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givers
Alumni are conduits of life-saving donations
death is a powerful concept that resonates
with Lohkamp and the other RIT alumni
who work at the Rochester/Finger Lakes Eye
& Tissue Bank. They are conduits of these
peculiar posthumous gifts.
“It is a humbling
experience, working
with eye/tissue donors,
and being able to help
fulfill their wishes is
something special,”
says Nicholas Biondi,
a senior in the biomedical
science program
in RIT’s new College
Nicholas Biondi
of Health Sciences and
Technology. “We are
put in a unique position to be able to do our
part to help them. It also provides me with
great experiences.”
The bank
The Rochester/Finger Lakes Eye & Tissue
Bank, which is an accredited member of the
Eye Bank Association of America, serves
31 hospitals and health care facilities in the
Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, central and
northern New York regions as well as north
central Pennsylvania.
The organization recovers, processes,
preserves and distributes corneas and
other tissue for transplant and
research, says communications
director Karen Guarino ’97
(public relations certificate
program). Partnering
organizations process
other recovered tissue.
“We also fund local
transplant-related research
projects, educate
the public about the
needs for and benefits of
donation, and provide
education for health care professionals
involved in the donation process.”
The agency averages 300 calls a month.
“We have to cover 24/7, 365 days a year so
we have to make sure we have enough staff,”
Guarino says. “You can’t anticipate when
we’re going to be having a donor.”
RIT alumni and current students comprise
nearly 40 percent of the entire staff of 12 fulltime
and 14 per-diem people. Seven of the 14
eye bank technicians and tissue recovery specialists,
in particular, have RIT connections.
Guarino and education coordinator Patricia
Moorehouse ’81 (career and human resources)
also contribute to the organization’s
communication and educational outreach.
Many of the recovery specialists at the eye
and tissue bank knew Lohkamp from gross
anatomy at RIT. The upper-level science class
teaches students to relax in the presence of
cadavers and to dissect upper extremities,
backs and abdomens.
Julie Burkett ’11 (biomedical sciences)
and Sarah Taber ’11 (biomedical sciences)
were lab partners with Lohkamp.
“He talked about his job.
I liked gross anatomy so I
figured I would like the job and that
it would be a great opportunity,” Burkett
says. “Sometimes it’s exhausting, but it’s
good. It’s rewarding. It’s interesting. Every
case is different, so you learn a lot about
medicine and diseases.”
Taber says she has learned how to do chart
reviews, talk to nurses about medical histories
and how illnesses affect the body.
“On my cases, I get
to see what drugs were
administered and what
effect they had or what
medical measures were
taken to preserve each
person’s life,” she says.
“I learn something new
on every case about the
human body and the
way it functions.”
Burkett and Taber Sarah Taber ’11
Julie Burkett ’11 wraps an eye in
gauze for easy handling.
SPRING 2012 | 13