NEW YORK, NEW YORK, July 10, 2007 – ORBIS International, a nonprofit humanitarian organization dedicated to saving sight worldwide, today announced the appointment of David S. Friedman, M.D., Ph.D., as Senior Technical Advisor, Eye Health. 

Welcoming his appointment, Paul Hamilton, chief of program for ORBIS said, “Dr. Friedman brings with him a wealth of experience, both as a leader and an academic. I have every confidence that our field-based, capacity building approach – an approach that has significantly extended the impact of ORBIS’s work to eliminate unnecessary blindness – will greatly benefit from his broad expertise and experience.”

Dr. Friedman, 43, a glaucoma specialist, is Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and International Health at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, respectively. Dr. Friedman will serve as a Senior Technical Advisor supporting the development, implementation and evaluation of ORBIS eye health programs worldwide, providing guidance as a member of the ORBIS International Technical Advisory Group to ORBIS country program offices and medical missions on board the ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital. Currently, ORBIS has long-term national blindness prevention programs in Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, India and Vietnam and regional programs in Latin America and the Caribbean.  He will divide his time between ORBIS’s New York headquarters and his work at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Md.

“ORBIS has had a remarkable impact in preventing childhood blindness and in developing sustainable programs in its partner countries.  Over the last decade, ORBIS has also experienced tremendous growth in these country programs,” said Dr. Friedman.  “I welcome the opportunity to play a role in guiding future growth, particularly in the areas of program evaluation and development. It is a real honor to join one of the true leaders in blindness prevention worldwide.”

ORBIS’s unique approach to saving sight focuses on training eye care professionals, building sustainable eye care services, spreading public awareness, advocating for enhanced national eye care services, integrating eye care financing strategies, strengthening eye care institutions and introducing ophthalmic technology. To date, ORBIS programs have been carried out in 85 countries, enhancing the skills of more than 154,000 eye care professionals and providing treatment for more than 4.4 million blind and visually disabled people. 

Visit www.orbis.org to learn more about ORBIS.