Eyeworld

44 | EYEWORLD | SPRING 2024 ASCRS NEWS by Ellen Stodola Editorial Co-Director Seva Foundation co-founder Suzanne Gil- bert, PhD, MPH, was with Dr. Spencer and his family on his first trip to Nepal. "It was instantly clear that Marty had a calling for this kind of work. His skills as an ophthalmologist were in great demand by Seva partners. They valued his clinical knowledge and also his versatility and positive attitude," she said. "These attributes have made Marty a popular trainer-volunteer in at least a dozen countries. He has returned to Nepal at least 15 times!" In his customarily humble way, Dr. Spencer noted, "Initially I was petrified. I didn't know what I had to offer, but I discovered that it's all about teaching. There is so much need there." Back when Dr. Spencer started his volunteer work abroad, he said extracapsular surgery had become somewhat established and he had developed some instruments and techniques and was in a good position to teach. "I returned regularly to Nepal and India (Aravind Eye Hospital) where I led workshops to teach ex- tracapsular and IOL surgery, as the standard in low-income countries at that time was intracap- sular surgery and aphakic glasses." "People always ask me when I come home, 'how many surgeries did you do?'" he said. "I measure my success by how much is done after I leave, not what I do while I'm there." Teach- ing, he said, can make a lasting difference. With the number of people blind from cataracts in the world, Dr. Spencer said it would be hard to make a dent in this as an individual. It's all about setting up programs and teaching, and that's what Seva does, he said. "The goal is to make the eye hospitals self-sustaining so they can run on their own." This includes not just surgical manpower, but all the infrastructure as well. Seva Canada Program Director Ken Bassett, MD, remarked, "Few people are more revered by eyecare providers, particularly ophthalmol- ogists, in Asia and Africa than Marty Spencer, who has worked tirelessly to help them to pro- vide high-quality care to the people they serve. His work epitomizes international development with dignity, where his success is measured by Martin Spencer, MD, selected as recipient of ASCRS Foundation Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award T his year's recipient of the ASCRS Foun- dation Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award is Martin Spencer, MD. Endowed by a generous gift from David and Victoria Chang, the AS- CRS Foundation Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award was established in 2017 to honor and recognize outstanding humanitarian work in the field of cataract blindness and disability. The award is given annually to celebrate the charitable accomplishments of an individual or organization working in the United States or abroad. The recipient is recognized at the ASCRS Annual Meeting, and a $100,000 prize is donated in their honor to a charitable ophthal- mic organization of their choice. In 2020, the Foundation's highest honor was renamed the Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award to recog- nize Alan S. Crandall, MD's exemplary life and commitment to humanitarian service. For many years, Dr. Spencer has worked closely with Seva Foundation and Seva Canada in Nepal and many other countries around the world. As a board member of both organiza- tions, he prioritizes service quality, volume, and program sustainability. Dr. Spencer's interest in ophthalmology be- gan in medical school. "It came as a surprise to me. It wasn't a lifelong ambition," he said. "But once I was in practice, I always had the feeling of wanting to give back. I recognized that I'm very lucky to have been born a white male in a developed country." Dr. Spencer also loved to travel, and from early on in his career, he was interested in volunteer work. After his residen- cy, he traveled in Latin America and tried to do volunteer work but noted that plans were hard to arrange and often fell through. Dr. Spencer describes himself as a com- prehensive ophthalmologist with a focus on cataract on Vancouver Island (where he is still in practice today). He first came across Seva at a meeting of the American Academy of Ophthal- mology when he visited their booth. "I wrote to Seva, and they arranged for me to go to Nepal in 1987," he said. "I spent 7 weeks there, and I was totally hooked."

• Blank Page
• Blank Page (1)