As a third-year Resident at McGill University, Dr. Pundir brings expertise in ophthalmology to underserved communities through Orbis’s Flying Eye Hospital, combining research excellence with a deep commitment to global eye health education.
Dr. Sheetal Pundir’s path to ophthalmology resident and Orbis volunteer reflects a remarkable journey driven by personal experience and professional excellence. As a first-time volunteer faculty member, she recently joined Orbis’s Flying Eye Hospital project in Bangladesh, where she provided simulation training to local eye doctors.
Pundir’s story begins in a small town in India, where she experienced extreme poverty before becoming one of the few women from her community to attend university. Her academic trajectory has been marked by notable achievements, including a scholarship to the University of Ottawa, where she completed her PhD. There, she earned the Dean’s thesis award for her work on drugs with improved anti-cancer properties, which led to patents and the establishment of Ramsey Lake Pharmaceuticals.
Her research portfolio spans AI applications in healthcare, patient education, and clinical trials. Her post-doctoral research focused on metabolism and potential treatments for retinopathy of prematurity, a leading cause of childhood blindness. This work, along with her community engagement, has earned her several prestigious recognitions, including the 2020 Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Award and the Forces AVENIR Award.
Most recently, Fighting Blindness Canada awarded her the Emerging Clinician Scientist Leader’s Award for her project on ophthalmic manifestations in Zellweger spectrum disorder. She’s also active in the McGill University chapter of the Orbis Future Vision Leaders, a community dedicated to treating and preventing avoidable blindness globally.
Pundir credits her background with shaping her perspective on opportunity and service. She brings this understanding to her work with Orbis, where she emphasizes the value of cross-cultural exchange.
“As one of the few women from my community to go to university, I am conscious of how fortunate I am. My upbringing in extreme poverty has taught me the importance of valuing chances,” she said during her Flying Eye Hospital experience in Bangladesh. “I learned as much from them as they did from me, reinforcing the value of cross-cultural exchange and collaborative learning.”
Through her work with organizations like Orbis and her ongoing research, Dr. Pundir continues to demonstrate how personal experience can inform professional practice, creating meaningful impact in ophthalmology and global eye health.
Read more about her work: Heroes of Orbis: Dr. Sheetal Pundir
Read this article about her award: McGill medical student receives Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Award
Watch this TEDx talk by Dr. Pundir:
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