Saving Sight is proud to announce its partnership with Numedis, a manufacturer of corneal preservation media, to offer the Jachin Misko Memorial Scholarship for Technical Advancement in Eye Banking. Together, Saving Sight and Numedis will offer up to $2,000 to cover the travel, registration, and lodging costs for an eye bank technician from an EBAA-member eye bank to attend the 2014 Technician Education Seminar (TES) in Tampa, Florida.

The scholarship serves as a memorial to Jachin Misko, the former Director of Clinical Services at Saving Sight, who passed away last March. Throughout his career, Misko proved himself a leader in technical innovation who was fueled by a passion for excellence and a desire to seek out improvements in the technical processes of eye banking. He played a pivotal role in establishing Saving Sight’s DSAEK cutting lab and procedures, and he was heavily involved with the EBAA, serving on the Exam Committee, Continuing Education Committee, Medical Review Subcommittee, and Medical Advisory Board.

Misko’s work directly impacted the lives of thousands of corneal transplant recipients. “I believe this is a particularly meaningful way to honor Jachin because it represents the impact he had on all of us and on changing lives by saving sight through eye banking,” said Tony Bavuso, chief executive officer of Saving Sight. “I hope this can somehow bring a measure of good out of a tragic loss to all who knew him.”

The Jachin Misko Memorial Scholarship for Technical Advancement in Eye Banking will honor Misko’s legacy by supporting eye bank technicians who show promise for advancement in the industry. All nominations must be submitted by an EBAA-member eye bank’s Executive Director/President/CEO. The deadline for the 2014 scholarship is Thursday, December 12, 2013, and further information,
including the nomination form, can be found on the EBAA website.

If you would like to contribute to the memorial scholarship to help us honor him by supporting future leaders in eye banking, please visit our Giving page where you can designate your gift to the fund. You can also send a check to our headquarters in Kansas City at 10560 N. Ambassador Dr., Suite 210, Kansas City, MO 64153 with a note stating that your gift is intended to support the Jachin Misko Memorial Scholarship for Technical Advancement in Eye Banking. If you have any questions, please call our accounting department at 1-800-753-2265 or send us a message through our Contact Form.