The Tenaquip Foundation

Since 2022, grants from the Tenaquip Foundation have funded Orbis's work in Bangladesh and Ghana, as well as here at home in Canada through our international fellowship program in partnership with Cure Blindness Project and the University of British Columbia (UBC). 

With support from the Tenaquip Foundation in 2024, the Orbis Canada Fellowship Program welcomed its second fellow, Dr. Mariam Fadaifard, an ophthalmologist from the Dominican Republic. Dr. Fadaifard spent the year honing her skills under the mentorship of Dr. Matthew Bujak, Cornea Specialist and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at UBC.

Now back home, Dr. Fadaifard is the first and only surgeon in the Dominican Republic able to provide modern lamellar corneal transplants. Not only does she now have the advanced skills needed to treat thousands of patients who would not otherwise have access to treatment, but she can also train countless other ophthalmologists to perform this sight-saving surgery.

As part of her training, Dr. Fadaifard also learned how to manage corneas ahead of transplant, a process that would otherwise require the services of a biobank and cost the country’s healthcare system hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. Now, these funds can be allocated to support other critical healthcare needs.