Vadrevu (VK) Raju, an Indian-American doctor, has been inducted into the Global Medical Missions Hall of Fame in recognition of his efforts to eliminate avoidable blindness in parts of the world hit by poverty and poor access to medical care.
Founder and medical director of the Eye Foundation of America, Raju was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences earlier this month along with the Galilee Medical Center, and Donald C Mullen.
He renders state-of-the-art services through mobile eye camps and permanent brick-and-mortar hospitals through the foundation. These camps and institutes have facilitated more than 600 physician exchanges, trained more than 200 ophthalmologists, served two million patients, and performed 3,00,000 vision-saving surgeries in 21 countries.
In a statement issued by the foundation, Raju said, in children the gift of sight results in 75 years of a full and productive life. “No child will be denied treatment, and children from around the world can come to receive world-class services. If blindness is preventable, then let us do it in a big way.”
Dr Vadrevu Raju prides himself in his innovational and outstanding dedication to patient care. Receiving his medical degree from Andhra University in India, he then travelled to the University of London to complete an ophthalmology residency and fellowship. In the US, Dr Raju completed an anterior segment surgery fellowship at Louisiana State University. Dr Raju’s extensive accomplishments continue as he is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and of the American College of Surgeons.