#118 - Smart Tech Meets a Smart Dr’s Passion to Solve Blindness with Andrew Bastawrous – Co-Founder & CEO
#1 in our new Innovation and Entrepreneurship Series, Andrew is an Ophthalmologist (Eye Surgeon) and Associate Professor in International Eye Health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. He has worked and researched in over twenty countries, including two years living in Kenya, where he led a significant eye disease study and the development and testing of Peek.
In this episode, Andrew reveals his own story and how he found out about his poor vision. When Andrew got glasses, his life completely changed.
Working Together to Solve Blindness with Andrew Bastawrous – Co-Founder & CEO
Andrew is an Ophthalmologist (Eye Surgeon) and Associate Professor in International Eye Health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. He has worked and researched in over twenty countries, including two years living in Kenya, where he led a significant eye disease study and the development and testing of Peek. Andrew has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles, is a TED Fellow, Ashoka Fellow, Rolex Laureate, UBS Global Visionary, and World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.
In this episode, Andrew reveals his own story and how he found out about his poor vision. When Andrew got glasses, his life completely changed. Eventually, Andrew decided to commit his life to solve the injustice of blindness around the world. Many unfortunate people are blind with completely treatable conditions. People do not have the resources for surgeries or even glasses. No one should go blind or not be able to see properly. After becoming a doctor, Andrew moved to Kenya and led a significant eye disease study. Now, Andrew spends a lot of time with numbers and how he can improve things. However, it’s critical not to lose sight of the individual. Up to one-third of the planet does not see as well as they should because they do not have glasses.
Then, Andrew dives deep into his work with Peek Vision. Peek Vision powers eye health organisations with a proven suite of solutions to expedite delivery of care. The result is that more people can get the treatment they need. They utilize smartphone apps and other software to amplify partnerships and ensure no one is left behind. Peek Vision finds out what happens to children after they get eye treatments. Half of the children who were given glasses stopped wearing them after three months. Peek Vision built an impact pipeline to find out what happens after eye services. It’s easy to build your worldview on what you can see, but Andrew always wanted to know who he couldn’t see. Certain groups were disproportionately impacted, if you don’t see that, you can’t respond to it.
Stay tuned as Andrew speaks about how Peek Vision decides where to serve. Plus Andrew says what people can do:
Work for Peek Vision - they are looking to expand their product team and recruit new members.
If anyone has spare money, send it to Peek Vision.
Enjoy the show!
We speak about:
[00:25] About Andrew Bastawrous
[07:55] What experiences did you have in Kenya?
[12:10] How did your move to Kenya happen?
[14:30] What conditions affect sight?
[17:30] How long was the journey to launch Peek Vision?
[25:00] How have you liked jumping into all these different roles?
[27:30] What are the components of Peek Vision?
[31:50] How much infrastructure is on the cloud?
[33:40] How do you decide where to serve?
[36:25] How can the audience get involved?
Resources:
Andrew’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-bastawrous-62774243/
Peek Vision: https://www.peekvision.org/
Quotes:
“It’s easy to get lost in statistics.”
“It’s hard to deal with complex problems when you haven’t dealt with the simple ones.”
“I need something bigger than myself to contribute to.”
“What’s the best thing for the most people that you can do?”
"Those [connections, relationships, the number of times you need to go back and the way the stories need to be spread in that community] are really hard to show in data."
"If you don't start directing your resources towards the most vulnerable [group], you'll never make the kind of impact you're aiming for."
"Data drives decision making and you can't unsee what you've seen, so a lot of our job is to see the reality"
We are now on Youtube! Watch the episode here: https://youtu.be/6ZxBlYQ0wRI?t=2
And as always, we appreciate your Reviews, Follows, Likes, Shares and Ratings. Thank you so much for listening. Enjoy the show!