Fueling Liftoff

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daughter’s commitment and devotion to her beloved mother was the motivation behind Palm Beach philanthropist Lois Pope’s $1 million gift to the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the Miller School. Pope hopes the gift will one day lead to the transplantation of an entire, functional human eye.

“My mother suffered for many years from the terrible, life-altering impact of macular degeneration,” Pope explained. “Because of her condition, I set out to learn as much as I could about such diseases.”

Through her relationship with Eduardo C. Alfonso, M.D., director of Bascom Palmer, professor and chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, and the Kathleen and Stanley J. Glaser Endowed Professor in Ophthalmology, Pope learned of the effort to mobilize scientific forces to transplant a human eye and wanted to be part of the quest.

“During one of our many conversations, Dr. Alfonso told me about the work the institute was beginning to do on the development of a so-called bionic eye,” she said. “He told me that, with new technology and medical advances, a whole-eye transplant was not far off.”

This gift continues Pope’s longtime support of the Miller School, which includes a $12 million gift she made in 2018 to create the Lois Pope Center for Retinal and Macular Degeneration Research on Bascom Palmer’s Palm Beach Gardens campus. Previously, she generously advanced the neurosciences by establishing the Lois Pope LIFE Center, which houses The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. It is the world’s foremost center for research, treatment and services for paralysis and other neurological diseases.

Pope hopes her most recent gift will inspire others to give to support Bascom Palmer’s leading-edge program.

“Her commitment to this project is a key endorsement, and her support will be truly transformational in moving this initiative forward,” Dr. Alfonso said.