DMEI dedicates new $46M research and clinical facility

Officials from the Dean McGee Eye Institute today announced the dedication of the Institute's new $46 million, five-story, 78,000-square-foot, world-class research and clinical facility. The new building, which adjoins the existing original facility built in 1975, doubles the space for research laboratories, expands clinical capacity by 40 percent, and consolidates all of the clinical care, vision research, teaching, and administrative functions into one location.

Dedication ceremonies for the new facility are scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday, September 30 in the Dean McGee Eye Institute's new Inasmuch Foundation Atrium. Guest speakers for the event include Dr. Paul Sieving, Director of the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health; Dr. David Parke II, Executive Vice President and CEO of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and previously President and CEO of the Dean McGee Eye Institute; Dr. M. Dewayne Andrews, Senior Vice President and Provost of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and Executive Dean of the OU College of Medicine; and the Honorable James Lankford, Congressman from Oklahoma's Fifth Congressional District.

"This new facility will streamline the Dean McGee Eye Institute's operations and enhance our multiple missions and programs by bringing them together under one roof," said Dr. Gregory Skuta, President and CEO of the Dean McGee Eye Institute, and Edward L. Gaylord, Professor and Chair of the OU College of Medicine's Department of Ophthalmology. "The tremendous growth of the Institute and our success in recruiting some of the nation's leading research and clinical talent over the last two decades created crowded conditions and forced us to expand into other facilities. This remarkable new building will foster closer and more effective communication and collaboration as we continue to attract some of the finest minds in the country in vision care and research."

According to James Tolbert III, chair of the Dean McGee Eye Institute's Board of Trustees, "DMEI has become a national leader in ophthalmology under a long line of exceptional leaders - including current president, Dr. Gregory Skuta. The Institute's blend of innovative clinical care, groundbreaking research, superior teaching, and unique administrative structure has made DMEI one of the nation's premier eye institutes."

Serving both adults and children, the Institute's clinical and surgical teams provide more than 150,000 patient visits and 7,000 surgical procedures each year. Dean McGee Eye Institute physicians and scientists are internationally respected and hold numerous leadership positions in major professional and scientific organizations. The Institute's residency and fellowship training programs are highly competitive and attract top candidates from throughout the country.

"The DMEI is a pillar of excellence in the emerging Oklahoma medical and biotechnology corridor and houses the Department of Ophthalmology for the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine," Dr. Skuta said. "The Eye Institute is one of the nation's largest vision centers, and the Department of Ophthalmology consistently ranks among the top in the country in funding from the National Institutes of Health and Research to Prevent Blindness."

"Translational research is the scientific endeavor to meld basic research with clinical observations to create new and novel treatments," explained Dr. Paul Sieving, who is Director of the National Eye Institute and also renowned for his research of blinding genetic retinal degenerations. "Developing future advances in medical care requires close collaborations between physicians and medical researchers. The new building for the Dean McGee Eye Institute provides the very infrastructure needed to facilitate such interactions. This new resource will help ensure the continued and future success of the Eye Institute for decades to come."

Dr. David Parke II, Executive Vice President and CEO of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, noted, "The Dean McGee Eye Institute is internationally recognized as one of America's most vibrant centers of basic and clinical research, ophthalmology training, and patient care. It is in the very top echelon of eye institutes worldwide. The new building will help cement the Dean McGee Eye Institute's position as a global leader in innovative research, state-of-the-art patient care, and training of the next generation of ophthalmologists," Dr. Parke said.

"Sight-saving breakthroughs by our physicians and scientists are beyond calculation in their scope and depth," said Dr. Skuta. "Our clinical and basic research teams have advanced in a remarkable fashion our knowledge regarding blinding disorders such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity, and infections involving the eye. Furthermore, Institute scientists working at the cellular level have been honored with some of the nation's highest awards for their contributions to understanding the fundamental mechanisms of vision disorders."