Eye Institute at Stanford Named for Brook and Shawn Byers
January 27, 2011
Media Contact: Liat Kobza, 650.723.1462
The new Eye Institute at Stanford, which opened to patients in September, has been named for its lead donors, Brook and Shawn Byers. At a dedication dinner on January 26, the state-of-the-art facility was formally named The Byers Eye Institute at Stanford.
The new Eye Institute at Stanford has been named for its lead donors, Brook and Shawn Byers, it was announced at a dedication dinner January 26.
The Byers Eye Institute at Stanford, which integrates all Stanford vision care services into one state-of-the-art facility, opened to patients in September. Leveraging the research and teaching strengths of Stanford’s Department of Ophthalmology, the Institute is an advanced, interdisciplinary center serving Northern California. Already a nationally acclaimed leader for treatment of retinal diseases, refractive disorders, neuro-ophthalmic disorders, and diseases of the vitrea, the Stanford program and its new facility are expected to attract patients with complex, hard-to-treat conditions from around the world.
“Brook and Shawn Byers have been enthusiastic and generous supporters of this project from the beginning,” said Stanford University president John Hennessy. “They realized early the long-range impact this institute will have on the community and the university.”
Brook Byers, a leading venture capitalist and biotechnology entrepreneur, and his wife Shawn, made an early lead commitment to the Institute, and led fundraising efforts resulting in more than $23 million in private donations. The remainder of the project’s $26.3 million cost was met through Stanford Hospital & Clinics reserve funds.
"Our motivations were simply that ‘it is all about the patients’,” said Byers. “As an eye patient myself, I know the importance of quick treatment and world class medical care in ophthalmology. This institute will serve patients from all over Northern California and also from around the world because of the reputation and quality of the faculty and staff."
“The really exciting thing in ophthalmology is the prospect of curing blindness—for every patient and every condition,” said Mark Blumenkranz, MD, Director of the Byers Eye Institute. “The Byers Eye Institute is going to empower treatments that were not possible even a few years ago.”
The Byers Eye Institute is located at 2452 Watson Court in Palo Alto, near the intersection of Embarcadero Road and Highway 101.
For more information about the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford, please contact 650-723-6995 or go to stanfordhospital.org/eyeinstitute.
About Stanford Hospital & Clinics
Stanford Hospital & Clinics is known worldwide for advanced treatment of complex disorders in areas such as cardiovascular care, cancer treatment, neurosciences, surgery, and organ transplants. It is currently ranked No. 17 on the U.S. News & World Report’s "America's Best Hospitals" list and No. 1 in the San Jose Metropolitan area. Stanford Hospital & Clinics is internationally recognized for translating medical breakthroughs into the care of patients. The Stanford University Medical Center is comprised of three world renowned institutions: Stanford Hospital & Clinics, the Stanford University School of Medicine, the oldest medical school in the Western United States, and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, an adjacent pediatric and obstetric teaching hospital providing general acute and tertiary care. For more information, visit http://stanfordhospital.org/.