28 Women Optometrists Complete Orbis Leadership Programme Focused on Community Eye Health

Third OCI SPARK cohort takes total participation to 79 women, with projects addressing underserved communities, workplace eye care, spectacle use and advocacy

Twenty eight women optometrists have completed the third cohort of the OCI SPARK Women Leadership Program, an initiative focused on developing leadership skills and applying clinical expertise to wider community eye health priorities.
The programme is part of Orbis International’s Women Leaders in Eye Health initiative and was delivered in partnership with the Elite School of Optometry, a unit of Medical Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya, and the Optometry Confederation of India.
The Kolkata event marked the completion of the third cohort, with participants presenting their action projects and receiving certificates.
Kathleen Sherwin, President & CEO, Orbis International, joined the event virtually for a panel discussion focused on increasing the contribution of women professionals to community eye health. She also participated virtually in the subsequent graduation ceremony.

Across three cohorts, the OCI SPARK Women Leadership Program has worked with 79 women optometrists.
The programme is designed to help participants develop skills that can be applied beyond clinical practice, including community engagement, professional collaboration and advocacy.
Training covered self leadership, emotional intelligence, communication, team building and collaborative leadership.
Participants subsequently applied their learning through projects addressing practical eye health priorities.
These projects included outreach to underserved communities and workplaces, integrating eye health with women’s health platforms, improving spectacle use and addressing occupational eye health.

Other areas included digital awareness and evidence building to support advocacy.
The programme also addressed the wider issue of women’s representation in healthcare leadership. Information cited in the release from the World Health Organization states that women account for 67% of the global health and social care workforce, while leadership positions continue to be disproportionately held by men.
“Women are already delivering care across health systems. The opportunity is to ensure they have the support, networks and opportunities to lead, influence policy, strengthen community partnerships and mentor others,” Kathleen Sherwin said.

“Through initiatives like Women Leaders in Eye Health, we want to help create stronger pathways for women to shape not only how eye care is delivered, but also how the future of eye health is led,” she added.
Dr. Rishi Raj Borah, Country Director, Orbis India, said community eye health requires professionals to work beyond the delivery of clinical services alone.
“Community eye health depends on more than clinical services. It requires professionals who understand the realities of the communities they serve and can work across healthcare networks to improve awareness, access and follow up,” Dr. Borah said.

“By developing women optometrists as leaders, we are strengthening a cadre of professionals who can contribute not only through clinical care but also through community engagement, collaboration and advocacy,” he added.
The initiative also aims to establish an active alumni network through which participants can continue exchanging knowledge and developing professional collaborations after completing the programme.
Through the Women Leaders in Eye Health initiative, Orbis is seeking to expand the role women optometrists can play in community engagement, advocacy and the wider eye health sector.

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