center at a Glance

SURGERIES PERFORMED: 7,999

•Cataract — 4,117

•Pediatric — 1,002

•Retina — 856

•Oculoplastic — 715

•Other — 695

•Glaucoma — 362

•Cornea — 252

PATIENT VISITS BY SPECIALTY

153,369

The John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah is the largest ophthalmology clinical care and research facility in the Mountain West, with more than 60 faculty members, 10 satellite clinics, and 17 research laboratories and centers.

Physicians provide comprehensive care in all ophthalmic subspecialties, making Moran a major referral center for complex cases. Services include:

Cataracts

Cornea & External Eye Disease

Electrophysiology

Emergency Care

Glaucoma

LASIK and Vision Correction

Surgery

Neuro-Ophthalmology

Oculoplastic and Facial

Plastic Surgery

Ocular Oncology

Optometry

Patient Support Program for Patients with Vision Loss

Pediatric Ophthalmology

Pediatric Retina

Retinal Diseases

Strabismus

Ultrasound

Uveitis

John A. Moran Eye Center