Our mission/vision is to create a global network of equal partners in education, research, and eye care recognizing and sharing the diversity of complementary skills, ingenuity, and resources among them. We aim to contribute to a platform of communication and collaboration where there will be synergy of academic and clinical worldwide talents contributing to research, education, and capacity building with the goal of providing the highest level of equitable and efficient eye care to citizens of all parts of the world and all spectra of society.
International Ophthalmology and Global Eye Health
Dr. Martone, Dr. Kombo, and Alden Mead (Left to Right)
We envision the powers of medicine, science, friendship, and respect, as the servants of our mission.
Yale Institute for Global Health
A university-wide organization addressing global health issues through research, education and engagement with global partners.
Associate Professor of Ophthalmology & Visual Science; Director of International Ophthalmology and Global Eye Health, Ophthalmology; Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
Dr. Martone received his B.A. from Providence College and his M.D. from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he also completed his ophthalmology residency. In addition, he received a master’s degree in public health in epidemiology from The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health. He received fellowship training in glaucoma at Duke University and has also completed fellowships at The Wilmer Eye Institute (Preventive Ophthalmology), Bethesda Eye Institute (International Ophthalmology), and Cullen Eye Institute of Baylor University (International Ophthalmology).Dr. Martone has served on the faculty teaching at The Doheny Eye Institute of the University of Southern California School of Medicine, as well as within the International Eye Foundation, Bethesda, Maryland, and at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, and...
Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health; Program Manager, Section of International Ophthalmology and Global Eye Health, Ophthalmology and Visual Science
Alden is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor as well as the Program Manager for the section of International Ophthalmology and Global Eye Health and has been affiliated with the department for more than fifty years. He was a full-time clinical and basic science researcher and technologist from 1972 to 1999 and has been a member of the part-time faculty since that time. He is an author or coauthor of numerous scientific and clinical articles and papers in peer-reviewed ophthalmology journals, most in the area of glaucoma. Alden has a diverse and comprehensive background in the international and business arenas of ophthalmology. He served as the Director of Technology Resources and Clinical Engineering of ORBIS International, a global nongovernmental organization dedicated to fighting blindness worldwide, working with numerous ophthalmologists, organizations, and...
Associate Professor of Ophthalmology & Visual Science; Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health; Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
Dr. Kombo received her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College and her M.D. from Yale University School of Medicine, where she also completed her ophthalmology residency. She completed fellowship training in Uveitis and Ocular Immunology at The Massachusetts Eye Research and Surgery Institution (MERSI) under the mentorship of Dr. C. Stephen Foster where she was the Chief Clinical Fellow. Dr. Kombo has served on the faculty at the Yale School of Medicine in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences since 2014. She is Director of the Uveitis Service and is a comprehensive ophthalmologist. Dr. Kombo is the Director of Medical Student Education in Ophthalmology. She volunteered in Nassau, Bahamas, at Princess Margaret Hospital for 6 years, providing resident teaching and helping in the care of the underinsured and underserved Bahamian population....
Stacy graduated from Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, CT, with a Bachelor's degree in Sociology: Criminal Justice. Currently, she is pursuing her Master's Degree in Healthcare Administration from Southern New Hampshire University, which she will complete in November 2025. She joined the Department of Ophthalmology in 2022 as the Executive Assistant and soon became the administrator for the section of International Ophthalmology and Global Eye Health. Stacy has a strong interest in Global Eye Health and is excited to work with the team internationally to help prevent and cure blindness worldwide. In her current position, she assists Dr. Lucian Del Priore, the Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Science, along with faculty and administrators on our leadership team. She is the team lead for several senior administrative assistants and surgical schedulers....
Professor of Ophthalmology & Visual Science; Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health; Chief, Yale New Haven Health/Bridgeport Hospital, Yale New Haven Health/Bridgeport Hospital; Vice Chairman of Faculty Affairs, Ophthalmology, Yale School of Medicine
Professor of Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases) and Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging; Director, Advanced Professional MPH Program; Track Director, Applied Analytic Methods and Epidemiology, Executive MPH; Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health; Core Faculty, National Clinician Scholars Program
Wondu Alemayehu, MD, MPH was trained as a general medical practitioner, specialized in Ophthalmology (at Halie Silassie I University and Addis Ababa University), then received MPH and a certificate in Preventive/Community Ophthalmology (at Johns Hopkins University, USA). Wondu Served as faculty member, Assistant and then Associate Prof., in the Department of Ophthalmology, of the Medical Faculty of AAU for over 15 years and participated in teaching, service delivery and research. He conducted research in eye health/trachoma and published, as an author and/or co-author, in reputed peer reviewed medical journals. Subsequently, Wondu worked as a Country Director of Project ORBIS International, Inc.–Ethiopia. In this capacity, he was instrumental in playing a pivotal leadership role in the development of viable eye health program in Ethiopia. This included advocacy for eye health,...
