HelpMeSee announces Dr. Bonnie Henderson as interim president and CEO

August 15, 2023 Bharath

JERSEY CITY, N.J., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Dr. Bonnie Henderson has been named interim president and CEO of HelpMeSee, a global nonprofit that provides cataract treatment training using its innovative simulation-based training system to vastly increase access to treatment and eradicate cataract blindness. 

HelpMeSee has announced Dr. Bonnie Henderson as interim president and CEO.

Dr. Henderson, an internationally recognized expert in cataract and refractive surgery, is a past president of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and a clinical professor at Tufts University School of Medicine.

“Dr. Henderson brings a wealth of experience in cataract surgery and simulation-based training, along with a proven track record of innovation and strategic leadership,” said Jim Ueltschi, founder and chairman of the board of directors. “We are thrilled to have her step into this role and confident that our mission will reach new heights under her leadership as we work to restore sight for millions of poor people who suffer from blindness and visual impairment because they cannot get access to care.”

Dr. Henderson is also the associate editor of the Journal of Refractive Surgery, and on the editorial board of Ophthalmology. She has authored more than 175 articles, papers, book chapters and abstracts, and delivered more than 300 invited lectures worldwide, including 32 invited visiting professorships and 16 named lectures. She has published five textbooks focused on cataract and refractive surgery. Her textbook “Essentials of Cataract Surgery” is among the most used textbooks for teaching cataract surgery in the United States. In addition, Dr. Henderson created EnVision Summit, an international ophthalmology meeting to support and empower women leaders in medicine.

Her principal research involves cataract surgery outcomes and innovative methods of teaching, including the development of a digital-based method for teaching cataract surgery, supported by a Department of Defense TATRC grant. She has invented and commercialized several medical instruments, including the modified capsule tension ring, astigmatism-correcting markers and a capsule polisher. She donates all royalties from her textbooks and instruments to charity.

She completed her ophthalmology residency at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, and she graduated from Dartmouth College and Dartmouth Medical School with high honors.

ABOUT HELPMESEE

In a world where 100 million people are blind or visually impaired due to cataract, HelpMeSee, a not-for-profit under IRS 501(c)(3), is the global mission to eradicate cataract blindness by massively increasing the training of Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery (MSICS). This quick (as little as five minutes), sutureless procedure is high-quality and very low cost. The HelpMeSee MSICS training system features very high-fidelity, virtual reality simulation with haptic feedback, sophisticated courseware, learning management systems and e-book. HelpMeSee was founded by Al and Jim Ueltschi, who imagined building the MSICS training system by incorporating many of the methods and techniques used so successfully in commercial pilot training. As co-founder of Orbis International and founder of FlightSafety International, Al Ueltschi was an icon in the aviation industry and was devoted to treating preventable blindness in the developing world. HelpMeSee trains cataract specialists to ensure that all communities have access to highly trained MSICS specialists. With more than 40 simulators and 11 training centers worldwide, HelpMeSee partners with governments, universities and innovators to fight the global cataract blindness crisis. For more information, visit http://www.helpmesee.org.

Contact: Kelley Denny 412-352-9240

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