莫兰最早的居民之一, 简Durcan, MD, eventually returned as a faculty member specializing in 青光眼—a position she calls a "dream job." She later moved into private practice in Spokane, 华盛顿. Durcan has since retired, but her devotion to Moran’s 外展 work continues.
What led you to choose the 莫兰眼科中心 for your residency?
1981年秋天，我参加了实习医生面试. 当时还没有莫兰眼科中心. 有, 然而, a very new ophthalmology department housed in the old Emergency Room in the main hospital building. 它只有六名教员. What impressed me most about the department at the time, 这在今天依然适用, 是教员们的热情吗. 他们显然对这个系很感兴趣, 它要去哪里？, 最重要的是, 热爱教学. I remember the end of the interview day waiting to meet with Dr. 兰迪奥尔森. 他在手术室被耽搁了, and I sat there trying to decide whether to stay for the interview or catch my plane. 那是我错过的最好的航班. 他对这个项目的兴奋是有感染力的. I came away convinced that this was a place I could be happy training and developing the expertise I would need to practice ophthalmology.
How did your residency at Moran influence your career in ophthalmology?
这就是一切. 我爱我的实习医生生涯. Every day was an adventure of learning about ophthalmology and becoming more proficient in the clinical and 外科手术 skills needed as an ophthalmologist. It was a small group of residents and faculty, and we had a lot of fun together. 老师们都很棒, 如我所愿, 大发娱乐是敬业的老师, intent on making sure that we were more than competent by the time we finished. I doubt that many programs at the time gave their residents anywhere close to the 外科手术 experience that we had. It is really important to finish a residency having confidence that you can handle just about anything that comes your way. 眼科学需要终生学习, and I certainly gained much more experience over the years, but my residency gave me the strongest possible base to grow from.
你进入专业了吗? 如果有，是什么让你选择这个专业的?
我深受我的导师. 艾伦年代. 克兰德尔. 我还记得我和他在诊所的第一天. 我走过去做自我介绍, 他说, “我当然知道你是谁, 现在过来看看这个. 你觉得这个病人的晶状体怎么样?"
那是我第一次接触假去角质, 青光眼, 还有透过裂隙灯看东西的喜悦, 发现问题, 并学习如何治疗它. He really made every day an adventure in learning. What I liked about 青光眼 was that there were many modalities of treatment, 医疗, 外科手术, 和激光, and that one could work with patients of all ages and genders. I also loved that I could get to know my patients as they came back regularly for follow-up. This all led to a six-month 青光眼 fellowship with Alan and a six-month fellowship at the University of Iowa in neuro-ophthalmology. I then did another year of 青光眼 training with Mike Van Buskirk in Portland, 俄勒冈州, and spent some time at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London with a pediatric 青光眼 specialist.
你在哪里做眼科医生?
在我的培训结束后, I was honored to be invited back to join the faculty at the University of Utah. 那是一份梦寐以求的工作. Alan and I had the joy of training numerous fellows together and many residents. It was with great sadness I left the department in 2001 when my husband's job relocated us to Spokane, 华盛顿. I joined the Spokane Eye Clinic, a wonderful private practice group. It was much like being at Moran, but without the same level of teaching opportunities.
What sparked your interest in Moran's global 外展 work?
I was interested in 外展 medicine from my childhood. My mother was born in Malawi and grew up in South Africa, and I remember reading books growing up about the flying doctors who cared for patients in remote areas of Africa. As soon as my second child went off to college, I started talking to Dr. 关于参与外展活动. My first trip was to Guatemala in 2014, and it truly was life-altering. I was overwhelmed by this population's needs and the incredible challenge of working in difficult conditions on some of the most severe cases I have ever encountered.
How many 外展 trips have you joined with the Moran team, and where were they?
I have made trips to Guatemala and Tanzania with the Moran 外展 team. I have also been working for the last several years with Dr. Susan MacDonald at Eye Corps and have been to Tanzania several times with that group, 其中包括许多莫兰团队成员. 新冠肺炎疫情减少了近期前往坦桑尼亚的行程, but we continue to work with doctors and residents there with online training and support.
What are some of your most memorable 外展 experiences?
Some of the cases that stick with me the most were those that we were not able to help—those with normally treatable conditions that simply weren't brought to care until it was too late. One case I will never forget was a young child with a large orbital tumor that led to proptosis, 角膜暴露, 和穿孔.
无论是在危地马拉还是坦桑尼亚, seeing a stooped elderly patient holding on to a stick or an arm as they are led by a younger family member into the clinic is something you never forget. 另一方面, I don't really think anything compares to seeing the smile on the face of that same patient the next day when the eyepatch comes off after cataract surgery. It is amazing to know that you have had a small part in helping someone see again and regain some independence.