Dr. Mitchell V. Brinks and Michelle Skinner
(PRESS RELEASE) CHICAGO – Prevent Blindness, the nation’s oldest volunteer eye health and safety organization, has announced that Dr. Mitchell V. Brinks, MD, co-director international ophthalmology, medical director for domestic outreach, and assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Casey Eye Institute at Oregon Health & Science University, and Michelle Skinner, chief network officer of VSP Global, have been elected to the Prevent Blindness Board of Directors. The vote was held on July 14 at the Prevent Blindness Summer Board Meeting.
At the Casey Eye Institute, Dr. Brinks implements epidemiological studies to investigate the areas and populations in Oregon most affected by vision impairment and blindness, and develops strategic interventions to address the issue. He participates in resident training on community outreach programs, and supervises residents in their clinical and surgical educational programs. Additionally, his clinical practice focuses on comprehensive ophthalmology and anterior segment surgery.
Dr. Brinks is past chair of Vision 2020 USA, and is a member of a variety of organizations including the American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Medical Association, American Public Health Association, and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons. At Prevent Blindness, Dr. Brinks serves on the advisory committee for the Center for Vision and Population Health at Prevent Blindness. He will also be the new chair of the Public Health and Policy Committee at Prevent Blindness.
As the Chief Network Officer, Skinner is responsible for VSP’s doctor network, connecting the organization’s nearly 90 million members with the providers that best meet their eye care and eyewear needs. She leads a variety of network-related business areas, including VSP Ventures, VSP Retail, and Strategic Partnerships. She is also responsible for the organization’s doctor-facing functions and programs including the VSP Global Premier Program, which she helped develop and launch.
Skinner’s career with VSP Global started in 1994, when she joined Altair Eyewear. She also served in a variety of senior sales leadership roles, including with Marchon Eyewear. She has been honored as part of Vision Monday’s Most Influential Women in Optical award in 2016 and 2009. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Organizational Communications from CSU Sacramento.
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“The Prevent Blindness Board of Directors consists of leaders across various industries and institutions,” said Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. “We welcome Dr. Brinks and Ms. Skinner to our Board of highly esteemed individuals and look forward to their significant contributions to our organization and our sight-saving mission.”
For a listing of all the members of the Prevent Blindness Board of Directors, please visit here. For more about Prevent Blindness or general eye health information, please call (800) 331-2020 or visit www.preventblindnes.org
