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WVU Eye Institute
www.wvueye.com
The West Virginia University Eye Institute is the state’s premier center for vision care, research, education, and outreach. In keeping with its tradition of excellence, the leadership of the WVU Eye Institute/ WVU School of Medicine’s Department of Ophthalmology, along with the medical faculty, has designed a new plan to position the WVU Eye Institute to become a nationally recognized center of vision care, research, and education, and to enhance eye care for patients in West Virginia and surrounding states.
Advanving and Attracting Prominent Doctors
As West Virginia’s only center that provides eye care for all the sub-specialties of ophthalmology, the WVU Eye Institute has worked diligently and has been very fortunate to recruit high quality, well trained, and highly skilled doctors. In our commitment to serving the vision care needs of the people of West Virginia and the region, the WVU Eye Institute is competing on a national and international level to retain our present medical faculty and recruit new faculty. These doctors are trained to practice in very rare medical specialties such as neuro-ophthalmology, pediatric glaucoma, pediatric cataracts, and orbital surgery just to name a few.
The financial support of private individuals, corporations, and foundations is needed to create endowed program enrichment funds, professorships and chairs to ensure that the WVU Eye Institute retains and recruits exceptional physicians. For us to continue our tradition of excellence, private support of this priority with the creation of endowments at the levels of $250,000, $500,000, $750,000, $1.5 million, and more will ensure our present and future success. This is an outstanding way to honor a doctor for her/his care of a patient while benefiting a particular sub-specialty area of service and ensure that the WVU Eye Institute can attract the best doctors in these sub-specialties.
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Emerging Opportunities
It is essential that the West Virginia University Eye Institute be able to quickly respond to unexpected opportunities as they emerge. These emerging opportunities can include the delivery of a new type of vision care treatment; advancing the WVU Eye Institute’s mission in serving the people of West Virginia and the region; obtaining sustainable support for our programs including development; setting a successful course for our future; and having additional resources on hand to pursue new projects that benefit patient care, particularly macular degeneration, vision loss from stroke, and childhood blindness.
Donations in support of emerging opportunities inspire and advance the work of the WVU Eye Institute and encourage innovation and success in our delivery of vision care, research, education, and outreach. Private support of this priority will allow for the WVU Eye Institute to seize on these emerging opportunities and respond to the critical health needs of thousands of our neighbors.
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Service to the State
Since its founding, the WVU Eye Institute/WVU Department of Ophthalmology has been committed to serving the people of West Virginia and beyond. On an annual basis, the WVU Eye Institute provides over $460,000 worth of free high quality vision care to financially needy patients from across the state. In addition, the WVU Eye Institute’s service to the people of West Virginia includes the delivery of service programs to meet the diverse eye care needs of our citizens. These programs include the Children’s Vision Rehabilitation Program, Vision Initiative for Children, and Appalachian Center for Low Vision Rehabilitation. These outreach programs and our free clinical care to financially needy patients greatly improves the quality of life for the young, adult and elderly populations of our state and beyond.
Outright gifts of $25,000 or more and endowment gifts of $250,000 or more will support the WVU Eye Institute’s free clinics, high quality patient care, and outreach initiatives. Opportunities are available for donors to name a free patient clinic. Your support will allow for the WVU Eye Institute to respond to the ever-changing vision care needs of the citizens of the state.
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Clinical and Basic Science Research
Our expanded major research program includes both an increase in the number of vision researchers and an expansion of our state-of-the-art laboratory space facilities.
The focus is on continuing and expanding the WVU Eye Institute’s leadership with its clinical research projects as well as launching a new basic science research initiative. The WVU Eye Institute’s comprehensive research program involves several different focus areas of clinical and basic science research some of the studies include:
- Childhood blindness
- Glaucoma
- Genetics of the Eye
- Low Vision
- Night blindness
- Retina and Cornea
The new research program allows the WVU Eye Institute to become a full-service and nationally recognized center for vision care and research. We remain committed to promoting clinical research and translational research to benefit the people of our state and region.
Gifts to the WVU Eye Institute will support WVU’s first group of vision researchers and provide permanent funding to retain and recruit outstanding scientists and clinicians. Opportunities are available for donors to create permanent support for this life-changing research by creating endowed professorships, chairs, and research funds.
Contributions are also needed to build and equip new laboratories and research areas, and provide essential staff positions. Our new research will have a significant impact on the people of West Virginia and beyond. Donations of $50,000 or more can provide outright support to the research program and gifts of $500,000 and more can name a research area, floor, or create an endowment to support research for years to come.
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Education and Leadership Development
The WVU Eye Institute has a proud tradition of excellence in physician training, continuing education for our medical faculty and ophthalmologists from across the region, and leadership development. To assure that this continues, our plan places a considerable emphasis on ensuring that essential resources are available for the Eye Institute’s residents, fellows, medical faculty, and vision care physicians. On an annual basis more than $175,000 is needed to provide these essential educational experiences and trainings. It is critical for the WVU Eye Institute to continue its high quality education and service in order to become nationally recognized and boost our medical school into ranks of the Top 25 in the country.
Contributions of $25,000, $50,000, $75,000, $100,000, and more will have an amazing impact in advancing our education and training of the present and future eye care physicians. Your gifts will ensure the WVU Eye Institute can maintain its tradition of excellence in ophthalmology training, medical care and becoming a nationally recognized vision center. The generosity you provide will allow the WVU Eye Institute to deliver a strong and high quality residency program; sustain a modern library; continue to offer valuable trainings and conferences on state-of-the-art research, procedures, and programs; supply state-of-the-art technology and equipment for residents, fellows, and faculty; and enhance the leadership skills of its doctors and researchers through their work with patient care, education, research, and outreach initiatives.
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