Eyeworld

10 | EYEWORLD | MARCH 2021 by Molly Gascoigne ASCRS Foundation Director of Development MD. "He is a curious, intelligent, adventurous young man who found success in the world of mountaineering and through those experiences discovered the dire need for eyecare and the miracle of cataract surgery." Dr. Tabin is the fourth person in the world to reach the tallest peak on each of the seven continents. His passion for mountain climbing directly influenced his medical career. After summiting Mount Everest, he later came across a Dutch team performing cataract surgery on a woman who had been needlessly blind for 3 years. It was then he understood his life's calling. Dr. Tabin graduated from Yale University and earned an MA in Philosophy at Oxford University on a Marshall Scholarship. He then earned his MD from Harvard Medical School. After completing an ophthalmology residency at Brown University and a fellowship in corne- al surgery in Melbourne, Australia, Dr. Tabin returned to Nepal to work with Dr. Ruit. Dr. Ruit's mission has been to provide world-class eyecare to patients, regardless of ability to pay. A masterful surgeon, he regularly performs dozens of small incision surgeries on mature cataracts in eye camps over the course of a 12-hour day. Dr. Ruit was born in a remote village in Eastern Nepal. His sister died of tuberculosis when he was 17, leading him to become a doc- tor. After completing a 3-year ophthalmology ASCRS NEWS Geoff Tabin, MD, and Sanduk Ruit, MD, selected for 2021 ASCRS Foundation Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award T he ASCRS Foundation announced that Geoff Tabin, MD, and Sanduk Ruit, MD, are the 2021 Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award winners. En- dowed by a generous gift from David and Victoria Chang, and presented each year at the ASCRS Annual Meeting, the ASCRS Founda- tion Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award was established to honor and recognize outstanding humanitarian work with a focus on cataract blindness and disability. The ASCRS Foundation renamed its highest honor the Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award in posthumous recognition of the exemplary life and commitment to chari- table service of Alan Crandall, MD. A $50,000 prize is awarded to a charitable ophthalmology organization of the winner's choosing. Out of more than 85 nominations sub- mitted, Drs. Tabin and Ruit received the highest vote totals from the nominating committee, and the ASCRS Foundation Board chose to name them co-winners. David and Victoria Chang will double the award to $100,000 this year. Drs. Tabin and Ruit embody the spirit of the award through their 25-year dedication to humanitarian work in some of the most impov- erished areas of the Himalayas and Sub-Saharan Africa. "Geoff and Sanduk have not only delivered exceptional eyecare in the Himalayan region but have created the infrastructure to sustain con- tinuous care by educating and empowering the community," said Ann Kelman, member of the nominating committee. "They generously share best practices learned from their experiences to inspire others to work in underserved communi- ties around the world." Dr. Tabin is the co-founder and chairman of the Himalayan Cataract Project and Profes- sor of Ophthalmology and Global Medicine at Stanford University. "A man and physician with unmatched en- ergy and vision and an infectious passion for the possible, Dr. Tabin has spent his entire ophthal- mic career traveling, partnering, teaching, serv- ing, and advocating for the millions of people who are unnecessarily blind," said Eric Hansen, continued on page 13 Drs. Tabin, Ruit, and Crandall at Dr. Tabin's wedding in 2018 Source: Geoff Tabin, MD Contact Gascoigne: mgascoigne@ascrs.org

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