Sight For Sore Eyes

In this, the final episode of our series on Native Americans and Ophthalmology, we turn our focus to the future, examining the critical need for greater Native American representation in medicine and eye care and the ongoing efforts being made to bridge this gap and we’ll hear from a young trainee who aspires to make a lasting impact through her journey in medicine

This final installment of our series presents the hopes and aspirati...

In this second installment of our series on Native Americans and Ophthalmology, we hear from an individual who has done more than just improve access to eye care—he’s shown what’s possible in the fight against diabetic vision loss for Native American communities in Oklahoma. His groundbreaking work has not only changed lives but has also set the standard for how care can be delivered to underserved populations.

We’ll also discuss ho...

Welcome, this is the trailer for my series on Native Americans and Ophthalmology.

This is a topic that doesn’t get nearly enough attention, yet it holds a lot of significance in the world of eye care, medicine, and healthcare equity. I’ve been wanting to explore it for a long time, and I’m thrilled to finally bring you what I believe are substantive, thought-provoking conversations on a subject that deserves more attention than it c...

In this first episode of our series on Native Americans and Ophthalmology, we begin by exploring an important question: What is the current state of eye health and eye care access for Native American communities in the U.S.?

To answer this, we’ll hear from Native American eye care providers as they share their personal journeys into the field as well as researchers who have dedicated their careers to understanding the issues around ...

Dr. Benjeil Edghill is a Brooklyn native, a glaucoma specialist, and an advocate for minoritized groups. He’s not only a skilled surgeon practicing in New York City but also a leader in advocating for better care for minority communities and supporting the next generation of URiM physicians through his work with and leadership in the NMA ophthalmology section.

His story is an example of what can happen at the intersection of ability...

In the last episode series, we heard from the directors of two pathway programs that are recruiting, supporting, and promoting young minority students in their efforts to pursue careers in the field of ophthalmology; the NMA Ophthalmology Section's Rabb Venable Excellence In Research Pathways to Success Program, and the AAO/AUPO's Minority Ophthalmology Mentoring Program. 

In this episode, we’ll hear from the pro...

In the last episode, we began conversations with Drs. Dolly Ann Padovani Claudio, O’Rese Knight, and Lisa Kelly about the work they’re doing as the directors of the Rabb Venable excellence in research program’s Pathways to Success Program and the AUPO/AAO Minority Ophthalmology Mentoring Program.

In this episode, we continue our conversations about these program’s efforts, including more on the DEI backlash and how to addr...

The recruitment and mentoring of URiM medical students to ophthalmology is paramount for addressing the dearth of URiM specialists in our field and the impact that it’s had on health care disparities from lack of access and representation for decades.

Today we being a series of episodes addressing this subject matter again in light of the now apparently gale force winds that the backlash against DEI has become. For this s...

Dr. Kristen Nwanyanwu is a retina specialist and an associate professor of ophthalmology at Yale University and is at the forefront of health disparity research in ophthalmology. She is also an entrepreneur and is the founder of Eyeful, an ophthalmology related business she founded, and leads as the CEO. During the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting in San Francisco last November, she hosted an Eyeful sponsored event called ...

This episode of SFSE is the last in our series of rebroadcasted episodes on the history of AA in medicine and ophthalmology for Black history month and features my conversation with ophthalmologist, Dr. Clifton Peay. Dr Peay is an ophthalmologist practicing in Richmond Virginia specializing in glaucoma, refractive, cataract, laser, and anterior segment surgery. He has served on the Board of the National Medical Association’s ophtha...

As we continue through black history month we are continuing our rebroadcast of the series of episodes addressing the history of the AA experience in medicine and ophthalmology that was first published last year. This first episode is of my conversation with Dr. Lenworth Johnson, a Neuro-ophthalmologist and the author of the book Breaking the Color Line in Medicine, African Americans in Ophthalmology.

Breaking the Color L...

As we enter black history month we’ll be revisiting the series of podcasts addressing the history of AA in ophthalmology first published last year. We begin with the history of slavery and Jim Crow segregation in this country as they form the contextual foundation for the current state of medicine with its disparities in healthcare outcomes and lack of diversity, which extend into the field of ophthalmology. Included in this episod...

The national medical association or NMA is a professional and scientific organization and the largest and oldest national organization representing the interests of African American physicians and their patients in the United States.  The NMA Ophthalmology Section has a long and storied history and to learn more about the current organization, I spoke with Drs. Fasika Woreta and Basil Williams, the immediate and future chairs of th...

Over the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to bring important and hopefully thought provoking conversations through the sight for site eyes podcast highlighting the world of DEI in ophthalmology. I’ve also been able to highlight the unique field of Neuro-ophthalmology through the out of the Blindspot podcast. I’m particularly excited for the conversation that will be featured in the next couple of episodes in the first of its kin...

In the last episode we began a conversation with Drs. Janice Law, Jacquelyn O’Banion, and Ninita Brown about the work they are doing building bridges for HBCU medical students to gain experience in the field of ophthalmology.

In this episode, we continue our conversation and learn more about how their unique backgrounds and experiences have shaped their perceptions of the Inclusion, Equity and Diversity space and how they ...

Historically black colleges and universities or HBCUs were born out of America’s history of systemic racism and segregation with the the law of separate but equal instituted at the turn of the 20th century. These institutions  have played integral roles in the development and support of black professionals including physicians. Because HBCUs have and continue to produce more URiM physicians than all majority institutions combined, ...

In the last episode, we heard a cautionary tale from Dr. Vandana Reddy about a DEI related conflict within her organization that significantly impacted her professional life. We also learned from Dr. Lynn Gordon that these situations are not uncommon and that we need to be ready to address potential DEI-related conflict in our organizations and professional lives.

In the next part of our conversation in we learn about the origins of...