June 24, 2022
Episode 26: Dr. Sila Bal, MD MPH
A discussion on
“Global wisdom as a young ophthalmologist”
Be the best version of yourself & always stay true to yourself
Dr. Sila Bal, MD MPH
Join us in this heart-to-heart conversation with soon to be graduating PGY4 Ophthalmology resident Dr. Sila Bal, MD MPH (aka @dr.eyebal) at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. Having started her global ophthalmology career incredibly early and serving as a board member of Partners for Andean Community Health (PACH), she has a lot to share regarding sustainable development of both international relations and delivery of care.
Dr. Bal completed her undergraduate from Drexel University with a BS in biology, graduating summa cum laude. She then completed her MD and MPH from the University of Pennsylvania.
Inclusive of the many awards she has earned at such an early stage of her career, some of them include the United States Public Health Service Excellence Award, Best Clinical Trainee Research Award in Cornea and Refractive Surgery, and the Robert Suskind and Leslie Lewinter-Suskind Excellence in Global Health Award. We are very excited to chat with her and learn about her take on global health and how she got started, along with the use of social media (follow her on insta!) to create awareness. If you are a young ophthalmologist, you don't want to miss this wonderful segment!
Key discussion points:
Decision to pursue ophthalmology
Surgical specialty
Instrumental mentors:
Dr. Gil Binenbaum, MD MSCE
Ranna Jaraha: Cofounder YoungMD Connect
Global health experiences
Ethical and quality-of-life impact on patient health
Growing up as a first generation American. Turkish roots
Moving to Turkey briefly for high school
Motivation to pursue MPH
Always having a plan
Original plan was to work in war conflict zones medically
MPH was a better path to decide how to incorporate medicine with global health interests
Knowing what and how the MPH would be instrumental in the future! That is key!
“Probably one of the best years of my life!”
Unmet needs regarding refugee eyecare
Change in administration made it difficult for resettlement agencies to help these communities
Vision health and vision access in refugee populations
Trachoma is the leading beast around the word when we talk about infectious diseases
Unique problems: health literacy, access to specialists, instable housing, issues of access to basic vision access (especially for eyeglasses)
Climate crises is displacing communities
What else would you have wanted to do during your MPH that you were not able to?
More time in the field and working in diverse settings especially in eyecare
Spent summers in Ecuador
Incorporating lessons of global health in treating diverse populations in the clinic as a resident
Need to figure out how to distribute resources more equitably
Look at a person and just try to be there with them. “You feel a real sense of grounding your job”
Countries of interest
Cape Verde: Dr. Roberto Pineda
Why Ecuador during MPH?
PACH
How to create sustainable global connections?
Be mindful of allowing the host country to dictate the needs
People misconstrue global health with medical mission trips. We need to be developing relationships and constant communication. Make a collaborative team!
How does a student pool resources for global initiatives?
First ask medical school for grants and scholarships
Donations for products
Starting social media
Connecting with other doctors during the pandemic
Creating awareness and sharing topics of interest
Try to post things that are actually meaningful!
Navigating medical training as a first-generation ophthalmologist
“Not having the support to help guide you initially is challenging but it doesn’t mean that you can’t develop support in other ways!”
Parting thoughts
“Only thing you need to do is be the best version of yourself and even if you feel like you are not helping anyone, they are helping you.”
“If you stay true to yourself, you will make a meaningful impact”
Episode-based Resources: