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KTEF Center for Pediatric Vision Research

Dean McGee Eye Institute Receives Grant from Knights Templar Eye Foundation to Establish $4 Million Endowment for Pediatric Vision Research

The Knights Templar Eye Foundation (KTEF) has awarded the Dean McGee Eye Institute (DMEI) a $2 million grant to establish an endowment for pediatric vision research. This amount is being matched with $2 million from the DMEI Foundation to create a $4 million endowment.  The Children’s Health Foundation of Oklahoma subsequently awarded $1 million to be applied to the $2 million from the DMEI Foundation. Proceeds from the endowment will be used exclusively to support research into pediatric eye disease.

“We are greatly honored and humbled by the trust KTEF has placed in us,” states R. Michael Siatkowski, MD, MBA, DMEI’s chief executive officer and the Edward L. Gaylord professor and chair of the University of Oklahoma (OU) Department of Ophthalmology. “DMEI is only the second organization to receive this type of grant from KTEF, and it is transformational in terms of our ability to push the boundaries of research into eye diseases that afflict our pediatric patients. Distributions from the endowment will be used to support postdoctoral fellows and research assistants, perform biostatistical analysis and genetic testing, underwrite clinical trials of new procedures or treatments, and purchase necessary equipment. With this type of support, pediatric vision research will accelerate at DMEI.”

Notes KTEF President David J. Kussman, “Since our inception, the KTEF has always given special attention and emphasis to pediatrics, with the goal of producing the greatest good for humanity. We are excited to have a research endowment with DMEI. Through the research that DMEI is doing, they are making a tremendous difference in the lives of children and helping KTEF fulfill its mission to improve vision through research, education, and supporting access to care. Through their research, they are helping to prevent blindness or restore vision to a child, thereby enhancing the child’s quality of life and allowing that person to become a more productive member of society.”