04/24/2026
The Illinois Eye and Ear at UIC and UI Health will partner with the Holland Foundation for Sight Restoration (HFSR) to become a HFSR Center of Excellence.
The Illinois Eye and Ear will become the fifth Center of Excellence nationwide to deliver advanced care to patients with severe ocular surface disease (OSD), including limbal stem cell deficiency. Patients with severe OSD often face delayed diagnoses and limited access to specialized care. The Holland Foundation for Sight Restoration addresses this critical unmet medical need by supporting Centers of Excellence to build specialized teams and protocols following Dr. Holland’s state of the art practices while also serving as leading hubs for physician education and clinical innovation.
Dr. Ali R. Djalilian, the Searls III/Schenk Professor of Ophthalmology and Co-Director of the Cornea and External Disease Service in the UIC Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences will lead the newly established Center of Excellence. Dr. Djalilian is a recognized authority on the management of severe corneal and ocular surface diseases and ocular surface stem cell transplantation. He bridges his clinical experience with his federally funded basic science and translational research projects.
As a newly designated Center of Excellence, Illinois Eye and Ear will partner with the UI Health Transplant Program and Dr. Lorenzo Gallon, Medical Director of the Abdominal Organ Transplant Program and Director of Transplant Research. Dr. Gallon is a recognized leader in the field, spearheading innovative work in biosensor development for the screening and monitoring of kidney health and disease. UI Health is a leading center for both solid organ and cell transplantation, having played a pivotal role in advancing islet cell transplantation, including the use of Lantidra—the only FDA-approved cell therapy for the treatment of brittle type 1 diabetes.
Through these collaborations, the Illinois Eye and Ear at UIC and UI Health will become one of the few centers in the country to offer state of the art limbal stem cell transplant services. “We are honored to partner with the Holland Foundation to establish a Center of Excellence at the Illinois Eye and Ear at the University of Illinois Chicago,” said Ali R. Djalilian, M.D. “This collaboration combined with the support from the Department of Ophthalmology, UI Health and the University of Illinois College of Medicine enables us to expand access to specialized care and deliver sight-restoring treatment to more patients with severe ocular surface disease.”
