Kristin Taylor’s Post

This #InternationalWomensDay, giving special thanks 🙏 for the women who have been my mentors, friends, and champions over the years, helping me along my path with their caring guidance and teaching me the importance of celebrating your successes and having some fun along the way. I strive every day to pay it forward. Dr. Noreen Lape Sharman Stein (may her memory be for a blessing) Louise Harris Salazar #womenhelpingwomen

Now out in the world: a new phase of the Meta campaign highlighting how the tech Orbis International created with FundamentalVR is leading to more confident eye doctors and better access for patients.

Our incredible Volunteer Faculty member Tamara Fountain, M.D. had one dream as a little girl: to become a military pilot just like her dad. But her dreams were dashed around age seven, when she got glasses. Rather than running away from anything related to vision, she became an ophthalmologist instead. Recently, Dr. Fountain joined us in Zambia to share her skills with local eye care professionals on our one-of-a-kind plane, the Orbis International Flying Eye Hospital. Talk about a full-circle moment. Special shoutouts to my colleague Jenna M. and the fab team at TogoRun for making this happen + gratitude to NBC Chicago for covering this inspiring story. Watch it below.

It's that time to share what I read and to highlight the books I loved this year. I know I'm late to the game, but 2023 was the year I finally "got" the hype around audiobooks, which has been my go-to format for everything I've read since September. Now I'm addicted to the Libby app. Anyone else? Let me know what you read and loved this year, too!

I'm looking for a #freelance writer and editor with the versatility to work on a wide range of projects—from video scripts and speeches to press releases and op-eds—to support our team at Orbis International. This is a chance to apply your skills alongside a great team committed to creating a world where everyone can access the eye care they need to thrive. If you or someone you know could be a good fit, please take a look at the opportunity here: https://lnkd.in/gDikZj8A #freelancewriter #freelanceeditor Photo: Siblings Mamta and Ganit are all smiles, with a bright and beautiful future full of possibilities ahead. Both children nearly lost their sight permanently to congenital cataracts but were examined and then treated successfully—all free of charge—at Orbis partner facilities in India. The family has even become eye care ambassadors, telling friends and family to go and get their eyes checked.

It has been over a week since we wrapped up our Orbis International Flying Eye Hospital project in Zambia, and I’m still thinking about some of the incredible people I met there. I’d love to introduce you to a few of them: ◾️ Young Friday, seen clutching his new Seymour bear, after getting cataract surgery a couple of days prior. From carefully navigating every move and step to bounding down a ledge with ease, Friday's looking toward some better days. ◾️ Nurse Mutinta Mulewa, the warmest person, who works at our partner University Teaching Hospitals-Eye Hospital in Lusaka. I learned that she knew she wanted to be a nurse since she was a child, inspired to follow in her mom’s footsteps. It was so clear she was made for the job by how she made every patient feel safe and at ease. ◾️ Orbis Volunteer Faculty: Dr. Andrea Molinari, a veteran I’ve know for years but have never gotten to meet in person before, and Tamara Fountain, M.D., an Orbis first-timer, though you wouldn’t know it by how quickly she fit in with the team. Both overflowed with their passion and care for sharing their skills with local eye care professionals. ◾️ Yvette DiCarlo, the spouse of one of our dedicated Volunteer Faculty and Medical Advisory Committee members, Greg Spooner. Yvette jumped in herself to volunteer however she could. We connected at breakfast one morning, and the next thing I knew, I had a new friend and kind, funny sidekick wherever work took me for the next week. ◾️ And Brian Bwembya, popularly known as "B Flow," a Zambian musician who uses his fame and platform to raise awareness of important causes, from eye health to HIV/AIDS to gender-based violence. He led a live tour of the Flying Eye Hospital for his hundreds of thousands of social media followers so that more people in Zambia could learn about Orbis and the importance of getting their eyes checked. I’m grateful to them all for making my time in Zambia so memorable.

After months of waiting, I can finally share the incredible news of Orbis International being featured in Meta's latest ad campaign. Look out for us on TV, major newspapers, and more across the US and Europe! Below you can watch the 30-second spot featuring our very own Associate Director of Clinical Services, Dr. Maria Montero, and one of our fabulous training participants, Dr. Renee Badroe from Jamaica, who I had the pleasure of meeting during one of our Flying Eye Hospital project last year. Learn more about the campaign on our website (https://lnkd.in/gF34zJZP) and in The Wall Street Journal (https://lnkd.in/gBBaire6).

So grateful for this generous support from TogoRun as we continue growing awareness of our work at Orbis International, building meaningful partnerships, and transforming lives around the globe. Thanks to Gloria M. Janata, JD and her talented team for helping us change the way the world sees.

Life update: I recently relocated from NYC to the Triangle area in North Carolina. (I'm still changing the way the world sees with Orbis International, just doing it with a change of scenery. 😊) Case in point: here I am engaged in some of my favorite non-work activities—reading and getting cuddles from my pup—in my new environment (trees, anyone?!). I'm eager to start building my community in my new home. If you are in the area and would like to (re)connect or know someone I should meet, please drop me a line. With gratitude! 🙏

That’s a wrap! 300 guests, 5 days of tours on the Orbis International Flying Eye Hospital. Seymour the 🧸 was our most popular tour guide. Thanks to our partners and others who came from near and far to see our one-of-a-kind plane in Osaka, Japan! 🇯🇵