News

Prevent Blindness Names Chair-Elect, Two New Members to National Board of Directors

Dr. R.V. Paul Chan and Adéola Oduwole Join National Prevent Blindness Board; Jim McGrann to Serve as Board Chair

Prevent Blindness has announced that Mr. Jim McGrann, Chairman and CEO of Healthy Eyes Advantage + PECAA (HEA + PECAA), has been named chair-elect of the Prevent Blindness Board of Directors. And, Dr. R.V. Paul Chan, Chair, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, University of Illinois College of Medicine, and Ms. Adéola Oduwole, MSc, Vice President & Chief of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, have been elected to the Board of Directors. The vote was held on Nov. 8, at the 2021 Prevent Blindness Annual Board Meeting.

R.V. Paul Chan, MD, MSc, MBA, FACSR.V. Paul Chan, MD, MSc, MBA, FACS
Jim McGrannJim McGrann
Adéola OduwoleAdéola Oduwole, MSc

Additionally, Dr. Sandra Block, retired from the Illinois College of Optometry, has been elected as the Board of Directors Secretary. Dr. Susan Primo, Professor of Ophthalmology, Director of Optometry Services and Low Vision Services at Emory Eye Center, and Dr. Joshua Ehrlich, Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Michigan, Kellogg Eye Center, have been named co-chairs of the Center for Vision and Population Health at Prevent Blindness Advisory Committee. Dr. Stacy Lyons, Professor of Optometry and the Chair of Specialty and Advanced Care Department at the New England College of Optometry, will serve as Chair of the National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness Advisory Committee.

Jim McGrann has decades of experience in the vision industry. Prior to HEA + PECAA, he most recently served as President & CEO of VSP Global and is the former President of VSP Vision Care, Chief Technology Officer of VSP Global, President of Eyefinity and CIO of Marchon Eyewear. At HEA + PECAA, McGrann manages business strategy development, customer experience management, and information technology strategy development. He has a bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering from Columbia University.

McGrann is a long-time volunteer at Prevent Blindness and co-chaired the group’s 2021 Person of Vision Award committee, honoring Marc Ferrara of Jobson Medical Information. He will be taking over the role of Board Chair in November of 2022 from another long-time Prevent Blindness volunteer, Dr. M. Kathleen Murphy, Associate Dean, Inclusivity, Global Health & Community Engagement, University of Texas Medical Branch School of Nursing.

R.V. Paul Chan, MD, MSc, MBA, FACS, is Professor and Head of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, the John H. Panton, MD Professor of Ophthalmology, Director, Pediatric Retina and ROP Service at the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). He was named the recipient of the 2021 Jenny Pomeroy Award for Excellence in Vision and Public Health from Prevent Blindness for his outstanding leadership in the fields of global retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) program development, pediatric retina, retinal imaging, telemedicine and tele-education.

Adéola Oduwole has more than 20 years of experience in improving diversity and inclusion efforts in various healthcare settings. At the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, she is responsible for providing leadership and strategic direction to implement and manage processes that support diversity, inclusion, and equity efforts across the hospital impacting physicians, staff, trainees, patients, families and the community. Ms. Oduwole has a master’s of science degree in industrial/organizational psychology from Radford University, and a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from the University of Windsor.

“As we look towards 2022, we are highly encouraged by the immense amount of expertise and leadership that our Board of Directors brings to us,” said Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness.  “We enthusiastically welcome Mr. McGrann, Dr. Chan, and Ms. Oduwole to their new Board roles.”

Prevent Blindness Board of Directors

Download a copy of the new board member press release.