2026 Technician Education Seminar

Jennifer Li, MD, is a Professor of Ophthalmology at the UC Davis Eye Center where she is the Director of the Cornea and External Disease Service and the Fellowship Director. Dr. Li received her medical degree and completed her residency at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas and subsequently completed a fellowship in Cornea, External Disease and Refractive Surgery at UC Davis. She is also the Co-Medical Director of Sierra Donor Services in Sacramento, CA.  Dr. Li is an active member of EBAA, serving on the Board of Directors, the Accreditation Board, the Scientific Programs Committee, and the Medical Advisory Board. Dr. Li previously served as the Chair of the Medical Advisory Board and is the Immediate Past Chair of the EBAA Board of Directors and Governance Committee.  She received the EBAA R. Townley Paton Award in 2021.

Martin de la Presa, MD, is an ophthalmic surgeon specializing in cornea, cataract and ocular surface reconstruction.  Dr. de la Presa attended medical school at the University of Utah followed by a general surgery internship at the Oregon Health & Science University. He then attended the University of Minnesota for comprehensive ophthalmology residency and completed a fellowship in cornea and external disease at the Cincinnati Eye Institute. He has earned numerous honors and awards for his research including the NASA Earth & Space Health Innovation Award, AMA Healthier Nation Innovation Award, ASCRS Resident Excellence Award, and is a recent participant in the EBAA Physician Leadership Program. Dr. de la Presa is the Associate Medical Director for Saving Sight and currently serves on the EBAA Accreditation Board.

Divya Srikumaran, MD, is an associate professor of ophthalmology in the Division of Cornea and External Disease at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute. She received her M.D. degree from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, after which she completed her ophthalmology residency and cornea fellowship training at the Wilmer Eye Institute. Dr. Srikumaran’s research interest includes the assessment of corneal transplant outcomes and risk factors for receiving keratoplasty through big data sources including administrative claims data. She received the Hoskins Center IRIS Registry Research Fund Award through the American Academy of Ophthalmology as well as the EBAA Pilot Research grant to study real-world endothelial keratoplasty outcomes. Dr. Srikumaran is leading a team to integrate Wilmer’s Clinical data into the IRIS registry and the SOURCE EHR repository.  She is also a renowned educator and currently serves as Vice Chair of Education and was previously residency program director. As Vice Chair of Education, she has an interest in medical education and studying best practices to support doctors in training. Blending her passion for both education and expertise in corneal surgery, Dr. Srikumaran has also studied barriers to adoption of advanced keratoplasty procedures in the US and abroad. Dr. Srikumaran is a participant in the EBAA Physician Leadership Program and serves on the Scientific Programs Committee.  

Joshua Hou, MD, is an Associate Professor and the Lyon Chair of Ophthalmology in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences at the University of Minnesota. He received a BS in Chemistry from Duke University (Durham, NC), where he graduated summa cum laude. He received his MD from Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine (St. Louis, MO). He then completed an ophthalmology residency and a fellowship in Cornea and External Disease at the University of Illinois Eye & Ear Infirmary. Dr. Hou currently serves as the Cornea Fellowship Director at the University of Minnesota and maintains a busy tertiary referral practice specialized in complex corneal transplantation and severe ocular surface disease. He is currently the Medical Director of the Lions Gift of Sight Eye Bank, serves as  Chair of the EBAA Scientific Programs Committee, and is an Associate Editor of the Eye Banking and Corneal Transplantation Journal. He leads an NIH funded laboratory at the University of Minnesota and his research interests include eye banking, tissue processing, and limbal stem cell deficiency.

Ingrid Schunder, MBA, CEBT, began a career in ocular transplantation in 1999 at the Lone Star Lions Eye Bank in Austin, Texas.  During her 13 years there, she performed all aspects of eye banking in her role as Technical Director. Ingrid accepted a position with North Carolina Eye Bank in 2013 as the Supervisor of Recovery Services. In 2016, she earned her MBA in leadership and was promoted to the Vice President of Donor Logistics after the acquisition of ocular recovery services in South Carolina.  Ingrid was responsible for the day-to-day logistical operations of the donor recovery process, hospital development, Medical Examiner and Coroner relationships in North and South Carolina. In 2020, Ingrid led the project for the acquisition of the Lone Star Eye Bank, now Miracles In Sight, Lone Star Division. In June of 2022, Ingrid was promoted to President & CEO of Miracles In Sight. Ingrid is an active member in the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) and serves as chair of the Technician Education Committee, EBAA Medical Advisory Board and Certification Board. Ingrid served in the United States Army, HHC, 2AD as the Commanding General’s Attendant. Prior to her career in eye banking, she taught high school Spanish and English.

Bennie H. Jeng, MD, MS, is the Harold G. Scheie Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, and Director of the Scheie Eye Institute, of the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Washington University and his MD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He then completed his ophthalmology residency and chief residency at the Cole Eye Institute of the Cleveland Clinic, followed by a fellowship in cornea and external diseases at the Francis I. Proctor Foundation/University of California San Francisco (UCSF) in 2003.

He returned back to the Cole Eye Institute to serve on faculty, during which time he was the recipient of a K-grant from the NIH and also earned his Master’s degree in Clinical Investigation from Case Western Reserve University. He subsequently returned to Proctor/UCSF as an Associate Professor and then Full Professor, where he served as co-director of the UCSF cornea service, Director of the Proctor/UCSF Cornea Fellowship program, and Chief of Ophthalmology at San Francisco General Hospital, as well as being an R01-funded researcher in ocular surface diseases. In August 2013, Dr. Jeng began his tenure as Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he served for nearly 9 years. He assumed his current position in July 2022.

Dr. Jeng has been very active with EBAA, dedicating his time and expertise to the association. He has served on the Research Committee since 2013 and is currently the Chair. He has also served on the Accreditation Board for nearly a decade and is currently Co-Chair. In addition, he has also been a longstanding member of the Medical Advisory Board and the Scientific Programs Committee (including as past Chair), and he has also served on the EBAA Board of Directors.

Dr. Jeng is also involved in the leadership of many other ophthalmologic societies, as President of the Cornea Society, Immediate Past-President of the Eye and Contact Lens Association, on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Ophthalmology, and on many AAO committees. He is a current member of the American Ophthalmologic Society as well as the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology. Dr. Jeng has published over 140 peer-reviewed journal articles and 30 book chapters, and he has delivered over 400 invited lectures nationally and internationally.

Joshua Hou, MD, is an Associate Professor and the Lyon Chair of Ophthalmology in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences at the University of Minnesota. He received a BS in Chemistry from Duke University (Durham, NC), where he graduated summa cum laude. He received his MD from Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine (St. Louis, MO). He then completed an ophthalmology residency and a fellowship in Cornea and External Disease at the University of Illinois Eye & Ear Infirmary. Dr. Hou currently serves as the Cornea Fellowship Director at the University of Minnesota and maintains a busy tertiary referral practice specialized in complex corneal transplantation and severe ocular surface disease. He is currently the Medical Director of the Lions Gift of Sight Eye Bank. Dr. Hou is an active member of EBAA, serving on various committees. He currently serves as a member on the EBAA Accreditation Board and the Policy and Position Review subcommittee, and is an Associate Editor of the Eye Banking and Corneal Transplantation Journal. Dr. Hou is also the immediate past Chair of the EBAA Scientific Programs Committee. He leads an NIH funded laboratory at the University of Minnesota and his research interests include eye banking, tissue processing, and limbal stem cell deficiency.

Chris Conwell, CEBT, CQIA (ASQ), is the Technical Programs Administrator for Sierra Donor Services Eye Bank. He began his tenure in 2011 as a per diem Tissue Recovery Technician, Chris now oversees ocular recovery training, corneal evaluation and processing training, and ocular related research & development. Chris serves as a member of the EBAA Technician Education Committee and as a faculty member of the Technician Education Seminar.

Emmitt A. Savannah, III, CTBS, serves as the Manager of Tissue Recovery and Research Training at LifeGift Organ Donation Center, where he provides leadership, supervision, development and implementation of training programs for LifeGift in all its Texas regions that reinforce accepted industry practices and comply with organizational operating procedures, AATB standards, and FDA regulations. Emmitt has worked in the donation industry for over 14 years, and is passionate about leading, training, educating and developing people and teams as well as developing the programs in which they work to achieve goals efficiently.

