WAEH Newsletter – December 2022
15 December
WEBINAR PHILANTROPHY
Want to set up a Philanthropy strategy in your eye hospital? Learn from the best! Register now for the webinar on 15 December 2022 with Steve Rum, Vice President for Development & Alumni Relations, Fund for Johns Hopkins Medicine.
For the past seventeen years Steve Rum has been the leader of the development organization that has generated on average over $1billion dollars every four years. This fundraising organization with over 200 employees raised on average $350m per year in the past five years and is one of the largest of its kind in the U.S. The development operation encompasses four affiliated hospitals, sixteen clinical departments, the Institute of Basic Sciences and an alumni affairs department.
The webinar about philanthropy will take place on December 15 at 08:00 AM EST till 09.00 AM EST. The link to call in will be shared with you 2 days in advance.
Interested in joining this webinar? Send an email to Maaike van Zuilen: maaike.vanzuilen@waeh.org
EYE DROPS EDUCATION PACKAGE
Now available on the WAEH Hub
The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital (Eye and Ear), has partnered with the World Association of Eye Hospitals (WAEH) to produce a new animated eye drops application video. The theme for World Sight Day (13 October) was #loveyoureyes and that is exactly the message they hope patients living with eye disease will get by watching this new instructional video.
Co-funded by WAEH and the Nelken Trust, the video forms a Patient Eye Drop Education Package to be used globally to teach a standardised technique for clinicians and patients – with the aim to improve compliance and health literacy.
Read more about the eye drops education package here.
The eye drops education package was developed by The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Melbourne, in co-creation with several members of the WAEH. This package is now available to all members through the WAEH knowledge hub.
Go to the WAEH Knowledge Hub
No login? Send a mail to Maaike / Maaike.vanzuilen@waeh.org
CALL FOR WAEH PROJECTS
Interested in funding for a project? The WAEH can finance two to three projects per year with 7.500,- euro.
Round 1 – Deadline 31 January 2023
– Incoming proposals reviewed by board in February / March board meeting
– All proposals need to be sent in using the standard WAEH project format
Round 2 – Deadline 31 July 2023
– Incoming proposals reviewed by board in August / September board meeting
– All proposals need to be sent in using the standard WAEH project format
Send your request for the project proposal format to Maaike van Zuilen: Maaike.vanzuilen@waeh.org
WAEH 16TH ANNUAL MEETING 2022
DAY ONE – Tuesday, October 4th
DAY TWO – Tuesday, October 5th
DAY THREE – Tuesday, October 6th
NIGHT – Tuesday, October 6th
WAEH – ANNUAL MEETING SURVEY
The next WAEH Annual Meeting will be held in Melbourne (10-12 October 2023) and Sydney, Australia. We are looking for themes and ideas, so would like to ask for your input! Your input is important and will help us to build future events that are tailored to your interests and requirements.
Share your ideas via the following short survey!
WELCOME: FOUR NEW FULL MEMBERS
The WAEH wishes the following four eye hospitals a warm welcome into the global network of eyehospitals! The four new hospitals are: Hôpital National des 15-20 from France, OPTY Eye hospital Chain from Brazil, Dharan Eye Specialist Hospital from Saudi Arabia and last but not least, South Tyneside Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust from the United Kingdom.
These new members of the WAEH are all stand alone eye hospitals or eye departments of general hospitals. Interested in joining the World Association of Eye Hospitals? Knowledge and information is shared between eyehospitals across the globe during our bi-monthly live webinars and the annual meeting. We exchange projects like medical outcomes and topics like hospital management, fundraising and many other topics.
In this and the upcoming newsletters we will share more facts and figures about these new members!
FULL MEMBER: OPTY EYE HOSPITAL CHAIN
Letter by Takashi Hida
I am well into my second month as member of WAEH and am already feeling I have been here much longer, which is great! From my short time at WAEH 16th Annual meeting, I have been impressed by the friendliness of everyone. Thank you to all who have made me feel most welcome!
