t San Diego Eye Bank, every tissue recovery, transplant, and donor family conversation must be grounded in thoughtful training. From surgical protocols to regulatory compliance to the delicate art of speaking with grieving families, the organization’s learning program teaches more than just procedures. It instills purpose.

“We have a very specific way that we go about our processes to ensure positive surgical outcomes, legality, and the care and dignity of families,” says Shahri Jones, the creator of San Diego Eye Bank’s training program. “When learners understand the why behind those processes, lessons have an even bigger impact.”

Jones first joined the eye bank as a college student, often waking before dawn to deliver donated eye tissue to hospitals across California.

“The mission really stuck with me,” she says—so much so that she returned years later to lead the development of the organization’s training program, which now supports both domestic and international teams.

A significant online component, says Jones, has made it possible for the eye bank to scale training without sacrificing quality, comprehension, or human connection.

“E-learning has allowed us to standardize our content, expand nationally and internationally, and made us less reliant on in-person trainers so we can reach more people,” she says.

“We have a very specific way that we go about our processes to ensure positive surgical outcomes, legality, and the care and dignity of families,” says Shahri Jones