{"id":8770,"date":"2023-12-20T10:12:40","date_gmt":"2023-12-20T15:12:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/ophth\/?page_id=8770"},"modified":"2026-03-17T12:44:51","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T16:44:51","slug":"global-health","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/ophth\/global-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

UNC Global Ophthalmology inspires next-generation ophthalmologists (residents) and future physicians (medical students) to make meaningful contributions to ocular health and patient outcomes in underserved populations. To this end, our global health program hosts opportunities for learners to observe practices that improve access to medical and surgical management of ocular conditions and disease globally and domestically in reaching under-served North Carolinians.<\/p>\n

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ACROSS THE GLOBE<\/strong><\/h4>\n

UNC Global Ophthalmology encourages second-year (PGY3)<\/strong> and third-year (PGY4) ophthalmology residents<\/strong> to learn global citizenship on cultural exchange via pursuing an international rotation.\u00a0 A primary training goal for residents taking this elective is to help treat comprehensive and complex ocular conditions in a clinical setting within a highly under-resourced region worldwide. In one- or two-week international rotations, residents are immersed in intensive clinical care supervised by an accompanying faculty mentor from UNC or another academic medical center.\u00a0 Upper-level residents who have participated in immersive learning opportunities on our global health rotation have traveled to a wide range of countries, including India, Peru, China, Thailand, Dominican Republic, <\/strong>Belize<\/strong> and Ghana<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

UNC Ophthalmology’s long-standing collaborative partnership\u00a0with Tema Christian Eye Center (Tema, Ghana)<\/strong> enables our learners to gain high-volume, comprehensive eye care experience in an under-resourced clinic, as well as to acquire complex surgical skills an established environment for our UNC Eye-affiliated ophthalmologists to mentor our learners.\u00a0 Our faculty\/learner contributions to Tema Christian Eye Center <\/strong>patient care during short-term medical missions are reinforced by working alongside well-trained, visiting eye specialists from the U.S., UK, and other developed countries. Tema Christian Eye Center<\/strong> also serves as a hub for collaborative research opportunities in Ghana to study the epidemiology and impact of blindness, visual impairment, and glaucoma in West Africa.<\/p>\n

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Click PHOTO<\/strong> to watch AAO 2025 interview with Dr. Don Budenz.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At AAO 2025, UNC Ophthalmology Chair Dr. Don Budenz gave the Robert N. Shaffer Lecture, entitling his talk: \u201cGlaucoma at the Center of the Earth.\u201d In this lecture, Dr. Budenz overviewed his 30-year history of providing education and glaucoma and cataract services in Ghana.<\/p>\n

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COMMUNITY HEALTH IS GLOBAL HEALTH<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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UNC Global Ophthalmology recognizes that every individual\u2019s right to obtain high-quality ocular care isn\u2019t restricted to the most health-stricken areas worldwide. Our program takes a \u201cLocal to Global<\/strong>\u201d approach in closing health equity gaps across North Carolina that reflect our mission in expanding access to medical care worldwide.\u00a0 To address global health needs that exist stateside, UNC Ophthalmology provides uncompensated ophthalmologic services at a student-run clinic facilitated by the UNC School of Medicine (SOM).<\/p>\n

At the UNC SOM-run Student Health Action Coalition-Ophthalmology Clinic<\/a><\/strong> (SHAC-Ophtho), rotating UNC Ophthalmology residents provide free basic ophthalmologic screenings to uninsured North Carolinians who have unmet needs for quality eye care.\u00a0Our residents additionally teach UNC SOM students volunteering at SHAC-Ophtho how to take an ophthalmic history and perform a complete eye exam.<\/p>\n

Higher visual acuity needs identified through SHAC-Ophtho screenings contribute to the high level of uncompensated care referrals to UNC Kittner Eye Center and UNC Ophthalmology\u2019s clinical services at UNC Hospitals Hillsborough campus. UNC Ophthalmology\u2019s community-based referral partnership with Piedmont Health additionally reaches uninsured North Carolinians who rely upon the State of North Carolina flagship hospital for higher visual acuity care.<\/p>\n

Our department\u2019s coverage of diabetic eye exams, cataract, glaucoma and vitreoretinal evaluations, and other corrective ocular care is above the rates of uncompensated care across UNC SOM departments, as well as ophthalmology departments nationwide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UNC Global Ophthalmology inspires next-generation ophthalmologists (residents) and future physicians (medical students) to make meaningful contributions to ocular health and patient outcomes in underserved populations. 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