SEE is excited to announce recent developments in our Medical Advisory Committee!
Medical Advisory Committee (MAC) – The roles and responsibilities of our Medical Advisory Committee are to provide board-level oversight and guidance of SEE’s medical and educational standards and practices. The committee is comprised of MDs that provide medical recommendations and insight for anything ranging from pharmaceuticals used during trips and courses, to medical standards and procedures, quality of care and continuity of care measures, best practice tools, medical devices, equipment, etc.
Announcing Our New Medical Director – The SEE team is honored to welcome our new Medical Director Dr. Teresa Turla, who now leads our Medical Advisory Committee alongside our Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jefferey Levenson. Dr. Turla is a board-certified ophthalmologist who worked for much of her career in the greater New Orleans area. She currently travels and works nationally as locum tenens ophthalmologists and has provided ophthalmic services and surgeries in Maine, Colorado, Wisconsin, and North Carolina. Dr. Turla has also traveled on many SEE programs in Honduras to provide free eyecare services to individuals who would otherwise not have access to care. She is an active member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and authored a book titled Tea with T, Let’s Talk about Age Management, Eyes, which educates readers about the aging eye. We are so excited to have her on our team and look forward to her invaluable leadership!
Expanding SEE’s Medical Advisory Committee – Recently, SEE opened our MAC to individuals that do not serve on our board in an effort to increase opportunities for our organization to improve and grow. This is the first time SEE has expanded one of our committees to include non-board members, although it is a very common practice among similar organizations. We committed to opening 1-2 seats to non-board members, then shared the position postings on our website and via email to our network of providers. We were very impressed and pleased to have received an abundance of interest to serve on our MAC!
Welcoming New MAC Members
Dr. Stuart Sondheimer – Dr. Sondheimer has been a longtime volunteer SEE doctor for over 25 years. He began his programmatic work with SEE by visiting El Salvador with his team of 80 medical professionals, all of which worked diligently to restore sight to those in need. He and his team have since treated over 6,000 patients in their time together. Dr. Sondheimer runs a private practice in Skokie, Illinios, and is also a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, the Chicago Ophthalmology Society, and the Refractive Surgery Interest Group.
Dr. Toni Meyers – Dr. Toni Meyers has been a volunteer SEE doctor for over 10 years, and currently serves as the Head of Ophthalmology for Sansum Clinic. Dr. Meyers has served on many local medical boards—including the Surgical Services Board for both the Foothill and Santa Barbara Surgical Centers—providing her with many years of practice and commitment to our local community.
Our organization is both honored and humbled to be working alongside such knowledgeable and committed individuals; welcome to our Medical Advisory Committee!
