Richard Litwin, MD, Honored with ASCRS Foundation’s 2019 Chang Humanitarian Award

The Seva Foundation announced that longtime volunteer Richard Litwin, MD, is the 2019 American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) Foundation Chang Humanitarian Award winner.

This annual award, which is endowed by Dr. David F. Chang and his wife, Victoria, was created to celebrate and highlight outstanding humanitarian work in the area of cataract blindness. As noted in a statement released by ASCRS, “Dr. Litwin exemplifies these qualities through his extensive humanitarian work.” Dr. Litwin will receive the award at the 2019 ASCRS•ASOA Annual Meeting in San Diego, California.

“When I took my first trip to India back in 1982, I never imagined I would receive this type of professional recognition for my work as a volunteer with Seva,” said Dr. Litwin. “I am honored and humbled to be recognized in this way.”

Dr. Litwin’s decades of volunteer work with Seva began with a high-volume cataract surgery trip in 1982 to Aravind Eye Hospital. After his experience on that trip, Dr. Litwin played a critical role in helping to make IOLs affordable and accessible to patients in the developing world, something that was standard practice only in developed countries at that time. Dr. Litwin’s role as a volunteer has evolved over time to focus primarily on teaching best practices to eye care professionals in under-resourced settings. Among other achievements, Dr. Litwin worked with the World Health Organization to design and launch what has become perhaps the most effective national ophthalmic training program in the world, in Nepal. He and his wife continue to make annual month-long trips to India.

The Chang Humanitarian Award comes with a $50,000 grant to be awarded to the organization of the recipient’s choice. Dr. Litwin has earmarked the grant to support the Seva Foundation. The Seva Board of Directors has agreed to match these prize funds, infusing a total of $100,000 into Seva’s programs.

“Dick Litwin personifies the idea of selfless service, which is at the heart of Seva’s work around the world,” Kate Moynihan, executive director of the Seva Foundation, said in a news release. “We are forever grateful for his decades of service. I can’t imagine a more deserving winner of the prestigious Chang Humanitarian award.”

For more information about the ASCRS Foundation Chang Humanitarian Award, visit ascrsfoundation.org/changaward.