Partners

The Dean McGee Eye Institute (DMEI) collaborates on a regular basis with a number of organizations that complement our mission or expand our ability to serve patients. Below are a number of our most important partners.

Canadian Valley Technology Center

Canadian Valley Technology Center (CV Tech) opened in 1970 and is a part of the nationally acclaimed Oklahoma Career Tech system dedicated to training and empowering Oklahoma’s workforce. CV Tech provides hands-on skills training for in-demand careers to high school students and adults for those in the Chickasha, El Reno, and Yukon areas. In 2023, in partnership with DMEI, CV Tech began a Vision Care Technician Program to train students in the areas of visual diagnostic testing, assisting physicians during patient appointments, cleaning and maintaining ophthalmic instruments, and providing excellent patient care. DMEI hosts CV Tech students for their hands-on training, which provides them with a breadth of experience in the field of eye care and prepares them to enter the workforce.

The Chickasaw Nation

The Chickasaw Nation is one of the most economically strong and culturally vibrant tribal nations in North America. Through its diverse economic portfolio it generates funds to support a wide variety of programs and services to directly enhance the lives of Chickasaws and their communities. DMEI has been fortunate to have a long-term relationship with the Chickasaw Nation providing specialized diabetic eye care to its citizens. In addition, the Chickasaw Nation has been a valued strategic partner of the Eye Institute, providing funding for a number of projects over the years that enhance our ability to provide exceptional eye care to Chickasaws and all Oklahomans.

Delta Gamma
(Alpha Iota Chapter at the University of Oklahoma)

Founded in 1873, Delta Gamma encourages an atmosphere that will foster high ideals of friendship among college women, promote their educational and cultural interests, create in them a true sense of social responsibility, and develop in them high qualities of character. Delta Gamma’s philanthropy, Service for Sight, has been at the heart of the Delta Gamma mission since 1936. Members invest in Service for Sight through hands-on service, awareness and fundraising. The Dean McGee Eye Institute has been very fortunate to be a regular recipient of the Alpha Iota Chapter’s philanthropy since 2016 and works with the chapter to provide community outreach and educational opportunities for its membership.

NewView Oklahoma

Since 1949, NewView Oklahoma has empowered individuals who are blind or have low vision, maximizing their opportunities for independence through all stages of life. They accomplish this through three primary ways: comprehensive clinic and low vision services, meaningful employment opportunities, and engaging community programs. DMEI works in tandem with NewView to provide the most appropriate care for patients who need NewView’s services through referrals and consultation.

Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs Medical Center

The OHC campus is home to the Oklahoma City Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center and is a 169-bed facility that serves as a primary, secondary, and tertiary care center for eligible veterans in the greater Oklahoma City metropolitan area and the western two-thirds of the state, plus two counties in north central Texas. It is a regional referral center for open-heart surgery, hemodialysis, and surgical eye disease. The VA Medical Center is one of the primary surgical training sites for DMEI/OU Department of Ophthalmology residents.

Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF)

Chartered in 1946, and initially funded with more than $2 million raised through a statewide grassroots campaign to build laboratories and a research hospital, OMRF has grown into an internationally recognized medical research institute. It employs more than 450 staff members who study cancer, heart disease, autoimmune disorders and diseases of aging. Vision scientists at DMEI often collaborate with scientists at OMRF to undertake eye disease research.

Ophthalmology Times

Ophthalmology Times® is the industry-leading physician-driven media brand that presents cutting-edge advancements and analysis from around the world in surgery, drug therapy, technology, and clinical diagnosis to elevate progressive eye health from physician to patient. As a strategic alliance partner of Ophthalmology Times®, DMEI’s work and professionalism are promoted through DMEI helping develop relevant topics and articles for publication in print or on the web, as well as identifying experts to participate in content development.

OU Health

OU Health is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system and is home to Oklahoma’s largest doctor network with a complete range of specialty care. It is the clinical partner of the University of Oklahoma, one of the most comprehensive academic and research campuses in the country. Learn more about OU Health’s mission, values and responsibility to Oklahoma and our region.

Ophthalmology coverage for OU Health is provided by physicians from the Dean McGee Eye Institute. This includes the OU Health University of Oklahoma Medical Center emergency department, Oklahoma’s exclusive Level I trauma center, inpatient consultation, and coverage for retinopathy of prematurity.

The state’s most comprehensive pediatric hospital, Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health, houses the Pediatric Ophthalmology Clinic, featuring four 20-foot lanes and a minor procedure room. OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center is Oklahoma’s sole National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Center, ranking among the top 2% of cancer centers in the nation. Dean McGee Eye Institute physicians collaborate with Stephenson Cancer Center when cancer patients require ophthalmic care. Dean McGee Eye Institute ocular oncology and oculoplastic surgeons have strong affiliations with Stephenson Cancer Center.

The Dean McGee Eye Institute is located across the street from the OU Health Harold Hamm Diabetes Center, which is dedicated to eradicating diabetes and addressing the global diabetes pandemic. Dean McGee Eye Institute ophthalmologists combine advanced academic research with clinical care and disease prevention efforts to address eye disease associated with diabetes. The McGee Eye Surgery Center is located on the first floor of the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center.

University of Oklahoma Health Sciences

The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences campus is one of only a few comprehensive health centers in the nation with seven health professional colleges: Allied Health, Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health and Graduate Studies. OU Health Sciences serves approximately 4,000 students in more than 70 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. In addition, the medical center campus also contains the Dean McGee Eye Institute, the OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center, outpatient facilities for adult and pediatric clinics, the OU Health Harold Hamm Diabetes Center (housing the McGee Eye Surgery Center), and research facilities used by the OU College of Medicine as well as the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.

University of Oklahoma College of Medicine

The University of Oklahoma College of Medicine (COM) is the largest component of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences campus and is at the center of OU Health, the state’s most comprehensive academic health system. The mission of the COM is be a health care leader in patient care, education, and research. Since DMEI opened its doors in 1975, it has had an affiliation agreement with the COM to house and operate the OU Department of Ophthalmology. This seamless integration has provided outstanding medical education to generations of ophthalmologists, cutting-edge vision research to help find cures to blinding diseases, and compassionate clinical care to tens of thousands of Oklahomans.

Presbyterian Health Foundation

The Presbyterian Health Foundation (PHF) was formed in 1985 with the proceeds of the sale of Presbyterian Hospital, and since its inception has served as a grant-making organization primarily focused on biomedical research, medical education, and health innovation in Oklahoma City. Grants are principally awarded to organizations on the Oklahoma Health Center campus endeavoring to better understand the root causes of human disease and ultimately develop better treatments and find cures. From its beginning, PHF has been an important supporter of DMEI’s research and medical education efforts and has provided over $4 million in funding.