I am also impressed with the focus on sharing ideas and improve efficiency in eye care. The hard work and commitment of WAEH members is evident and certainly focussed on delivering the best and most safe ophthalmic care.
The Opty Eye Hospital Chain is responsible for the first venture capital in ophthalmology and that started by merge and acquisition of Eye Hospitals throughout Brazil. We have expanded to 85 Eye Hospitals with more than 2.000 ophthalmologists. Today is the largest Eye Hospital Chain in Latin America.
It has always been my dream to pursue a career in ophthalmology, with a particular interest in performing academic services, publishing scientific papers, participating in clinical trials and be part of WAEH’s “centres of excellence” in ophthalmology. I believe that the WAEH will be an important step for the future of eye care providers in Latin America, since I believe it will allow for the free and unhindered exchange of ideas, promote research, sponsor and advise societies.
I promise my active participation and that I will promptly notify my need for the WAEH mission.
Takashi Hida MD PhD
Co-founder and Chairman Medical Affairs OPTY Eye Hospital Chain
Former President of Brazilian Cataract Refractive Society meeting.
Head of cataract Division of Brasilia Ophthalmology Hospital HOB
PhD Sao Paulo University USP
Post-Doctoral Sao Paulo Federal University UNIFESP
Post-Graduation Harvard Medical School
LUSAKA EYE HOSPITAL LOOKING FOR EQUIPMENT
Sponsored member of the WAEH
Lusaka Eye Hospital is a 40-bed eye specialist institution in the capital city of Lusaka, Zambia. It is one of the medical institutions run by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Zambia. The Southern Zambia Union Conference governs the hospital. However, between 2006 and 31 March 2019, Adventist Health International, whose head office is situated at Loma Linda Hospital and Medical Center in California, U.S.A., managed the hospital.
DOCTORAL FUNDING FROM KI STRENGTHENS RESEARCH ON LACK OF OXYGEN IN THE EYE TISSUE
St. Erik Eye Hospital
Research group leader Helder André at St. Erik Eye Hospital and Karolinska Institutet has been awarded funds from KI’s special grant for training a doctoral candidate. The funding enables the employment of a doctoral student for the project The translational role of hypoxia in blinding neovascular diseases for four years.
Read more about the research on lack of oxygen in the eye tissue here.
THE EYES TELL A MILLION STORIES
Singapore National Eye Centre
Two novel artificial intelligence tools offer non-invasive methods to detect and predict underlying health issues using retinal images.
The eyes are not only windows to one’s soul, but also offer a glimpse into a person’s biological age and overall health status.
The Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) has worked with collaborators to develop two new screening tools — RetiKid and RetiAge. RetiKid uses artificial intelligence-based deep learning algorithms to scan retinal images to detect chronic kidney disease (CKD), while RetiAge is able to predict one’s biological age.
“The kidney and eye share a close biological relationship. While blood vessels in the kidneys cannot be examined readily, blood vessels in the retina can be visualised directly using digital retinal photography. Therefore, examining blood vessels in the retina can provide clues to problems with the kidney’s blood vessels,” said Associate Professor Charumathi Sabanayagam, Deputy Head, Ocular Epidemiology Research Group, SERI, and Principal Investigator of the RetiKid study.
Read more about the intelligence tools here.
START OF LARGE CLINICAL STUDY OF MELATONIN AGAINST UVEAL MELANOMA
St. Erik Eye Hospital
In a clinical study involving about a hundred patients with uveal melanoma, researchers at St. Erik Eye Hospital will test whether an additional treatment with melatonin can prevent the development of metastases. The study has a planned duration of up to ten years.
Malignant melanoma of the uvea of the eye is the most common type of tumour that can develop inside the eye. Every year, 60 to 100 Swedes are diagnosed with the disease. Up to half of all patients develop metastases over time, even if the eye has been surgically removed at an early stage.
