About the John A. Moran Eye Center

The John A. Moran Eye Center was designed and built based on input from focus groups consisting of individuals with varying levels of sight abilities. It is now home to more than 40 faculty members, including one of the top retinal research teams in the world. In 1993 there were only 26 faculty members. Moran researchers are involved in more than 25 active clinical trials, compared to three in 1993. These studies involve more than 2,700 clinical visits each year. The Moran Eye Center's annual research grants from the National Institutes of Health exceeded $6.5 million dollars in 2005, placing it eighth in the nation for NIH grants.

The John A. Moran Eye Center...

• Has attracted over 50 faculty members, including vision researchers and specialists who come from 10 different countries, and more than 400 staff members.
• Provides a graduate physician training program that has been ranked among the top 10 residency programs in the country.
• Is home to the Utah Lions Eye Bank, which provides donor tissue for vision-restoring corneal transplants to more than 500 recipients in Utah and around the U.S. every year.
• Is privately funded by patient care and research grants. Less than 1 percent of the center's budget comes from the State of Utah.
• Has 11 satellite Moran clinics that host more than 120,000 clinic visits each year.
• Moran surgeons perform more than 6,500 surgical procedures in our on site operating rooms each year.

Sample of Accomplishments at The Moran Eye Center

• Over the past year, Moran physicians & faculty had more than 150 articles published in 54 different medical & research publications.
• Conducted more than clinical research studies for the detection of and new treatments for eye diseases, such as:
  • Age Related Macular Degeneration
  • Retinitis Pigmentosa
  • Cataracts
  • UVeitis
• The Moran Eye Center is one of the top ophthalmology training centers in North America. We received over 300 applications from top medical graduate students for only three residency positions each year. We recently received a full four-year re-accreditation for our residency program by the Accredited Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
• Our residents and fellowship doctors received a many awards and presentations at major academy meetings ASCRS (American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons) & ARVO (Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology).
• At ASCRS our doctors received four "Best Paper of the Session” awards.
• Locally we provided more than 15,000 free eye screenings throughout the Wasatch Front.
• A group of our physicians provides eye care monthly at the “4th Street Homeless Clinic” in Salt Lake City, on their own time. This clinic serves over 5,700 homeless a year.
• The Moran Eye Center has twice received “The Highest Patient Satisfaction” award from University of Utah Health Care. This is the highest out of 33 clinics specialty clinics. In fact the Moran Eye Center scored in the top 90th percentile nationally for treating our patients extraordinarily well.

Individually our doctors and staff have achieved many notable positions and awards. Here are a few examples:

• Dr. Nick Mamalis of the University of Utah John A. Moran Eye Center was elected to the Utah State Ophthalmology President for 2009
• Dr. Crandall of the University of Utah John A. Moran Eye Center is President elect of the national Cataract & Refractive Surgery Society.
• Dr. Geoffrey Tabin of the University of Utah John A. Moran Eye Center was awarded the Outstanding Humanitarian Service Award by the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) at their 2008 Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia in November. He was selected from a membership of more than 27,000 ophthalmologists in the United States.
• Dr Kathleen B Digre of the University of Utah John A. Moran Eye Center was honored this year with The Distinguished Service Award at the national convention of the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society (NANOS.) This is the highest award offered by this organization.
• Paula Morris, CRA, FOPS ophthalmic photographer of the John A. Moran Eye Center was recently elected president of The Ophthalmic Photographers’ Society (OPS). The Ophthalmic Photographers’ Society is an international non-profit organization.