Ocular Tissue Evaluation: Practical Approaches and Advanced Techniques

Haitham Sahawneh, MD, is an ophthalmologist and corneal surgeon affiliated with University Hospitals in Cleveland, OH, where he joined the cornea service in 2024. He earned his medical degree from Jordan University of science and Technology in Jordan and completed his cornea fellowship at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Sahawneh specializes in corneal diseases and surgery and complex anterior segment surgeries.

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 Technician Education Committee and the Continuing Education Committee, and has previously served on the Certification Board and the Research Committee.

Monica Freiburger, CEBT, has been with Iowa Lions Eye Bank since 2008, beginning her career as a Recovery Technician and advancing to her current role as Donor Eligibility Manager. Since 2018, she has actively contributed to the Eye Bank Association of America through various committees, including the Continuing Education Committee, Exam Committee, Statistical Report Committee, Technical Procedures Manual Subcommittee, and currently serves on the Policy and Position Research Subcommittee and Technical Education Committee.

Amy Ansin has enjoyed over ten years of sight restorative efforts in her hometown of Portland, OR. Her tenure with VisionGift has allowed for mastery of tissue evaluation and allocation, skill sets she joyfully instills amongst a cohesive distribution team at the eye bank. She loves sharing knowledge amongst her peers, while also learning and collaborating outward via EBAA educational sessions and participation in multicenter studies, the most current being DEKS and DETECT. She is grateful to have service and mission advancement at the core of daily life.