Eversight Vice President of Global Development Collin Ross has received the 2026 Dr. Paul Dubord Award for International Eye Banking from the Global Alliance of Eye Bank Associations (GAEBA). Presented during this year’s World Eye Bank Symposium (WEBS) in Prague, the award recognizes Ross' decades of leadership advancing access to corneal transplantation and strengthening sustainable eye banking around the world.
Presented every two years, the Dr. Paul Dubord Award for International Eye Banking honors an individual who has made outstanding contributions to international eye banking while exemplifying the values of Dr. Paul Dubord, who devoted his career to expanding access to corneal transplantation and the gift of sight worldwide through both his own work and mentorship.
Ross has dedicated nearly three decades to advancing eye banking. After earning his Master of Public Management in International Security and Economic Policy, Ross began his career at a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm, where he developed expertise in global economic analysis and information systems modernization. When he joined Eversight—then Midwest Eye Banks—in 1997, he brought that same spirit of innovation to eye banking.
Ross overhauled the organization's computer and internet infrastructure and led a comprehensive renovation of Eversight's eye banking facility and laboratory spaces. The result: a facility that became a national benchmark and continues to welcome visitors from around the world.
In 2013, Ross took on leadership of Eversight's global development team, overseeing the distribution of donor corneal tissue to patients in more than 30 countries each year. His impact has extended beyond logistics: he helped establish the first U.S.-owned and operated eye bank outside the country in Seoul, South Korea, and spearheaded a collaboration with Pakistani medical professionals to launch a revitalized national eye banking network. His long-term focus on building self-sufficient eye bank systems in partner countries earned him an Eye Health Hero award from the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness in 2018. Ross has also played a key leadership role with GAEBA since its founding in 2014, contributing to the Barcelona Principles and GAEBA Medical Standards.
"This award is a tremendous honor that’s made even more meaningful coming from such distinguished peers in our profession,” Ross said. "Having known Dr. Dubord and seen his global impact firsthand, I am especially honored to carry on his legacy of sight restoration and service to those in need. I am also deeply grateful to Dr. David Verdier for his sponsorship of this award."
"Collin's passion for helping others extends far beyond providing donor tissue," said Diane Hollingsworth, Eversight President & CEO. "He has dedicated his career to building culturally competent partnerships, strengthening sustainable eye banking programs and empowering clinicians and organizations around the world to serve more patients. His leadership has had a lasting global impact, and we are incredibly proud to see him recognized with this well-deserved honor."
Ross' recognition reflects Eversight's ongoing commitment to expanding access to corneal transplantation through global partnerships, surgeon education and sustainable eye banking. Together, these efforts are helping restore sight today while building stronger eye care systems for generations to come.
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About Eversight
Eversight is a nonprofit organization with a mission to restore sight and prevent blindness through the healing power of donation, transplantation and research. The Eversight network is responsible for recovering, evaluating and providing human eye tissue for transplantation; supporting research into the causes and cures of blinding eye conditions; promoting donation awareness through public and professional education; and providing humanitarian aid to people around the world in need of corneal transplantation. Operating in Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio and South Korea, Eversight works in collaboration with surgeons, researchers, academic medical centers and eye banks across the United States and abroad. For more information, visit eversightvision.org.
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