GAEBA’s 2026 Dr Paul Dubord Award for International Eye Banking – Accepting Nominations
The ‘Dr Paul Dubord Award for International Eye Banking’ honours Canadian Ophthalmologist Dr Paul Dubord.
Dr Dubord was instrumental in international eye banking, the development of corneal and eye banking services and training programs around the world and supported the global community through volunteerism and his work with the World Health Organization. He was a key supporter of The Barcelona Principles and the harmonisation of the eye banking sector. His work was directly in line with the goals of GAEBA and he has impacted many around the world.
The Award, is offered biennially to an individual member of the eye banking community, in recognition of their outstanding contribution to international eye banking, and for exemplifying the values of Dr Paul Dubord, who devoted his career to maximizing access to corneal transplantation and the gift of sight around the world, through his own work and mentorship.
In the spirit of honouring Dr Dubord, the award is without restriction, meaning low, medium, and high-income individuals from a range of backgrounds are welcome to self-nominate or nominate their colleagues.
We are currently accepting applications
The application period will close on Friday 13th March 2026. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application in late June/early July.
The winner will be announced at the World Eye Bank Symposium (WEBS2026) – Prague, Czech Republic, on 25 June 2026.
The winner will be awarded with:
- A certificate
- Complimentary registration to WEBS2026
- Travel expenses from their home country to WEBS2026 covered (e.g.
economy flights, hotel, and some incidentals – more information will be
provided to the winner) - Invitation to be part of the 2028 Dr Dubord award judging panel
The winner will be required to:
- Provide a presentation, in person, at WEBS2026
- Provide a photo of themselves for GAEBA materials and presentations
- Allow GAEBA to promote their award success in GAEBA materials and presentations.
Note: The 2026 winner will not be eligible for the 2028 award round.
GAEBA would like to thank Dr Paul Dubord’s family for permission to
hold the award in his name, and Ophthalmologist Dr David Verdier, from
the USA, for donating funds to support the WEBS travel expenses of the
award recipient.
We recognise our 2026 judging team: Gary Jones (Italy), Shannon Schweitzer (USA), Dr Sharita Siregar (Indonesia) and the 2024 winner, Dr Namrata Sharma (India), and Award support coordinator, Candice Leighton (Australia).
For further information, please contact our team via: awards@gaeba.org