Organisation: CBM
Location: Guatemala
Photographer: Simone Utler

Dr. Ana Lucía Asturias was honored with the Else Kröner Fresenius Award for Development Cooperation in Medicine 2024. In her capacity as Senior Physician for Pediatric Ophthalmology for Unidad Nacional de Oftalmología, Guatemala, she received the award in distinguished acknowledgment of her project “Retinopathy of Prematurity in Guatemala”, a programme she developed to prevent premature infants from going blind

Dr. Ana Lucía Asturias was honored with the Else Kröner Fresenius Award for Development Cooperation in Medicine 2024. In her capacity as Senior Physician for Pediatric Ophthalmology for Unidad Nacional de Oftalmología, Guatemala, she received the award in distinguished acknowledgment of her project “Retinopathy of Prematurity in Guatemala”, a programme she developed to prevent premature infants from going blind. The award was endowed with 100,000 euros and is among the most renowned distinctions in the field of development cooperation in medicine. The formal award presentation ceremony was held on October 15th, 2024, at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. 

The Retinopathy of Maturity programme has been implemented with the support of the Christian Blind Mission (CBM) since 2019. Key mainstays within the programme are the screening and treatment of preterm infants and the active use of telemedicine. 

“With this year’s award, we are acknowledging an outstanding project in child health. Through straightforward and very effective measures such as extensive screenings, a project that can distinctly improve children’s health” Dr. Jochen Bitzer, responsible for humanitarian funding at EKFS. 

CBM, a supporter of the programme since 2019, nominated the project for the award. “We are very pleased about this award. With the work they do, Dr. Ana Lucía Asturias and her team contribute substantially toward reducing preventable visual impairments and blindness in children in Guatemala.” Dr. Rainer Brockhaus, CEO, CBM. 

See documentary here: Else Kröner Fresenius Award for Development Cooperation in Medicine 2024 - YouTube 

Read more about the Retinopathy of prematurity project in the CBM Eye Health Annual Report 2024; https://www.cbm.org/dam/jcr:4384e5f7-16c3-475a-8a1c-53fff924dab5/CBM%20Eye%20Health%20Annual%20Report%202024.pdf