Obituary: Paul Joseph Dubord

Paul Joseph Dubord MD, FRCSC, OC, passed away Monday, September 5, 2022 in Vancouver after a short, intense battle with pancreatic cancer. He is survived by Mary Lou, his loving wife of fifteen years, and by her children Mitchell (Maryam) and Tom (Sharla). Paul was predeceased by his wife Joanne and is survived by their three sons: Luke (Laurie), Michael (Sheila) and Marc (Dianne).

Dr. Dubord was a renowned corneal surgeon, an active member of the Ophthalmology community and a world leader in international eye banking and corneal transplantation. Paul worked tirelessly in Canada, Japan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Africa, South America, Europe and especially in India to improve access to quality corneal transplants. Paul was a Professor Emeritus at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Department of Ophthalmology and was a board member of the Branch of International Surgery at UBC. He was active in the Eye Bank Association of America where he held various leadership positions, including service on its medical advisory board since 1992. He also worked on expert panels of the Canadian Standards Association and of the World Health Organization to develop standards for tissue transplantation.

In 1994 Paul founded the registered charity Eyesight International (Canada) which has worked internationally to improve corneal transplantation and has had a long and productive relationship with the LV Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, India training hundreds of fellows and helping thousands of people. For his contributions to ophthalmology and for his tireless humanitarian work on the international stage, notably in India, Paul was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada in June, 2022.