TAMPA, Fla. (Aug. 20, 2026) — The University of South Florida has received a $5 million gift to name the USF Health Tyson-Martin Eye Institute and support the growth of ophthalmology education, training and patient care at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.
The gift from Naples resident Caroline Sue “Suzi” Martin and her son, Fort Myers resident Dr. Farrell “Toby” Tyson, will also name future satellite clinics, establish the Tyson-Martin Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology and enhance the Ophthalmology Medicine Fund. USF celebrated the naming of the Tyson-Martin Eye Institute during a ceremony at the institute this week.
“Gifts like this can change lives for generations to come,” said USF President Moez Limayem. “The Tyson-Martin family’s generosity will expand access to exceptional eye care, prepare the next generation of ophthalmologists and technicians, and accelerate our ambition to build one of the nation’s leading vision health programs.”
The investment also creates the Dr. Suzi Martin Endowed Ophthalmic Technician Training Program, which will prepare allied eye care professionals who work alongside ophthalmologists to conduct patient workups, diagnostic testing, clinical documentation and other aspects of care. The program aims to address the limited supply of ophthalmic technicians while bolstering the eye care workforce throughout the state and region.
“Ophthalmology is a family passion,” said Martin, who became both a certified ophthalmic assistant and a certified ophthalmic surgical assistant after completing her doctorate at USF. “Your ophthalmology practice is only as good as your least competent allied health staff.”
The gift builds on a family connection with USF Health that stretches back more than five decades. The late Dr. Benjamin Martin, husband of Suzi Martin and father of Tyson, became one of the Department of Ophthalmology’s first assistant clinical professors during the medical school’s earliest years. Then a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force and chief of ophthalmology and surgical services at MacDill Air Force Base, he participated in weekly grand rounds at USF from 1971 until relocating to the Fort Myers area in 1980.
Martin later founded the Cape Coral Eye Center, today known as Tyson Eye, where Tyson would eventually follow him into the field of ophthalmology. Tyson earned his medical degree from USF in 1997 and credits his time at the university and mentorship from ophthalmology faculty as defining influences on his career.
“This gift allows me to pass on my knowledge,” Tyson said. “If I perform cataract surgery, I help one person. If I can train multiple young doctors and surgeons on the latest and greatest technique, that effort is exponentially multiplied. I believe we can make this the premier ophthalmology department for developing the field’s next generation of leaders.”
Dr. Charles J. Lockwood, executive vice president of USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, said that philanthropic investments such as the Tyson-Martin family’s help the college recruit top talent and solidify its standing among the nation’s best medical schools.
“As we continue to grow one of the nation’s leading academic health centers, philanthropic investments like this are transformative,” Lockwood said. “The Tyson-Martin family’s gift advances our ability to attract expert physicians, expand educational opportunities and elevate the Department of Ophthalmology’s clinical and academic excellence.”
The gift continues Martin’s long history of involvement with USF. She participated in the groundbreaking for the former USF Fort Myers regional campus, served on its Regional Campus Advisory Council and spearheaded a campaign that raised over $1 million for an endowed chair of nursing. She was the founding president of the campus’s nonprofit Town & Gown support organization and raised funds to bring USF public radio to Southwest Florida.
“The Tyson-Martin family has devoted decades to advancing education, healthcare and their community, and this gift is a powerful reflection of those values,” said Jay Stroman, USF Foundation CEO. “The generosity of Suzi and Toby will leave a lasting legacy at USF while helping countless patients, students and faculty members achieve their full potential.”
To view this story on the USF Foundation Newsroom website, click here.