Eduardo Alfonso
Eduardo C. Alfonso, M.D., is director of the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology, and holder of the Kathleen and Stanley J. Glaser Chair at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Physician, surgeon, professor, researcher, and administrator, he is known for his clinical and research expertise in eye diseases, corneal surgery, ocular microbiology, and administrative skills in healthcare. Born in Cuba, Dr. Alfonso grew up in Puerto Rico. He received a bachelor degree (Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa) and medical degree from Yale University. He completed his residency in ophthalmology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. This was followed by fellowships in clinical and surgical cornea at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, in ophthalmic pathology at the David G. Cogan Eye Pathology Laboratory, and research at the Howe Laboratory, all of Harvard...
Elena Barraquer
Specialized in clinical ophthalmology of the anterior segment of the eye, Elena Barraquer is internationally renowned in the field of cataract surgery and the evolution of its treatment. Thus, since she graduated in 1977 in Medicine and Surgery at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Elena Barraquer has focused on the development of ophthalmology, especially in the care and treatment of patients. Elena Barraquer developed her professional career in the United States and Italy. What was presented to her in 1977 as an opportunity to learn research in Maryland ended up becoming a stay of more than 11 years of training. After two years working at the National Institute of Health, and two other doing pathological anatomy at the Wilmer Eye Institute (Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions), she earned her medical degree and majored in ophthalmology at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear...
Robert R. Young Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science; Chair, Ophthalmology; Chief of Ophthalmology, Yale New Haven Hospital
Lucian V. Del Priore, MD, PhD specializes in the surgical and medical treatment of retinal disease, including age-related macular degeneration, retinal detachment, diabetic retinopathy, macular holes, epiretinal membranes, and ocular trauma. He received his BS in Physics from the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, an MD with Distinction in Research from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and an MS and PhD in Physics from Cornell University. He completed a residency in Ophthalmology and fellowships in Vitreoretinal Surgery and Glaucoma at the Wilmer Eye Institute of the Johns Hopkins Hospital. He has served on the faculty of Washington University School of Medicine and Columbia University, where he rose to the ranks of Professor and Robert L. Burch III Scholar in the Department of Ophthalmology and was a member of the Stem Cell...
Dr. Dragomir Dragonov is a well-known, highly respected international ophthalmologist and glaucoma specialist whose home is in Varna, Bulgaria. Prior to becoming an ophthalmologist, he was a general practitioner in both civilian and Bulgarian military life (1976). He graduated from the Medical University of Varna, where he received his doctorate in medicine. Following his time in the military, he completed a residency in ophthalmology at the Medical University of Varna, Medical Academy in Sofia, Bulgaria. He completed a Glaucoma Fellowship at the Cincinnati Eye Institute in the United States. In Bulgaria, he has served as the Head of the Glaucoma Department at the Specialized Eye Hospital in Varna. He has also served as Director and Deputy Director of that eye hospital. He is currently a consulting ophthalmologist at a number of medical clinics in Varna. Dr. Dragonov was well-loved as a...
Peter Liggett
Dr. Peter E. Liggett is a nationally renowned macula and retina specialist who has received numerous grants and awards and has written more than 75 articles and chapters in peer-reviewed literature. He has written four major textbooks on diseases of the macula and retina. He is an examiner for the American Board of Ophthalmology. He was the founder and president of New England Retina Associates until August of 2013. Dr. Liggett is a nationally renowned educator who has been a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at both Yale School of Medicine and the Cornell Weill College of Medicine in New York. He taught at Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University and the Doheny Eye Institute at the University of Southern California. Dr. Liggett was a principal investigator on the National Institute of Health Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study. Dr. Liggett received his medical degree from...
