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Dr. Randall J. Olson Receives Prestigious Governor's Medal

SALT LAKE CITY - John A. Moran Eye Center CEO, Dr. Randall Olson has been awarded the Governor’s Medal for Science and Technology.  The Governor’s Office with the State Science Advisory Council awards these medals as a symbol of recognition to individuals who have provided distinguished service to Utah in the fields of science and technology. The awards were presented to seven distinguished individuals by Governor Gary Herbert on January 5, 2010, in a ceremony at the Discovery Gateway children’s museum. 

During the past 30 years, Dr. Olson has served as the Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Utah Health Care, which now incorporates the John A. Moran Eye Center.  What was once a one room Division in the School of Medicine has evolved a beautiful state-of-the-art, 210,000-square-foot vision sciences clinical and research center.  The John A. Moran Eye Center has more than 480 employees, including 40 ophthalmologists and optometrists and 50 Ph.D. scientists, all working toward optimal patient outcomes.

This past year clinicians at the Moran Eye Center cared for more than 120,000 patients in 12 locations, and performed more than 6,000 operations.  Moran specialists treated patients from 45 countries and almost every state in the U.S.  The Center personnel carried out charitable missions to 20 countries on six continents in 2009.

All of these accomplishments began as a farsighted vision in the mind of Dr. Olson who partnered with John A. Moran to realize this vision.  Throughout the history of the Moran Eye Center Dr. Olson has maintained his commitment to the Center Mission that no person with a blinding condition, eye disease or visual impairment should be without hope, understanding and treatment.