Eye group begins fellowship scheme
By Douglas Shepherd
Mr Fadi Alfaqawi
A consultant ophthalmic surgeon has been appointed by eye health care group Optegra as its first Fellow under what it sees as a ground-breaking initiative to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Mr Fadi Alfaqawi, aged 37, is based at the company’s eye hospitals in Birmingham and Bradford, where he splits his hours equally in a full-time salaried post to perform NHS cataract surgery and vision correction procedures.
Involvement in the group’s Cataract and Refractive Surgery Fellowship Programme, overseen by medical director Mr Amir Hamid, extends to a 12-month research project with Optegra Eye Sciences.
His mentor, consultant ophthalmic surgeon Mr Shafiq Rehman, said: ‘We are excited to launch this new fellowship scheme as a means to attract new talent to Optegra and share our expertise with surgeons eager to expand their knowledge and gain valuable surgical experience.
‘Optegra’s comprehensive range of treatments allows us to offer extensive learning opportunities and support talented junior consultants on their career path.’
The company told Independent Practitioner Today it aims to build up to three fellows annually across the group and will publicise the opportunities for applications as they arise.
Mr Alfaqawi began his ophthalmology training in Birmingham in 2015 and completed it in Liverpool. He has been recognised with a NEOS (North of England Ophthalmological Society) oral presentation award and is a Fellow of the European Board of Ophthalmology.
He obtained the Certificate of Laser and Refractive Surgery (CertLRS) designation and went to Miguel Hernández University, in Elche, near Alicante, Spain, to complete an extensive refractive, cornea and lens surgery course.
Mr Alfaqawi said: ‘I am very pleased to pursue both cataract and vision correction paths as part of the Optegra Fellowship. I also value the importance of simulation and enjoy supporting junior doctors and optometrists in developing their skills.
‘I look forward to continuing to be involved in providing that training while I myself learn from more senior colleagues.
‘Working with Optegra is an honour, bearing in mind their clinical outcomes which are second to none, the thorough clinical pathways, the specialist clinical colleagues and latest technologies.’
He sees the opportunity as uncharted territory that offers great possibilities for shaping his own future. Talking of his experience so far, he said: ‘The fellowship has exceeded all my expectations. I felt settled very quickly – people genuinely listen and give constructive feedback instantly, which is amazing.’