Adam Stockman, MBA, CEBT, began his career with Iowa Lions Eye Bank in 2003 as a part-time recovery technician and has since served in nearly every technical and operational role within the organization. In his current role as Director of Operations, Adam oversees all clinical operations departments, including Donor Eligibility, Tissue Processing, and Recovery, as well as leading ILEB's Quality Assurance and Compliance program. With over two decades of experience in eye banking, he has a passion for strategic leadership, data-driven process improvements, and has a strong commitment to quality and safety. He has led major multi-center initiatives and contributed to national standard-setting efforts. Adam is also a respected educator and mentor, known for developing strong technical teams and training programs. He is an active contributor to the Eye Bank Association of America, currently serving as Co-Vice Chair of the Accreditation Board, a member of the Medical Advisory Board and a member of the Certification Board.

Dana Owens, CEBT, is the Director of Tissue Recovery for Eversight. Dana began her healthcare career as an EMT and Medic in the United States Army.  Soon after, she found her calling and purpose within the world of eye banking.  Dana has been involved in eye banking as a recovery technician, recovery manager, business development, research recovery development, and distribution manager and has been the Director of Tissue Recovery since 2022.  Dana currently serves as the Vice-Chair for the EBAA Technician Education Committee. 

Hannah Flaig, CEBT, is a Laboratory Supervisor at The Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration. She began her work in eye banking in 2019 as a Laboratory Technician responsible for the recovery, screening and distribution of eye donor tissue, and was promoted to Technical Trainer prior to her current position. She has a BS in Human Biology from University of California - San Diego, with a minor in cognitive science. 

Chelsea Green, CEBT,is the Processing Services Manager for the Iowa Lions Eye Bank. Chelsea received both a BA and BS with a focus in research from the University of Illinois Chicago. She came to the University of Iowa in 2011 to work in medical research and worked on multiple studies before finding her way into eye banking and earning her CEBT. She currently oversees the processing department at Iowa Lions Eye Bank. Chelsea is a member of the Technician Education Committee.

Paul Graves, CEBT, CTBS, was born and raised in Alabama. He joined Advancing Sight Network in July of 1997 as a Transplant Coordinator. Over the years, he has been involved in all aspects of clinical eye banking, from Laboratory Manager to Director of Laboratory Services. Today, as the Senior Vice President of Clinical Services, Paul oversees the clinical processing aspects of Advancing Sight Network, from performing tissue processing itself to developing new processing procedures to assist surgeons in the care of their patients. Paul is a Certified Eye Bank Technician and a Certified Tissue Banking Specialist. Paul currently serves on the EBAA Technician Education Committee.

Paul Graves, CEBT, CTBS, was born and raised in Alabama. He joined Advancing Sight Network in July of 1997 as a Transplant Coordinator. Over the years, he has been involved in all aspects of clinical eye banking, from Laboratory Manager to Director of Laboratory Services. Today, as the Vice President of Clinical Services, Paul oversees the clinical processing aspects of Advancing Sight Network, from performing tissue processing itself to developing new processing procedures to assist surgeons in the care of their patients. Paul is a Certified Eye Bank Technician and a Certified Tissue Banking Specialist.

Shahri Jones, a native of San Diego, has been a dedicated member of the San Diego Eye Bank team for nine years. Starting her journey in eye banking in the Distribution department, she developed a passion for eye banking and donation. In her current role as the Learning Management System Developer, Shahri is instrumental in shaping the educational landscape of the organization. Drawing upon her extensive experience and innovative spirit, she creates engaging and dynamic educational content for both internal staff and external stakeholders. Through her work, Shahri strives to bridge the gap between theory and practice, empowering individuals with the knowledge and skills needed to make a difference in the field of eye banking.

Mudassir Razvi, CEBT, is currently Laboratory Manager at The Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration, where he began in 2004 as a Laboratory Technician and subsequently held the positions of Technician Trainer and Technician Supervisor. He oversees technical training and tissue processing and contributes as faculty for The Eye-Bank's annual Wing Chu, MD Cornea Fellow Day.  Mudassir has served on multiple EBAA committees and is currently a member of the EBAA Technician Education Committee. He is a graduate of The College of New Jersey with a BS in Biology.

Vanessa To is a senior recovery technician at the San Diego Eye Bank. She received a BS in Environmental Chemistry at the University of California - San Diego. She has worked at the eye bank for 4 years and initially got hired as a per diem recovery technician in December 2019. Along with recoveries, she aids in donor eligibility, tissue processing, and the creation of laboratory references and training aides. 

