#OnTheRoad – With Dr Subhadra Jalali at Yale Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science
Written by LVPEI Communications
Published 25th July 2026
What does it take to build a Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) care model in a country as vast as India, where access to quality healthcare is shaped by geography, limited resources, and complex social realities?
This question was the core of the lecture, ‘LVPEI ROP Management Protocols and Utilizing Adult-Use Imaging Technologies’, delivered by Dr Subhadra Jalali, Network Director, Quality, L V Prasad Eye Institute and Network Director, Newborn Eye Health Alliance (NEHA) at the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at Yale University, New Haven, USA.
In her lecture, Dr Jalali highlighted LVPEI’s comprehensive ROP care model that has combined telemedicine, adult-use imaging systems, and portable indigenous low-cost devices, and have screened more than 100,000 babies over the last 30 years, achieving some of the best global outcomes in the process.
“Here at LVPEI, for the ROP and the Universal Newborn eye screening program, we have evolved our own robust protocols and platforms using efficient excellence of care with equity and Technology with tenderness. This has resulted in scalable, sustainable and replicable care that has lessons for all upcoming programs, such as at Yale and in many cities and countries,” Dr Jalali explained.
Dr Jalali also noted that the LVPEI ROP and Universal Newborn eye care model has a long way to go before it gets integrated within the infant health checkups across middle- and lower-income nations. She met with Ms Deborah Rhodes, Enterprise Chief Quality Officer at Yale Medicine, to exchange ideas on quality frameworks that could strengthen LVPEI’s own healthcare practices. Meanwhile, her tour of Yale’s medical campus, the historic library, and the Cushing Brain Museum offered insights into building and sustaining enduring, humanity-focused institutions.
At the end of her journey at Yale, Dr Jalali left the residents and fellows with a significant thought for introspection:
Run your own race and take the path not taken, based on sound scientific concepts, leveraging research on the ground with technological advancements keeping Care at the Core.
In her conversation with us, she also reflected on Yale’s history and the stories of pioneering women whose determination shaped the institution’s legacy. “Seeing how a dream of a few passionate hearts and heads, translates to a legacy for good of mankind, gives one goosebumps and is inspirational.”
