Eyeworld

36 | EYEWORLD | JUNE 2022 by Liz Hillman Editorial Co-Director About the physicians Soroosh Behshad, MD Associate Professor of Cataract, Corneal, and Refractive Surgery Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta, Georgia Allison Jarstad, DO Cataract and Laser Institute of Southern Oregon Medford, Oregon Neda Nikpoor, MD Aloha Laser Vision Honolulu, Hawaii Russell Swan, MD Vance Thompson Vision Bozeman, Montana work; it's important to go into these situations not thinking about what you want to do or what you could learn. Rather, think about what the need is and how you can serve that need. Global ophthalmology meetings are great ways to learn about the current work being done and opportunities available. Think about your own interests and how you could contrib- ute, Dr. Nikpoor said. Russell Swan, MD Russell Swan, MD, said international outreach and education has always interested him. He spent a month in Nepal in his fourth year of medical school and in his last year of residency. During fellowship, he started an association and worked in Central America. Over the last 5 years, Dr. Swan has been helping train attend- ing doctors and residents in phaco and SICS. One thing Dr. Swan said that his interna- tional work has given him that he doesn't think he would have gained otherwise is flexibility. "[You need to have] the ability to improvise and think on your feet. The knowledge you gain in complex disease management and complex surgical care is incredibly valuable," he said. If you decide to do international work, Dr. Swan said it's important to make a conscious commitment to go to that place 1–2 times a year over the course of 2–5 years. "The key to success is relationship development and trust development with a local partner," he said. Contemplating global fellowship and international outreach YES CONNECT ASCRS NEWS Dr. Nikpoor completed a year-long global fellowship with the Himalayan Cataract Project (now called Cure Blindness). Source: Neda Nikpoor, MD Dr. Swan performs surgery as part of his international work in Central America. Source: Russell Swan, MD T here has been an increase in global ophthalmology fellowship programs in recent years, and a strong need for sustained international outreach con- tinues. EyeWorld spoke with doctors who have extensive experience in this area. Neda Nikpoor, MD What Neda Nikpoor, MD, appreciated most from her fellowship with Stanford University/ the Himalayan Cataract Project (rebranded as Cure Blindness) was the clinical and healthcare system learning she gained. She said she loved that "I was just as much of a student as I was a teacher." Clinically, Dr. Nikpoor said the surgeries in her fellowship were incredibly complex. She also had the opportunity to staff residents and do a wealth of work that would have taken a decade to experience at a U.S. academic institu- tion. From a public health perspective, Dr. Nikpoor said she learned about where devel- oping countries are on the arc of healthcare development. "I learned that sometimes the lim- itations of healthcare in a country have less to do with the doctor's skills and more to do with the infrastructure limitations. For instance, a corneal surgeon may very well know how to do a PKP but can't due to lack of access to corneal tissue. Skills transfer without system develop- ment is not enough." Dr. Nikpoor said to think outside of one's own motivations when considering international

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