Kristen McCoy, MA, CEBT, CTBS, was appointed to Technical Director in 2008 when she assumed the responsibility for corporate training and is currently the Vice President of Surgical Applications for Miracles in Sight. Kristen holds a master's degree in health and humans' services administration from St. Mary's University in Minnesota, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Dayton and is a Certified Eye Bank Technician (CEBT) and Certified Tissue Bank Specialist (CTBS). She has served on numerous Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) committees and sub-committees over the years including the Technician Education Committee and the Certification Board. Kristen also served as a faculty member of the Technician Education Seminar for eight years.

Mark J. Mannis, MD, is the Fosse Endowed Chair in Vision Science Research, and Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science, UC Davis Eye Center at the University of California, Davis. He also serves as Medical Director of Sierra Donor Services Eye Bank in Sacramento, California. Dr. Mannis is a recipient of the R. Townley Paton Award from EBAA and was a recipient of the Lew Wasserman Award in research from Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc. for his work in the development of antimicrobial peptides in ophthalmology. He has received the Moacyr Alvaro Gold Medal from the Federal University of Sao Paulo for contributions to ophthalmic education in Latin America and has received an honorary doctorate from the University of San Marcos in Lima, Peru. He was the 2014 recipient of the Castroviejo Medal for his lifetime contributions to the subspecialty of cornea and both the Claes Dohlman Award from the Cornea Society and the EnergEyes award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology for his mentorship and teaching accomplishments. He conducts a busy referral practice in diseases of the cornea and external eye based at the University of California, Davis.

Jennifer DeMatteo, MCM, CIC, is the Director of Regulations and Standards for the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA). She oversees the EBAA Accreditation program, Medical Standards process and serves as their regulatory liaison. She received her bachelor’s degree in microbiology from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Science degree in clinical microbiology from Hahnemann University (now Drexel University). She was responsible for directing the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and Employee Health programs and personnel in major tertiary hospital and ambulatory care settings.  Jennifer has been a Healthcare Epidemiologist for over 20 years and is certified in Infection Control & Epidemiology (CBIC).

Jennifer Li, MD, is a Professor of Ophthalmology at the UC Davis Eye Center where she is the Director of the Cornea and External Disease Service and the Fellowship Director. Dr. Li received her medical degree and completed her residency at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas and subsequently completed a fellowship in Cornea, External Disease and Refractive Surgery at UC Davis. She is also the Co-Medical Director of Sierra Donor Services in Sacramento, California. Dr. Li is the immediate past Chair of the EBAA Board of Directors and has served on various EBAA committees including EBAA Accreditation Board, the Scientific Programs Committee and as Chair of the Medical Advisory Board. Dr. Li received the R. Townley Paton Award in 2021 for her contributions to the EBAA, sight restoration and corneal transplantation.

Matthew Arnett is the Chief Quality Officer of Dakota Lions Sight & Health (DLSH) where he has worked since 2013. Prior to joining DLSH, he worked as an analytical chemist for a FDA-regulated pharmaceutical and cosmetics manufacturing firm. Matthew currently serves as Chair of the EBAA Quality Assurance Committee and has also served on the Mary Jane O'Neill Fellowship in International Eye Banking Selection Committee and as a guest faculty member of the 2019-2020 Technician Education Seminar. When not at work, Matthew enjoys spending time with his family (wife & son), cheering for the Green Bay Packers as a partial (1/360,760th) owner of the team, and brewing his own beer in a custom designed brewery in his garage.

Sean Edelstein, MD, is an Associate Professor at Saint Louis University Department of Ophthalmology. Dr. Edelstein attended Medical School at University of Cape Town, South Africa, and completed his ophthalmology residency and fellowship in cornea, external disease and refractive surgery at Washington University School of Medicine St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Edelstein is the Associate Medical Director at Mid-America Transplant and is an active member in the EBAA, where he currently serves on the Accreditation Board and the Medical Review Subcommitee and has previously served on the Medical Advisory Board.

Darrell Lee, CEBT, is a Laboratory & Processing Manager for Lions Eye Bank of West Central Ohio. He has worked for the eye bank for over 13 years, initially starting off as an eye tissue recovery technician. Darrell’s has BS in Chemistry and is a CEBT. Along with being a tissue coordinator, he is responsible for the processing of corneal tissue at LEBWCO. 

