Driven by curiosity, fueled by compassion

Onkar B. Sawant, PhD, BPharm, has been with Eversight since June 2019 and oversees the organization’s research and innovations efforts, collaborating with academic and industry scientists to accelerate discoveries and advance clinical practices to prevent vision loss. Prior to joining Eversight, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in ophthalmic research at the Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute. Dr. Sawant holds a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Mumbai University, and a doctorate in biomedical sciences and a master’s degree in biotechnology business from Texas A&M University. In 2018, Dr. Sawant was named an Emerging Vision Scientist by the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research. He has authored more than 25 peer-reviewed original research articles including high-impact publications in The FASEB Journal, The Ocular Surface Journal, Cornea and Cell Reports. He has extensive experience in the fields of ophthalmic research, pharmacology, toxicology and genetics.

Ann-Charlott Salabarria, PhD, joined Eversight in 2025 bringing robust expertise in ocular immunology and translational clinical trials. She spent four years at a contract research organization leading immune monitoring projects for clinical trials and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in ocular immunology at San Diego State University. Dr. Salabarria earned dual bachelor of science degrees in applied biology from Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg in Germany and molecular genetics from the University of Dundee in the UK. She also holds a masters degree in biomedical science with a focus in immunology from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands and a doctorate in biology from the University of Cologne in Germany. While pursuing her doctorate, Dr. Salabarria investigated the immune response to corneal transplantation at the university hospital eye clinic under the FOR 2240 research unit. She has authored 15 peer reviewed publications in the field of immune response, several of which focus on corneal and ocular immunology.

Jessica Ludwig holds a master's degree in regenerative medicine from Case Western Reserve University. She has been with Eversight since 2022 as an Associate Scientist and previously worked in research and clinical labs, including in stem cell, clinical histology and academic arenas. Ludwig’s bench-side background rounds out Eversight’s internal research capabilities with her focus on strategies to optimize donor limbal stem cells and the development of preservation solutions to enhance the regenerative capacity of the corneal endothelium. She calls on her histology expertise to characterize the effects of a gene therapy on the diseased retina of an MPS mouse model in support of a clinical trial. Ludwig developed a novel eye bank tissue processing technique with EBAA grant funding and has authored six peer-reviewed research articles to date. 

Caitlin Qualter joined Eversight in September 2016 and has gained hands-on experience through a variety of eye banking roles. A Loyola University Chicago graduate, Qualter started in Eversight's Chicago lab performing donor eligibility determinations and clinical evaluations of corneal transplantation to fulfill global distribution. She later served as a supervisor to the Chicago processing team, leading a team of six tissue processors that provided more than 50 corneal grafts per week to domestic and international surgeons. Besides being a leader of Eversight's  processing lab in Chicago, Qualter also processed 1,345 tissues for surgical transplants during her time on the tissues processing team. She currently serves as Eversight’s Research Client Manager, fostering new and existing research client relationships and supporting their projects, while facilitating provision of research tissues by working in collaboration with the Eversight clinical operations division. Qualter’s breadth of eye banking experience across the organization brings invaluable benefit to the R&D department and its clients. 

Becky Harris leads the grants strategy for Eversight and has successfully raised over $325,000 from eight foundations to advance Research & Development efforts since joining the team in 2021. She works directly with Eversight’s Vice President of Research & Development to prospect potential funders, craft compelling grant proposals, manage the administration and reporting of awarded grants and present research findings to supporters. In her time with Eversight, Harris raised over $1,000,000, including helping to secure the largest single gift ever made to the organization. She also administers the Eversight Eye & Vision Research Grant program annually. Harris proudly chairs the Programs and Education Committee for the Greater Detroit Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, where she plans educational events for her peers.