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Gaining perspective: Iowa resident returns from Africa excited about mission work

Brittni Scruggs, Kenya Trip, 2018
Brittni Scruggs, Kenya Trip, 2018
Brittni Scruggs, Kenya Trip, 2018

Resident ophthalmologist Brittni Scruggs, MD, PhD, recently returned from a two-week trip to the Tenwek Mission Hospital in Bomet, Kenya where she provided surgical and medical care alongside local eye specialists.

Days were spent either in the operating room or in the eye clinic seeing patients and teaching clinic procedures, including lasers and injections. She performed cataract surgery/phacoemulsification, assisted Kenyan ophthalmologists in manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS), and assisted a visiting retina surgeon with surgeries. She also helped with the retinopathy of prematurity screening in the hospital’s NICU.

While there, Scruggs had an opportunity to teach various procedures and exam techniques to the Kenyan clinic staff, physicians, and students. “I really enjoyed teaching various procedures (e.g., intravitreal injections) and exam techniques (e.g., gonioscopy, indirect ophthalmoscopy, etc.) to the Kenyan clinical officers, physicians, and students. Skill transfer is such a rewarding part of mission work and will help patients get the care they need long-term,” states Scruggs.

University of Iowa ophthalmology residents are given the opportunity to travel for an international training experience during the third year of residency training. These experiences expose residents to different health care systems around the world and help shape practice and career choices. 

Date: 
Wednesday, October 3, 2018