Cocktails for Orbis Canada

Shunmugam, who graduated from medical school at the University of British Columbia in May, has spent the last seven months working with Orbis Canada Board Chair, Dr. Simon Holland, in Holland’s clinic. Holland, one of Orbis’s most prolific volunteer faculty members, has participated in more than 100 projects for the organization. His dedication to global eye health has been an inspiration for Shunmugam.

Hoping to specialize in ophthalmology, Shunmugam joined the Orbis Future Vision Leaders in 2020 as a way to learn more about global eye health.

His family’s history played a significant role in his desire to help those facing similar struggles and to have a global health component to his career.

Inspired by Orbis’s international work and looking for a way to engage the Orbis Future Vision Leaders community at his school, Shunmugam hit on the idea to host a cocktail party fundraiser.

“I believe the goal of the Orbis Future Vision Leaders goes beyond creating a community of engaged and inspired students. To me, it's about creating a community that supports one another, and also builds awareness of this profound need for global surgical care and ophthalmic medicine. Lastly, it's about having fun,” he explains.

Hosting a party, especially after so many years of virtual events, seemed like a fantastic way to bring those goals together.

The event was well-attended, raising more than $3,000 for Orbis. “We had tons of young ophthalmology residents and fellows that came to the party from across the world. We had members from Australia, Singapore, Nepal, Canada, and also the Canary Islands,” says Shunmugam.

Many of the local medical students, Orbis Future Vision Leaders volunteers and even some family doctors from the community were present to support a great cause and foster friendships. Shunmugam notes that Dr. Holland, as well as Dr. Sharon Kipfer, Derek Chan and Charles Li also played a big part in planning and executing the fundraiser – it was very much a team effort.

Funds raised will help support an Orbis program that brings much-needed eye care to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, a project that feels very important to Shunmugam. “This is a group of people who have experienced extreme trauma and are quite marginalized beyond their physical ailments, whether it be cataracts or other debilitating medical conditions. This is an opportunity for Orbis, and for medical students invested in eye care, to help people who really need it.”