4 minute read
Kellogg Returns to Jamaica
Michigan’s Jamaican connection dates back to 1996, when a U-M Health Service optometrist of Jamaican ancestry organized a mission trip to provide vision screenings and eyeglasses to underserved residents of the island nation. Kellogg faculty and trainees first provided diagnostic and surgical support in 2015.
Fast forward to 2024, when Kellogg contingents returned twice to Jamaica. Again they provided ophthalmic care, but this time they also offered education to faculty, residents and trainees at two locations in the capital city of Kingston, and collaborated on research.
“One of the lessons we’ve learned over many years and many exchanges is to be flexible in the assistance we offer,” says Christine Nelson, M.D., Co-director of the Jerome Jacobson Program for International Ophthalmology, who led both 2024 trips. “Each country and community is unique, and their needs evolve over time.”
In this case, Kellogg faculty, residents, medical students and even alumni participated on the ground and remotely, navigating the separate and shared objectives of the University of the West Indies (UWI) and neighboring Kingston Public Hospital (KPH). Relationships were built long before the trips, to identify the challenges on which to focus, and exchange ideas about the kinds of clinical and research support and education Kellogg could provide.
In February, Sangeeta Khanna, M.D., lectured and provided diagnostic skill transfer sessions in her specialty, neuro-ophthalmology. “It was so rewarding to meet students in person after interacting with them in a number of Zoom sessions before the trip,” she says. “Neuro-op is not part of their curriculum, and they were so enthusiastic and eager to learn.”
Dr. Khanna also oversaw a research project conducted by faculty and trainees from both U-M and UWI. The Kellogg team included glaucoma specialist Amy Zhang, M.D., PGY-4 resident Alex Valentine, M.D., and medical student Karolina Leziak. The project involved surveying individuals in the KPH eye clinic waiting room about their awareness and knowledge of glaucoma.
In April, the focus was on Dr. Nelson’s specialty, oculoplastics, and she was accompanied by fellow James Zhao, M.D., PGY-4 resident Kirsten Simmons, M.D., M.H.Sc., and medical students Andrea Orji and Mikaelah Johnson-Griggs. Dr. Nelson and Dr Zhao operated daily and taught faculty and residents. Dr. Simmons assisted in lectures on urgent oculoplastic bedside procedures and radiographic imaging. She was also the principal investigator for an epidemiological study of ocular and orbital traumas presenting at KPH.
As one of the few public hospitals in Jamaica with a dedicated eye center, the KPH emergency department handles a large volume of orbital traumas, including injuries and burns from industrial, construction and farming accidents and domestic violence.
“This study featured a fruitful collaboration between residents from both institutions. Our goal was to have a culturally competent, equitable educational exchange between all collaborators,” Dr. Simmons explains. Together, they analyzed one month of data, revealing several supply-chain and infrastructure challenges to maintaining their target standard of care. “For example, patients face a range of social and economic barriers that can cause them to delay seeking care for traumas that require immediate intervention. KPH residents also face equipment and training limitations with providing long-term care in subspecialities such as retina and cornea.”
The Next Best Thing to Being There
The Jerome Jacobson program also provides opportunities for alumni to get involved, even if international travel isn’t possible. Amjad Ahmad, M.D., is a U-M Medical School graduate who completed his residency and fellowship at Kellogg. Despite leading one of the busiest oculofacial surgery practices in the Chicago area, Dr. Ahmad still found time to instruct faculty and trainees in Jamaica via a series of lectures over Zoom.
“Dr. Nelson was my fellowship director 25 years ago, and remains a valued colleague and mentor,” he says. “I wanted to be part of her international efforts, but was unable to leave my practice unattended. Zoom lectures proved the ideal solution. To me, being a Michigan grad means always pursuing excellence. When I give these talks, I am planting seeds from the Kellogg Eye Center that will bloom to improve the quality of eye care in the West Indies.”
“Like Dr. Khanna, Dr. Ahmad has been a wonderful resource for remote instruction in Jamaica, where subspecialty education is in high demand,” adds Dr. Nelson. “We encourage anyone in our Kellogg family interested in international ophthalmology to connect with us to explore ways to get involved.”
