What was the initiative?

Siobhan (‘Chevy’) completed her Fellowship in Kigali, Rwanda partnering with the Rwanda International Institute of Ophthalmology and the Rwanda Diabetes Association to reduce preventable blindness through the development of community-designed educational tools, and expansion of rural screening. Chevy worked with community partners to shift the narrative from a purely curative approach by focusing on preventative eye health initiatives and by removing barriers and increasing accessibility for folks with visual impairments.

What was the community connection?

Chevy’s connection to her Fellowship community began at 14-years old, when she had the opportunity to shadow one of the first female ophthalmologists from East Africa at a hospital in Nakuru, Kenya. Following this experience, Chevy went on to study in Kenya and Tanzania in 2014, and eventually returned to intern under Dr. Wanjiku Mathenge (the same ophthalmologist that she shadowed at 14) in Kigali, Rwanda.

How was it innovative?

Chevy’s Pathy project grew to encompass the design and implementation of mHealth solutions to prevent diabetic retinopathy, the co-creation of the first registry of Type 2 Diabetics in the region, the scaling of a sight saving program, and the launch of multiple healthcare resources and communications strategies. With the explicit goal of preserving eyesight and positively shifting health outcomes in Rwanda, Chevy and her partners worked throughout the Fellowship year to connect people to resources and information, foster a culture of early prevention of vision loss, create and implement robust health-tracking systems, establish and formalize network partnerships, and ameliorate doctor and patient experiences in the existing health environment.

What is Siobhan doing now?

Immediately following the Fellowship, Chevy began an internship with Grand Challenges Canada. Following this internship, she held the position of Senior Field Manager at Digmati, an award-winning, socially conscious technology company that develops scalable ICT solutions for low-resource settings. She also volunteered as a mentor at the Canadian Society for International Health alongside acting as a Social Entrepreneurship Advisor with the Tubahumurize Association. In 2019, Chevy received the Knox Fellowship, and began graduate studies at the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health. As of March 2022, Chevy continues to work as a Manager at Gates Ventures (Bill Gates Executive Offices).