Libya Diabetes and Cardiac Outreach

This notice is to let project donors know that we are merging "Libya Diabetes & Cardiac Outreach" with the newly created GlobalGiving campaign "Prevent Diabetic Blindness in Libya".  The two projects are part of the same initiative, but the focus has shifted, for the time being, from general awareness building and testing, to specific initiatives to diagnose and treat diabetes-related illness. We will send out a report on the results of the "Diabetic Blindness" project, implemented in coordination with EyePacs and the University of California at Berkeley- School of Optometry, in January.  Thank you again for your interest and generous support.     

Links:

• partner site

Dear Project Contributors-- 

Since the last status update, we have continued to support a variety of Libya-based medical and environmental causes (including the Libya Diabetes and Cardiac Outreach Project), and serve as an outreach proxy for organizations that drew down staff following the fatal attack on the US mission in Benghazi 2011.

Highlights of work since March include: 

--Deepening our relationship with University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center, and UC Berkeley, (Master's in Development Practice, Blum Center for Developing Economies).  Dr. Teri Reynolds, head of emergency medicine at UCSF Global Health, recently joined our advisory board.  We hope to establish a relationship between UCSF and the Libyan Diabetes & Endocrinology Association. 

-- Establishing a web-based portal that matches teams of graduate students to medical-related projects in Libya (www.medmatchlibya.org).  In this context, Avicenna oversaw two graduate student projects, one that resulted in a prototype emergency locator application for Benghazi (a cell-phone app that tells users where the nearest open hospital is); and a blueprint for a web-based training program around mobile ultrasound units (VSCAN).

--Continued discussions with the Libya Diabetes and Endocrinology Association (the subject of this campaign) the possiblity of funding a 20-30 bed, prefab clinic on the outskirts of Tripoli. 

--Outside the medical field, we identified 6 Libyan candidates for the Summer, 2013 Environmental Leadership Program (ELP), 2 of which were accepted-- the first Libyans to participate in this prestigious, summer "Micro-MBA" for promising leaders of local environment and conservation initatives.  

Without your generous support, the above work would not have been possible.  We and our local partners thank you. 

Very Sincerely,

Ethan Chorin, Ph.D. 

Co-Founder, Avicenna Group 

Links:

• Libya project clearinghouse
• article on Avicenna work with the U.C. System
• more description of UC Berkeley collaborations