Unite For Sight From The Perspective of an MPH Student
by Jenny Schmitzer, MPH Student, Yale University School of Public Health
I first traveled to Africa when I was seventeen years old. Given the unique opportunity to teach at a primary school in a Kenyan Masai village, I eagerly raised funds with three classmates. Although our trip was just two weeks long, I left with a newly tapped interest in developing countries. I have since made three subsequent trips to Africa and have focused my interests on the public health of developing countries and that of our own country. After completing my Bachelors of Science (BS) in Public and Community Health at the University of Maryland, College Park, I decided on a Masters in Public Health (MPH). I am currently pursuing an MPH at the Yale School of Public Health; my studies are concentrated in health management.
While a junior in college, I came across the Unite for Sight (UFS) website while researching international volunteering opportunities. Applying to UFS was a simple choice as the program complemented my studies in the public health field; the organization offers education and training, fundraising techniques, collaboration with healthcare professionals abroad and the support of a reputable non-profit organization with 6,500 fellows trained to date. I was accepted to the Ghana program and resided at Our Lady of Grace Hospital with three American peers during June 2007.
Each day our outreach team, consisting of two American volunteers, two Ghanaian ophthalmic nurses and one Ghanaian aide, departed for a village early in the morning. As most of the villages we visited were within the Central Region, our drive was typically two hours. Upon arrival we were greeted by groups of villagers, ranging in number from a few dozen to a few hundred, patiently waiting for a chance to consult our team. As our aide registered patients, we set up our post for the day. My teammate and I offered vision screening tests which provided the nurses in the subsequent stations a preliminary figure to reference while diagnosing the patient. Most patients concluded their visit with filling a prescription for a drug or for glasses. Patients with cataracts or operable conditions were brought to Ghanaian ophthalmologist Dr. Baah who directed the outreach program.
Volunteering with UFS was beneficial to my education and my impending career. Not only did it help solidify my interest in the public health field, but it also broadened my perspective about global health; this, in turn, also strengthened my understanding of the American healthcare system. I gained knowledge about optometry and ophthalmology, further developed my fundraising skills and became connected to a strong network of healthcare professionals based both in the US and abroad.
I would recommend the Unite For Sight program to students and professionals alike who are interested in high quality eye care and the health systems of developing countries. Unite For Sight welcomes those without prior experience in the healthcare field. A broad range of disciplines are relevant in achieving our goals, and those without such experience are encouraged to apply. Unite For Sight not only impacts the lives of underserved populations abroad. It also develops its volunteers into experienced leaders who are capable of contributing to global solutions to current healthcare system inadequacies around the world.