Defiance College’s McMaster School, ProMedica partner to deliver retinal camera to Belize

August 15, 2016

Pictured from left to right: Rena Rager, McMaster School administrative assistant; Mary Ann Studer, McMaster School dean; Carla Ayres-Musa, executive director, Belize Council for the Visually Impaired; Joan Musa, executive president, BCVI; and Mark Mitchell, Diabetic Retinopathy Programme manager.

DEFIANCE, Ohio - Once again demonstrating the direct positive impact that can be made in communities around the globe, Defiance College’s McMaster School for Advancing Humanity is working with partners locally and in Belize to increase the frequency and quality of eye care to rural populations in the Central American country.

Earlier this summer, Defiance College representatives delivered a retinal camera apparatus and desk to the Belize Council for the Visually Impaired (BCVI). The equipment was donated by ProMedica.

McMaster School dean Mary Ann Studer led discussions with ProMedica officials and representatives of BCVI to facilitate transfer of the equipment to Belize. Donations were secured from Defiance Lions and Defiance Rotary to cover cost of shipping.

This July, Studer and McMaster School administrative assistant Rena Rager traveled to Belize to deliver the camera and laptop computer to complete the retinal camera set-up. The primary purpose of the equipment will be screening for diabetic retinopathy, which is the third leading cause of blindness in the country.

The BCVI instituted a national screening and treatment project for diabetic retinopathy in 2014 with partial funding by the Lions Club International Foundation. The program is now expanding with support from The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust in the UK.

Donation and delivery of the equipment also provided opportunities for Studer to talk with BCVI representatives about other partnerships. During their annual trip to Belize later this year, Defiance College students who have been accepted as McMaster Scholars will be trained to do vision screenings that they will conduct in schools and communities during their stay.

Studer said students are excited about not only their individual projects that they will be conducting, but also the overall team effort to conduct vision screenings.

"The McMaster School is most effective when it is a clear match of resources and skills with the challenges that communities face," said Studer. "In this case, with training, our team will have acquired the skills to have an impact bigger than we could have imagined. This is such a huge step for us."

The McMaster School initiative allows students the chance to combine personal and classroom knowledge with research to improve the human condition around the world. Teams of students, faculty, and staff have been working with partners in Belize and Cambodia since 2005, and in its newest location, Panama, since 2014.

Between 2002 and June 2016, the McMaster School for Advancing Humanity supported more than 100 faculty and staff Fellows and Associate Fellows and more than 260 student Scholars as they engaged in community-based research with under-resourced populations one family, one village, one school at a time.

Multi-disciplinary learning communities work together for an entire year preparing, traveling, and re-entry processing. This year-long commitment on the part of students, faculty, and staff is unmatched among models of short-term educational travel and results in the fulfillment of strategic learning outcomes and high levels of learning. Any Defiance College student can apply to participate, regardless of their academic major.

The McMaster School for Advancing Humanity was founded in 2002 with a generous endowment from Harold and Helen McMaster. The mission of the McMaster School is to educate students to become committed global citizens, who through their McMaster experiences gain an understanding of the importance of individual liberties in improving the human condition.

Defiance College, chartered in 1850, is an independent, liberal arts institution in Northwest Ohio offering more than 40 undergraduate programs of study as well as graduate programs in education and business. Defiance College has received national recognition for its educational experience of service and engagement. The college website is www.defiance.edu.