Eugenio Maul
Eugenio J Maul, M.D. is a renowned specialist in the surgical and medical treatment of glaucoma, as well as an expert in Public Health, particularly in countries in South America. He was the Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology of the Medical School of Pontifica Universidad Catolica de Chile from 1986 to 2011. Dr. Maul received his medical degree from Pontifica Universidad Catolica de Chile (PUC) and completed his residency in ophthalmology and a Fellowship in Glaucoma at PUC as well. He completed a Glaucoma Research Fellowship in the laboratory of Marvin Sears at Yale University. He has also been a fellow in Public Health at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and participated in Research Methodology in Public Health and Clinical Ophthalmology in New Delhi, India, with the National Eye Institute. Dr. Maul is Past President of the Chilean Society of Ophthalmology, the Founder and...
Mildred Olivier
Nationally renowned Ophthalmologist and Healthcare Equity Advocate Dr. Mildred MG Olivier is Associate Dean of the School of Medicine at Ponce University, leading PHSU St. Louis’s new four-year Doctor of Medicine program at the St. Louis campus. She has spent many years advocating for health equity and better access to healthcare education and truly understands PHSU’s mission for our students. When she accepted her most recent position, she stated:“Students of color and low-income students are largely underrepresented in health care, which in turn perpetuates healthcare disparities and distrust in medical professionals,” said Dr. Mildred Olivier. “PHSU is using data, cutting edge technology, and a singular focus on equity to redefine the way we recruit, train, and deploy healthcare workers here in the U.S. I could not be more honored to be joining this community and look forward to the...
Gullapalli N. Rao
Dr. Gullapalli Nageswara Rao (Nag) completed his residency training in ophthalmology in India and then went to the United States where he did his fellowships at the Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, and later at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, where he continued as the clinical faculty until his return to India in 1986. Dr. Rao is the Founder-Chair of L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI). Established in 1987, LVPEI has positively impacted the lives of 30.64 million people and has been providing equitable and quality eye care to all sections of society with the vision ‘So that all may see’. The LVPEI Eye Health Pyramid with its four-tier eye care delivery system – primary, secondary, tertiary and advanced care – focusing on ‘people-centred eye care’ is the brainchild of Dr Rao. A World Health Organization Collaborating Centre (WHO) for Prevention of Blindness, LVPEI provides...
Alfredo Sadun
Alfredo A. Sadun, M.D., PhD. holds the Flora L. Thornton Endowed Chair and is Chief at Doheny and Vice-Chair of Ophthalmology at UCLA. Dr. Sadun graduated from MIT (1972). He received his Ph.D. and M.D. at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1976 and 1978. He completed a residency in Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School and, after a fellowship in Neuro-Ophthalmology, joined the full-time faculty at Harvard, Department of Ophthalmology in 1983. In 2014, he helped lead Doheny in its transition to UCLA. Dr. Sadun actively pursues and has received the greatest distinction in all three classical academic missions. His research in vision was honored by the lifetime achievement award given by Lighthouse International, the 1999 Pisart Award. His contributions to residency teaching in ophthalmology were honored by the AAO and AUPO highest award for education, the 2002...
Victoria Sheffield
Member, Board of Directors, VISION2020/USA, 2020-2024Founding Vice Chair, Advisory Board of the International Pediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus Council, 2013-2024Consultant, AAO Global Education & Outreach Committee, 2013-present, prior iterations of committee from 1996Member, National Eye Institute’s Ad Hoc Committee to develop the International Consortium for Research in Eye Health, 2022-2024Life Member, The St. John Ophthalmic AssociationVice President, International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, 2015-2021President & CEO, International Eye Foundation, 1990-2020 Victoria Sheffield has over 50 years’ experience in ophthalmology and international blindness prevention. She was certified as an Ophthalmic Medical Technologist after graduating from the 2-year training program at the Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, DC 1975-1977. A...
M. Roy Wilson
Dr. M. Roy Wilson, is a scholar and academic leader, driving innovation in medicine and research. He is currently President Emeritus of Wayne State University, where he became the 12th president in August of 2013 and served in that position for ten years. Prior to joining Wayne State, President Wilson served as deputy director for strategic scientific planning and program coordination at the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health. Previously, he was dean of the School of Medicine and vice president for health sciences at Creighton University, president of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, and concurrently, chancellor of the University of Colorado Denver and chair of the Board of Directors of University of Colorado Hospital. President Wilson also chaired the Board of Directors of the Charles R. Drew University of...
International Toolkit
The Toolkit is a source for Yale University faculty, students, post-docs and staff conducting international activities, whether abroad or on campus.