ORBIS International's Flying Eye Hospital Returns ...( U.S. Based International NGO Prep...),Health

U.S. Based International NGO Prepares for Two-Week Eye Health Program in Mandalay

NEW YORK, Feb. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- By invitation from the Myanmar Ministry of Health and the Mandalay Eye and ENT Hospital, ORBIS International, a nonprofit global development organization dedicated to saving sight worldwide, returns to Myanmar to conduct its ninth Flying Eye Hospital program there. The program will be held in Mandalay from February 25 to March 7, 2008.

Working together with the Burmese ophthalmic community, ORBIS activities will augment efforts already underway to fight avoidable blindness by providing training for ophthalmologists, anesthetists, nurses and biomedical technicians. ORBIS will also work with policymakers to educate the public on eye health and blindness prevention.

"There is a real thirst for medical knowledge in Myanmar, especially from the West. Since 1991 ORBIS has provided rare opportunities for the ophthalmic community to participate in international skills-exchange programs," said Dr. Hunter Cherwek, Flying Eye Hospital medical director. "Our motivation for returning and conducting this program is the great impact achieved over the last 17 years."

Eye experts from North America will share their skills and knowledge with more than 60 eye health care professionals in Myanmar during the two-week program, which will be comprised of approximately 70 eye and laser surgeries, lectures, hands-on and simulator training, live surgical demonstrations, and wet-lab sessions. Joining ORBIS from the United States will be volunteer faculty members:

-- Dr. Sai Gandham, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY

-- Dr. Mark Cepela, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH

-- Dr. Arshad Bil Ragan, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

-- Dr. Roberto Pineda, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

-- Dr. Charlene Hsu-Winges, University of California, San Francisco, CA

-- Dr. Hardeep Dh
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