PREVENTION OF GLOBAL BLINDNESS

International Ophthalmology
and Global Blindness Prevention
have witnessed signifcant growth
over the last two decades. Launch
of the Vision 2020 initiative and
the emergence of International
organizations with the aim of
eliminating avoidable blindness
in developing countries were
the main driving factors in
generating awareness and
interest, particularly among
young ophthalmologists. While
signifcant gains in the fght
against avoidable blindness have
been made, there still exists a
massive shortage in training
programs designed to groom
the next generation of leaders in
the fght against avoidable and
preventable blindness.
FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
APPLY NOW!
San Francisco Match Code: 4830. For more information contact
Jessica Feilmeier at jessica.feilmeier@unmc.edu
Outreach
A Local & Global Alliance
APPLY NOW!
The Prevention of Global
Blindness Fellowship
encompasses
v Twelve months working and
traveling in developing nations
and underserved America.
v Seeing pathology that your
textbooks did not dare dream of.
v Learning new surgical techniques
and at the same time working
autonomously.
v Actually practicing medicine and
providing much needed care to
diferent populations around the
globe while not going broke in the
process.
v Working with people who have
infectious passion and enthusiasm.
Having trained at Bascom Palmer with Mike,
I had kept abreast of the work that he and Jessica
were doing and it reminded me that what we do in
ophthalmology and medicine is terribly important.
To have this set of skills is a privilege.
To use our knowledge fruitfully for others betterment, to
advocate tirelessly to improve societys lot
no matter if you do so locally or abroad,
and to care sincerely about those whom you encounter,
can only lead to your own personal fulfllment.
Needless to say, I was honored when they approached me
to partner with them to develop the Prevention of Global
Blindness Fellowship, Katherine Johnson, MD.
Located in the second largest Alaskan city by population,
Fairbanks is the heart of the Interior where quality of life remains
the main reason why people choose to live there. It is ideal for
those who want to combine their professional development
with their desire to explore the wild outdoors. Every Alaskan
has a hobby whether its fshing, hunting, dog mushing,
snowmobiling, hiking or skiing.
Mountain View Medical Center has become the regions gem,
as the only state-of-the-art eye care facility, making it an ideal
partner for the Prevention of Global Blindness Fellowship.
Why Mountain View Medical Center
Te fellowship is designed to force our fellows to
rethink their limits and expand their capabilities in
every practice setting. Its a chance to discover diferent
cultures and see stunning parts of the world while
amassing the tools and professional network one needs
to incorporate global blindness prevention into any
career they choose.
Michael Feilmeier, MD
Katherine Johnson, MD
Undergraduate
Harvard University
Medical School
University of California San Diego
Residency
BascomPalmer Eye Institute
APPLY NOW!
San Francisco Match Code: 4830. For more information contact
Jessica Feilmeier at jessica.feilmeier@unmc.edu
APPLY NOW!
Truhlsen Eye Institute understands the need to
groom the next generation of leaders in the fght
against avoidable and preventable blindness.
Dr. Michael Feilmeier was the frst fellow in the
country to complete a Global Blindness Prevention
Fellowship. Today, he is the Medical Director
of the Division of Global Blindness Prevention
and Community Outreach at the Truhlsen Eye
Institute, where, under his direction, two fellowship
opportunities are ofered.
Te fellowship in Global Blindness Prevention
and Community Outreach is a unique-1 year
experience in which the applicant spends
the majority of their time working at partner
institutions in Nepal, Haiti, Ethiopia and Ghana.
Te focus is providing clinical and surgical care,
learning new surgical techniques, participating in
skill transfer programs with local ophthalmologists,
and contributing to the development of each sites
unique eye care delivery systems.
Te balance of the year is spent working in a
private practice setting at Mountain View Medical
Center in Fairbanks, Alaska. Te fellow has the
unique opportunity to provide comprehensive care
in beautiful interior Alaska while learning the ins
and outs of clinic management and coding in a
state-of-the-art facility.
Te fnal weeks of the fellowship are spent at
Truhlsen Eye Institute working on community
outreach programs that deliver eye care to local
Native Americans.
Tis fellowship is only open to applicants who have
completed an ophthalmology residency program in
the United States.
Leading The Way in Global Blindness Prevention
Michael Feilmeier, MD
Medical Director
Undergraduate
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Medical School
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Residency
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
Cornea/Prevention of Global
Blindness Fellowship
John A. Moran Eye Center
Jessica Feilmeier
Development Director
Undergraduate
San Diego State University
Why Truhlsen Eye Institute
It was at the conclusion of Dr. Feilmeiers residency that he set his
sights on completing a frst of its kind cornea fellowship that would
also provide training in the prevention of global blindness.
