On June 6th, Dr. Matt Oliva was awarded the 2014 University of Washington School of Medicine Alumni Humanitarian award.
Watch a video that played at the ceremony:
As a medical student, Dr. Matt Oliva did a rotation in Nepal. There, he saw an international team perform 300 cataract surgeries in four days. “It was the genesis moment for me,” says Dr. Oliva. After settling into practice at Medical Eye Center, Dr. Oliva began volunteering with the Himalayan Cataract Project (HCP), which collaborates with local doctors in the developing world to improve eye care. Working in temporary clinics in remote areas, highly efficient physician-nurse teams provide cataract surgery and restore sight to those in need.
Dr. Oliva has been an HCP board member since 2007. In May, he spoke at the America-Nepal Medical Foundation’s (ANMF) 2014 conference in Portland. Highlighting the Himalayan Cataract Project’s work in Nepal, Dr. Oliva discussed outreach efforts, training, and innovative solutions that help realize HCP co-founder Dr. Sanduk Ruit’s dream to provide stare-of-the-art eye care to the world’s poorest people.
Watch a video about HCP’s work in Ethiopia.
Congratulations, Dr. Oliva!