anandvinekar@gmail.com
Dr Anand Vinekar is an Indian ophthalmologist and the Founder and Program Director of KIDROP, a telemedicine network that screens and treats premature infants for an eye condition called retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). ROP is the leading cause of preventable blindness in Infants worldwide, and India has the largest burden. With over 3.5 million premature infants born annually in India alone, and less than 150 ROP specialists across the country, since 2007, KIDROP pioneered a unique non-physician model of ROP screening in rural centers using special retinal cameras, tele-medicine, online training, disease prediction, artificial intelligence and novel technologies to address this challenge. Over the years, KIDROP has completed over 210,000 imaging sessions and prevented blindness in over 4000 infants by diagnosing and treating them on time. Screening in over 152 neonatal units in rural Karnataka alone, KIDROP is the largest single-hospital-managed ROP program in the world.
Dr Vinekar has designed and directed the program since its inception and has trained and mentored ROP programs across India and several nations. He has received several national and international awards, including the Innovator of the Year, Young Researcher, and PPP of the Year and serves on the Indian National ROP Task Force and the International ROP Classification Committee. He is enlisted in the top 10 ROP experts worldwide on ExpertScape and is the highest-ranked Indian.
Anand is also an amateur marathoner and has completed eight full marathons, including Bangalore, Mumbai, New Delhi, Berlin, London and New York and has inspired many on the path to physical and mental fitness. He runs to raise awareness on health, education and accessibility for the underprivileged. In October 2024, he aspires to run the Bank of America Chicago Marathon to raise funds for Team Asha an NGO involved in the education of underprivileged children.
Help Anand support Team Asha and be a part of the journey of good Karma, service and fulfillment.
Asha for Education is a fully volunteer-run 501(c)(3) non-profit with 50+ chapters around the world whose mission is to catalyze socio-economic change in India through the education of underprivileged children. You can visit the projects page above to know more about the projects supported by Asha Chicago. Please support my cause with generous donation.
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Feel free to reach out to me or chicago@ashanet.org for any questions.
Thank you!