Te fellowship allowed both Dr. Feilmeier and his wife, Jessica,
to spend part of that year living abroad, validating Mikes desire
to dedicate a signifcant component of his career to providing
his expertise and surgical skills to curb needless blindness, but
also opening up Jessicas eyes to the world of ophthalmology. She
subsequently lef her career as a business development director for
Fortune 500 companies to dedicate her skills to the cause of global
blindness prevention.
Following fellowship Mike joined Midwest Eye Care, a private practice
in his hometown of Omaha, NE. It was then that he and Jessica
approached UNMC to develop the Global Blindness Prevention
Division as a way to continue the work theyd come to jointly love.
Our initial goal was to develop a platform
at UNMC that would provide opportunities
for increased global engagement
for medical students, residents, fellows,
and faculty while simultaneously helping
to prevent needless blindness wherever
our work took us. In our frst year
we were successfully organizing outreaches
on a regular basis to a plethora of countries
and hosting physicians from around the world
for skill-transfer education. With this success,
we set out to tackle our deepest rooted desire
to help cultivate the next wave of leaders
in global blindness prevention.
Jessica Feilmeier
The fellowship year through the eyes of Dr. Sriranjani Padmanabhan
Sri Padmanabhan, MD
Undergraduate
Northwestern University
Medical School
University of Rochester
Residency
Scheie Eye Institute
Glaucoma Fellowship
Emory Eye Center
Prevention of Global
Blindness Fellowship
Truhlsen Eye Institute
Ethiopia
In Ethiopia I realized that the
true professional reward of this
fellowship was not just the skill
building activities operating,
organizing, teaching, and skill
transferring, but also witnessing
the emotional transformation of
the patients whose lives youve
forever changed following
surgery. Te morning that you
remove the patches of hundreds
of patients at the same time
is truly a moving and joyful
experience.
think you know the answer
to a particular medical or
scientifc question based on
your experience in the States,
only to discover that your
knowledge and textbooks are
either incomplete or irrelevant.
Tis type of education is truly
priceless.
Nepal
Working at Tilganga Institute of
Ophthalmology (TIO) showed
me the scope of possibility for
eye care in the developing world.
Every ophthalmologist needs to
visit Tilganga in their lifetime
to see how a group of dedicated
and highly talented professionals
successfully tackle blindness,
delivering care of the highest
quality despite the level of
economic development of their
nation.
In keeping humanitarian
outreach a core part of their
mission, TIO becomes not only
a model for developing nations
but also institutes in the Western
world. I felt lucky to learn there.
Haiti
All my clinical skills were
immediately put to the test in
Haiti a gorgeous country with
a dearth of ophthalmologists
and an epidemic of blindness.
I quickly discovered that
most ophthalmologic diseases
in this unique population,
particularly glaucoma, have
distinct natural histories and
unreported idiosyncrasies. I
could not simply transfer over
my American training. Instead,
I had to keep an open mind and
think creatively to solve clinical
problems.
Tere are so many epiphanies
like this working abroad you
Tis year has allowed me to use my training to the maximum
level possible, forcing me to be resourceful in low resource clinics,
think creatively in the operating room without the usual spread of
instruments, and recall information about diseases I learned about,
but never dreamed I would actually see.
In the context of my experiences
and lessons learned abroad,
coming back and practicing in
beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska was
a joy. Instead of feeling stale,
practicing in the States seemed a
breath of fresh air. I was able to
see disease that routinely blinds
people abroad addressed swifly
Ghana
I witnessed ophthalmology
training programs in
transition. In partnership with
organizations and professionals
from around the world, Komfo
Anokye Teaching Hospital
is making great progress in
modernizing its facilities and
creating skilled physicians and
surgeons. It was a privilege to be
a small part of this movement,
and I feel motivated to be
permanently involved in the
positive changes to come forth.
Having been the frst fellow to complete this fellowship I can
attest that it is even better than you can possibly imagine. Te
following are a few excepts from my rotation reports describing
what I encountered and learned along the way during my year
as the Prevention of Global Blindness Fellow.
and efciently. Working with
Dr. Johnson was incredible
and rapidly taught me about
running an efcient medical
practice. Plus, Alaskans of
all stripes, Alaska Natives,
immigrants, adventurers, and
all those in between are a
highly diverse and fun group to
care for.
Alaska