– After that, the prognosis is very poor, and the median patient survives for about a year. Our study aims to investigate whether melatonin can prevent the development of metastases, says specialist physician and associate professor Gustav Stålhammar, who is managing the study.
Read more about the study of melatonin against uveal melanoma here.
WORLD DIABETES DAY 2022
BNSB Eye Hospital Bangladesh
Organised by: Dr. K. Zaman BNSB Eye Hospital Bangladesh, associate member of the WAEH
Partners: ANDHERI HILFE BONN. GERMANY, DAK Foundation, The Fred Hollows Foundation, Good People International, IAPB, Orbis International, Operation Eye Sight Universal, Shoelhuber Foundation, SightSavers, Vision Spring, Restoring Vision.
World Diabetes Day (WDD) is an International Day of Awareness, held annually on the 14th November to focus attention on the global issue of Diabetes.
This year Global theme has been selected ‘Access to diabetes education’ for WDD 2022. The theme focuses on intensive diabetes education for healthcare professionals and diabetes patients. Dr. K. Zaman BNSB Eye Hospital to celebrates the successes of the global efforts to prevent blindness and draws attention to the challenges ahead in this great moment of WDD’22.
Read more about the International Day of Awareness here.
REMEMBRANCE DAY – NURSE ALICIA MARY KELLY
The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital
This Remembrance Day, The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital acknowledges the fallen who have served through war and peacekeeping.
During her service, Alicia travelled with the army to Egypt, Gallipoli, France and Belgium. She tended to hundreds of patients, and it was her fierce commitment to her patients that shone bright.
Alicia Mary Kelly migrated from Ireland to Melbourne, where she enrolled to train as a nurse at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and completed her studies in 1910. After completing her training, Alicia worked at the Eye and Ear Hospital for over three years before moving to a private ENT hospital. It was there when news of war emerged and Alicia enlisted herself as a staff nurse in the Australian Army Nursing Service.
Read more about nurse Alicia Mary Kelly here.
MOORFIELDS PRIVATE OPENS NEW SITE IN NEW CAVENDISH STREET
Moorfields Eye Hospital
Moorfields Private is offering patients the highest quality eye treatment in the heart of London’s medical district. Our world leading consultants and nursing teams provide outstanding patient care, diagnostic and refractive procedures in the state-of-the-art facilities.
The facility comprises of 11 consulting rooms, 12 outpatient procedure rooms and five supporting nurse rooms, and welcomes adult patients seeking expert advice and treatment for a wide range of eye problems from the UK and across the globe. It complements Moorfields Eye Hospital, with a number of treatments not being available on the NHS. These include Lasek, Lasik, TransPRK and SMILE laser eye surgery in its state-of-the-art refractive suite.
Read more about the new site in New Cavendish Street here.
MOORFIELDS PRIVATE OPENS NEW SITE IN NEW CAVENDISH STREET
WAEH Communities of Practice – Webinar – December 15
Time: 08.00AM EST / 14.00PM CET
Zoom: the link to call in will be shared with you 2 days in advance
Topic: Philantrophy
With keynote: Fundraising at Hopkins
For the past seventeen years, as Vice President for Development and Alumni Affairs, for Johns Hopkins Medicine, Steve Rum has been the leader of the development organization that has generated on average over $1billion dollars every four years. This fundraising organization with over 200 employees and raising on average $350m per year in the past five years and is one of the largest of its kind in the U.S. The development operation encompasses four affiliated hospitals, sixteen clinical departments, the Institute of Basic Sciences and an alumni affairs department. In his 31-year career, he has led medical institutions that have now cumulatively raised over $6B.
Register now!
Want to join this group? Send an email to Maaike van Zuilen: maaike.vanzuilen@waeh.org
QUESTIONS? SHARE NEWS?
Do you have a special request? Would you like to organize a webinar or share news? Fill in this WAEH form
Or would you like to be (digitally) connected to a certain person in one of our member eye hospitals? Please feel very welcome to contact Maaike van Zuilen: Maaike.vanzuilen@waeh.org