It is our esteemed pleasure to host Dr. Ciku Mathenge, MD PhD, an eyecare leader in Africa (specifically Rwanda) who has earned adulation and respect among her patients and the global ophthalmology community for her clinical care as well as research. Dr. Mathenge originally spent many years as an ophthalmologist in Nakuru Eye Unit at Rift Valley Provincial Hospital in Kenya where she transformed care. She served as the Regional Medical Advisor for the Fred Hollows Foundation (FHF) and started programs in Kenya, Rwanda, and Burundi. She was awarded the first Sir John Wilson Fellowship by the British Council for Prevention of Blindness and received her PhD from the acclaimed London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine where she conducted research in glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and ARMD in Africa. She has over 30 scientific papers in peer reviewed journals. Currently, Dr. Mathenge has been working diligently on developing the Rwanda International Institute of Ophthalmology (RIIO), a center that aims to become the top center for training and research for all eyecare specialists in the region. Among the many committees Dr. Mathenge has served on, some of them include the ICO advisory committee as well as the ICO Diabetic Retinopathy Task Force. 

We have much to learn from this episode as Dr. Mathenge narrates her journey and shares the incredible path that is forged with hard work, integrity, and a pursuit to make her residence a place of progress and ingenuity!