2024 Humanitarian of the Year Awards

Dr. Reed Kindermann graduated from University of Pennsylvania and then University of Rochester School of Medicine before completing residency in ophthalmology and fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia.  He then organized his own private practice in ophthalmology in Cherry Hill, New Jersey with teaching commitments to medical students, and residents at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia and Cooper Hospital, Rowan School of Medicine in Camden, New Jersey. 

Dr. Kindermann has been dedicated to teaching and service abroad from early in his career, volunteering as a surgeon in American Samoa immediately upon his graduation from Wills Eye Hospital. Thereafter he traveled globally to provide humanitarian eyecare on an annual basis with Orbis, US Government assignments, and later SEE.  His humanitarian work has taken him all around the world to Georgia, Laos, Cambodia, Guatemala, Peru, Haiti, Ecuador, and Namibia. 

Dr. Jeremy Joseph began his humanitarian work early in his career while a senior resident in London. He later learned about SEE International in Ocular Surgery News International and signed up for his first SEE trip to Zimbabwe. He has since continued traveling for humanitarian work throughout his career as a Consultant Ophthalmologist in London.

Recently, he has increased the number of trips he takes annually, now traveling for about 5 eyecare humanitarian missions each year. Dr. Joseph is committed to exposing younger ophthalmologists to the SEE’s work, and feels that delivering eyecare to underserved and diverse countries is a wonderful privilege that he recommends to all ophthalmologists. 

Dr. Michael Paveloff’s contributions as a humanitarian ophthalmologist began in 1994 in Bakersfield, California when he designed the Mission Program that provides cataract and pterygium surgeries to migrant farm workers. After relocating to Santa Barbara in 1996, he was introduced to two founding members of SEE International, Dr. Harry Brown and Dr. John Crowder, who inspired him to continue his humanitarian efforts both locally and internationally. 

Dr. Paveloff has since performed surgery around the world, restoring vision to impoverished and underserved countries for over 30 years. Locally, he leads the SEE Vision Care Program, providing free eyecare services to patients in the Tri-Counties. Dr. Paveloff has received many local and international awards recognizing his charitable efforts. Whether performing cataract surgery in rural villages overseas, or establishing local vision screening programs in Santa Barbara, he is dedicated to SEE’s humanitarian mission. 

In 1958, Dr. Primbs served as a Captain Flight Surgeon for the U.S. Air Force in Libya, where he and his wife, a nurse, later joined a WHO team to survey trachoma in North Africa. With U.S. Overseas Mission funding, the United Nations built a hospital equipped for modern eyecare, allowing Dr. Primbs and his team to treat patients and perform surgeries across the region as a humanitarian effort. 

After later establishing a private practice in Santa Barbara, Dr. Primbs helped his former student—SEE’s founder Dr. Harry Brown—establish SEE International above his practice. Dr. Primbs secured local funding, hosted SEE’s incorporation meeting, and served on the board as Chairman, President, and CEO until 2007. Together, Dr. Primbs and Dr. Brown trained local professionals and expanded SEE’s reach worldwide, leaving a lasting legacy of compassion and dedication to ending preventable blindness. We honor his memory. 

Sansum Clinic, now part of Sutter Health, is the largest non-profit outpatient healthcare organization between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area. Sutter and Sansum each have a century-long commitment to improving the health of the communities they serve.

Sansum Clinic partners with SEE Vision Care to provide free eyecare services to SEE patients who have no health and/or vision insurance, enabling members of our local communities to receive high-quality services and treatment without worries over cost. Since the start of this partnership in 2019, Sansum Clinic’s eye specialists and medical staff have provided eyecare to 150 patients (941 services).

Blue Planet Eco-Eyewear is a company that combines eco-friendly products with social responsibility. Their eyewear products are all made with recycled and/or natural materials, and they donate said products to a person in need with each sale made. Since 2019, Blue Planet Eco-Eyewear has been an incredible ally to SEE, donating over 3 million pairs of polarized sunglasses, readers, and blue light glasses for both children and adults.  

The impact of something as seemingly simple as a pair of readers cannot be overstated—it can significantly enhance a patient’s quality of life by improving their vision. This partnership has been pivotal in the ongoing success of SEE’s local program.  

Drs. Preeti and Janak Shah are SEE’s volunteer power-couple. Collectively, the two have been volunteering with SEE for over 25 years, having completed more than 350 programs.

In addition to running their own successful private practice in Mumbai, India, and volunteering to restore sight to individuals worldwide, Drs. Preeti and Janak Shah also volunteer in SEE’s vital ophthalmology training program. They have taught 26 Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery Courses at many world-renowned medical institutes, training over 200 surgeons in the technique.

In April of 2022, the couple established a charitable hospital in Palghar, called the Sai Pooja Dental and Eye Care hospital, to provide free surgeries to underserved patients. SEE supports this hospital by providing essential medical supplies.

Dr. Helena Ndume was inspired to become a humanitarian ophthalmologist after traveling to receive her education and seeing the global need for accessible eyecare. She began volunteering with SEE international over 25 years ago, and has since restored sight to over 50,000 people in Africa.

She has dedicated her life to eradicating the epidemic of preventable blindness across the continent of Africa, and has been recognized with many prestigious awards for her overwhelming impact on those in need. These awards include the UN’s Nelson Rolihlahala Mandela Award, the Forbes Woman Africa Social Impact Award, and the Lions Clubs International Humanitarian Award, among others.

Dr. Michael Colvard was a SEE volunteer surgeon for over 27 years, and served on SEE’s Board of Directors. He was considered a top eye surgeon and leading authority in the use of new intraocular lens technology and laser eye surgery, lending his skills and expertise to serve patients at Colvard-Kandavel Eye Center in Encino, California. Dr. Colvard also served as Director of the Colvard Eye Center and Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Southern California School of Medicine.

He was the Founder and Medical Director of the Friends of Vision Foundation, an organization supporting medical charities in third world countries. With over thirty-eight years of experience as an eye surgeon, he was nationally recognized both as an educator and an innovator in eye surgery. We honor his memory and overwhelming contributions to our organization.

The OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation is a registered charitable organization, reflecting the commitment and values of EssilorLuxottica to help eliminate uncorrected poor vision in a generation.

The foundation is committed to raising awareness about the importance of good vision, providing sustainable access to vision care where it doesn’t exist today, correcting and protecting the vision of those most in need, and training primary vision care providers to create sustainable livelihoods.

Onesight Essilor Luxottica collaborates with governments, global and local NGOs and other private sector partners whose goals are aligned with theirs. Through this, they catalyze greater engagement and resources and inspire wide-spread systems change across their four focus areas.