HCP Holds Inaugural Fellows Reunion
Since 2008, the Himalayan Cataract Project (HCP) has offered an International Fellowship that provides highly-trained, early career ophthalmologists with global healthcare experience. Fellows work under the guidance of HCP Co-founder Dr. Geoff Tabin to train in eye care provision in diverse settings.
While not in the field, the International Fellows were based in Utah at the Moran Eye Center until 2016 when it changed to Stanford University. International Fellows are paired with in-country partners to exchange skills. Since 2008, there have been 14 fellows who built relationships with partners from host countries and continue to integrate global service into their post-fellowship careers.
HCP has also offered specialty fellowships to ophthalmologists from our program countries. The first fellows were from Nepal and Bhutan and in 2006 HCP began to send fellows from sub-Saharan Africa to Nepal for training at the Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology. HCP continues to grow its network of training partners that also include Academic Institutions in North America, and multiple Training Facilities in India and Israel. HCP has helped facilitate ongoing training and sub-specialty advancement for hundreds of ophthalmologists, nurses and eye care personnel across Asia and Africa who provide high quality eye care in the communities they serve.
On July 27, HCP reunited almost 80 Fellows from all over the world for the Inaugural HCP Fellows Reunion & Workshop. The goal of this workshop is to establish an HCP Alumni Community to share resources, create new connections and take advantage of all the fellow’s talents and desire to contribute to global ophthalmology.
Dr. Tabin began the event by reflecting on the history of the International Fellows program. “The first group of doctors trained by HCP ended up not just delivering world-class care but world-class training,” Dr. Tabin said during the program. “It wasn’t just the training of the doctors but also the nurses and techs. This has led to quality care throughout the world.”
HCP Co-founder Dr. Sanduk Ruit also spoke during the alumni event and urged the group to continue to work together to further the cause of advancing eye care across the world.
The reunion provided an opportunity for the alumni to share their experiences with the training programs and in the field of global ophthalmology. Dr. Ashiyana Nariani, HCP’s Global Clinical Consultant, invited the group to further their involvement with HCP and its fight against blindness.
“We want to move forward as one family ready to move together, passionate about one thing and that is to cure blindness,” Dr. Nariani said.
