December 8, 2023
Episode 38: Dr. John Buchan MBBS, MRCOphth MD
A discussion on
“Beyond the Ophthalmoscope: Public Health for Eye Care”
Exploring MSc curriculum at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Video
Dr. John Buchan MBBS, MRCOphth MD
Overview
In this episode, we are joined by Dr. John Buchan who is both the program director for the MSc in Public Health for Eye Care and an assistant professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).
In addition to his many roles, he is also committed to quality assurance by serving as the clinical lead for the RCOphth National Ophthalmology Database (NOD) Cataract Audit.
Dr. Buchan maintains an active clinical role as a consultant ophthalmologist at the NHS in Leeds Teaching Hospitals NSH Trust. He is the founding member and former Vice President of the British Emergency Eye Care Society and serves on the Council of the Oxford Ophthalmological Congress.
Being that LSHTM is the only program around the world exclusively focusing on teaching public health eye care, this will be a unique episode for those interested in pursuing eye care equity around the world!
Key discussion points:
What motivated you to specialize in ophthalmology and pursue a career in public health eye care?
Caring for the whole community through public health.
We need everything, both clinicians caring for one patient at a time and public health-oriented physicians to capture the bigger picture!
MSc in public health in eyecare
1-year intensive program set up ~30 years ago.
Epidemiology of blindness
Preventive efforts
International population of students learning at the institute.
Disparities in representation in ophthalmology research
Location of the program in London and how international teaching works
Career outlook after the program
Note that many are already practicing clinicians in their respective countries.
We train everyone in research
15% of students go onto pursuing a PhD
National public health planning
Ministry of health
Clinical role with outreach work
There is still a lot to do if you are coming from a high-income country and want to stay there —> serve a supportive role in research and other aspects to assist in training/education.
Memorable stories
Prof Hannah Faal in Nigeria
Mr. Samuel Coker in Sierra Leone
Responsible for supporting the operations of a hospital in Sierra Leone for the past 30 years that has helped cure preventable blindness for thousands of underserved patients!
Critical global health challenges in low-middle income country settings
Identifying need: If you haven’t done a RAAB in your own country, you can select a country similar to yours.
But even a well-organized country that may appear to have it all together will have disparities in equal distribution of eyecare.
Solution is to focus on countries that don’t have the means to build their eyecare industry (ie. Sierra Leone)
How do we ensure low-income countries don’t get left behind?
Stop aggregating low-middle-income countries.
In what ways advocacy and policy have helped you as a global ophthalmologist?
Those who are not shouting loudly are the ones who need our help the most!
In many settings, “people give up on people we can’t help”.
Not to forget about the people who have lost their vision beyond rehabilitation, particularly in children.
We must empower people to live their full life!
Networks to help link underserved patients with access to care internationally. Advocacy helps obtain funding!
ROP network
Diabetic retinopathy network
Retinoblastoma network
Glaucoma network
The importance of letting a team learn from mistakes in a global health outreach setting.
“Without failure, you can’t have success”.
We need long-term relationships to create sustainability.
Advice for aspiring global ophthalmologists who want to focus on public health.
Global health research during the MSc experience
Advantage of global partners
Long-term relationship that teaches students about partnership with locals and facilitates ethical research practices.
What is your vision for global eye health?
University public health training in many trainings on eye care.
Problem-solving approach to empower people to make a difference in preventable blindness.
Keeping the conversation going!
Episode-based Resources: