2014 Surgical Humanitarianism Award: Harry S. Brown

Dr. Brown performing cataract surgery, Zimbabwe, 1989.

Harry S. Brown, MD, FACS, an ophthalmologist from Santa Barbara, CA, received the 2014 Surgical Humanitarian Award for starting an international health care organization dedicated to restoring sight and preventing blindness in disadvantaged individuals. Dr. Brown began his work in humanitarian aid around the world when he was a resident at the Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He spent a year abroad working with ophthalmologists in various under developed countries and recognized the need to develop a means of connecting the global reservoir of eye surgeons who had the requisite skills, desire, and frequently tools to serve these patients, but not the time to participate in lengthy clinics while maintaining their regular practices. In 1974, Dr. Brown founded Surgical Eye Expeditions (SEE) International, which connects volunteer surgeons with colleagues in low-income countries to conduct short-term surgical clinics where sight-restoring operations are performed.