Ophthalmic medical device company New World Medical, Inc., has selected incoming John A. Moran Eye Center international fellow Avni Shah, MD, to receive a $10,000 fellowship award.
The honor recognizes Shah's commitment to outreach work and dedication to alleviating blindness for underserved populations, and will support her travel in upcoming medical missions to Tanzania, Ghana, Micronesia, India, and Haiti.
Moran's educational program provides outreach opportunities for physicians through its Global Outreach Division, dedicated to creating sustainable eye care in more than 20 developing nations around the globe through teaching and training. One international fellowship is awarded yearly.
In Tanzania, Shah will provide the first glaucoma-specific training to ophthalmologists in the capital city of Dodoma. In India, she plans to learn small-incision cataract surgery, widely used in the developing world, with physicians from Moran academic partner Aravind Eye Care System, the world's largest eye care provider. Shah will also study Aravind models for delivering sustainable eye care.
Shah, who is finishing a glaucoma fellowship at Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston, said her interest in outreach began when she took part in glaucoma screenings for underserved populations in New Jersey as a medical student.
"My draw to ophthalmology as a specialty was in the context of teaching and service," she said. "My experience during medical school and exposure to individuals who dedicated their time and energy to helping cure preventable blindness led to a deep and urgent sense of what I wanted to devote myself to, and laid the foundation for my eventual career goals."
New World Medical innovations preserve and enhance vision around the globe, aided by partnerships with surgeons and eye care professionals who are dedicated to alleviating the burden of blindness around the globe.
"We are thrilled to see Dr. Shah recognized for her dedication and expertise in international outreach work, and we look forward to being a part of her advancement in this area as our next international fellow," said University of Utah Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Vice Chair of Education Jeff Pettey, MD.