Saira Quraishy, CEBT, obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from Kennesaw State University and joined Georgia Eye Bank in May 2006 as a Donor Coordinator. In April 2007, Saira transitioned into a technical/laboratory position and has been a Certified Eye Bank Technician (CEBT) since 2007. After several years of dedicated service and outstanding job performance, Saira was promoted to the position of Laboratory Supervisor in April 2013 and in January 2015, Saira was promoted to Manager of Technical Operations. Saira manages donor recovery operations, laboratory operations, donor eligibility determinations, and tissue distribution activities. Saira serves on the Technician Education and the Scientific Programs Committees for the Eye Bank Association of America.

Dr. Asim V. Farooq is an Associate Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at the University of Chicago Medical Center. He received his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine where he was awarded a grant from Research to Prevent Blindness, allowing him to devote a year to study the pathogenesis of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection in the cornea. He then completed ophthalmology residency training at the University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, and a fellowship in cornea and external disease at the Washington University in St. Louis.

George O. D. Rosenwasser, MD, CEBT, has been associated with eye banking since 1984. He is the author of the first atlas and text on eye banking and has been a member of various EBAA committees, including Medical Advisory Board, Technician Education Committee, Scientific Programs Committee, and the International Relations Committee. He is also a member of the steering committee for the Corneal Preservation Time Study. He completely revised the Technician Education Seminar in 2009 and has given many of the lectures from 2009-2019.  He practices Cornea and External Disease in Hershey, PA, and is the Medical Director for the Gift of Life Donor Program Eye Bank.  Dr. Rosenwasser received the R. Townley Paton Award from EBAA in 2015.

Anthony Vizzerra, CEBT, serves as Director of Clinical Services at Saving Sight. He has been in the eye banking profession for five years. Anthony earned his Bachelor of Science in psychology with a minor in chemistry from The University of Arizona. In his current role, Anthony oversees the daily operations of the clinical laboratory and directly supervises the lab team.  Since being with Saving Sight, he has been able to successfully change procedural protocols to help reduce processing errors, as well as reduce overall supply costs. 

Joshua Hou, MD, is an Associate Professor and the Lyon Chair of Ophthalmology in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences at the University of Minnesota. He received a BS in Chemistry from Duke University (Durham, NC), where he graduated summa cum laude. He received his MD from Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine (St. Louis, MO). He then completed an ophthalmology residency and a fellowship in Cornea and External Disease at the University of Illinois Eye & Ear Infirmary. Dr. Hou currently serves as the Cornea Fellowship Director at the University of Minnesota and maintains a busy tertiary referral practice specialized in complex corneal transplantation and severe ocular surface disease. He is currently the Medical Director of the Lions Gift of Sight Eye Bank.  Dr. Hou serves on the EBAA Accreditation Board, the Policy and Position Review Subcommittee, and is the Associate Editor of the Eye Banking and Corneal Transplantation Journal. Previously, he served as Chair of the EBAA Scientific Programs Committee. He leads an NIH funded laboratory at the University of Minnesota and his research interests include eye banking, tissue processing, and limbal stem cell deficiency.

Fred Jordan, FSL, has been in eye banking since 1995 and full-time with Miracles In Sight since 2001. Fred is a licensed Funeral Director/Embalmer in North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas. Over his many years with Miracles In Sight, Fred has fulfilled the roles of Surgical Recovery Specialist, Lab Technician, Professional Development Specialist and is now Director of Development. He currently serves on the EBAA Donor, Partner and Community Relations Committee.

Kerry Gray has worked as a Cornea Processing Technician at Saving Sight in Kansas City for 3 years. Prior to that, she was a zookeeper, working with penguins, stingrays, otters, and polar bears. This is Kerry's first year on the Technician Education Committee and she is excited to further her education and skills as a processing technician! 

Brian Philippy, BCHE, BS, CEBT, works for Lions Gift of Sight in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Brian started eye banking in 1997 at the Minnesota Lions Eye Bank (now Lions Gift of Sight), beginning as a Lab Attendant, then Procurement Technician, Distribution Coordinator, Donor Coordinator, then Lab Manager. In 2005, Brian became the Technical & Quality Assurance Director in Norfolk, then later the Director of Transplant & Research. Brian also served as a Consultant and Director at Vision Share, concurrent with time served in Norfolk. Earning CEBT in 2003, Brian began an extensive EBAA committee service history in 2006.