Without question, 2023 will be a very important year for the future of how we hear, see, and live.
In May of 2023, the UPMC Vision Institute, led by Dr. José-Alain Sahel, moved into its new home in the UPMC Mercy Pavilion. This 450,000 square feet building is filled with state-of-the-art equipment, actual art that is amazing to see, and huge teams of clinicians and scientists. This amazing facility has captured the world’s attention and will put Pittsburgh on the map for vision care. As you have read in Dr. José Zevallos’ report, it will soon be the home to a state-of-the-art Hearing Institute as well. So, these two world renowned departments, who share the resources of The Eye & Ear Foundation, will once again be sharing a building. We are all looking forward to seeing this next step take place.
We are also proud to announce that at the end of 2023, The Eye & Ear Foundation officially completed the goal we set for the New Horizons for Care campaign to raise $80 million. I want to thank every single donor who contributed their hard-earned resources to this effort. When we established this campaign in 2017, we all agreed it was a very ambitious undertaking, but one that was well worth the effort because we know Pittsburgh can make a big impact on these conditions that rob us of senses. When you read Drs. Sahel and Zevallos’s reports you will see how these valuable campaign resources have made a difference and will continue to do so in the future. We will be providing, though this publication, the Sight + Sound newsletter, and upcoming webinars, more reports on the impact of the New Horizons for Care Campaign. To say the least, we should all be very proud of this accomplishment, and some celebration is definitely in order.
However, we do not want to lose the momentum the campaign has provided, especially as we have many new ambitious goals in both departments. We are already working with both Department Chairs to outline how The Eye & Ear Foundation will make its next big impact, and we will make an announcement in 2024.
I want to end with a message which summarizes how we should look at this campaign, and the future goals we will be setting. We should all feel a great sense of accomplishment. We did exactly what we set out to do. This is a true reflection of how passionate and caring everyone involved in our organization, board, faculty, staff, EEF team, and our wonderful donors are about our mission. I am so proud to be part of The Eye & Ear Foundation family and to take on such a worthy cause with all of you. I am already looking forward to celebrating this accomplishment, and even more excited about setting our next set of goals together.
Have a wonderful and healthy 2024!
Lawton Snyder
Chief Executive Officer
The Eye & Ear Foundation