Dr Matende's profile
Dr. Ibrahim Matende is the president of the College of Ophthalmology of Eastern, Central and Southern Africa (COECSA) and is also the vice president of the Africa Ophthalmology Council. He attended University of Nairobi, school of medicine earning his bachelor degrees in medicine and surgery. In the same school he earned a postgraduate diploma in sexually transmitted infections and HIV management.
Dr. Matende’s ophthalmology residency program was at Kenyatta National Hospital before undertaking his fellowships in pediatrics and strabismus at Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation Tanzania (CCBRT) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; One World Vision, USA; Child Vision Centre (CVC), Fort Worth, USA. Since 2004 he has served with Lighthouse for Christ eye centre as consultant ophthalmologist and as medical director. Among other organizations/ institutions that he has worked with include Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi; Deborah Retief Memorial Hospital, Mochudi, Botswana; The Mater Hospital, Nairobi; Equator Nursing home and Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology, Nairobi.
He is a co-founder and organizing secretary of the Coast Ophthalmology Caucus, Mombasa. He also co-founded in of Ben Ammi Medical Centre, Nairobi. Dr. Matende is active practicing ophthalmologist involved in clinical practice and teaching. He has been involved in teaching with Mombasa Technical Training Institute and Kenya Medical Training College. The University of Nairobi ophthalmology residents rotate with him for both clinical and surgical skill training. He has conducted and managed various research programs with Global 2000, Carter center, Africa Medical Research Foundation (AMREF) and consulted for among others London school of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (TIME Project). Various publications have arisen from this works.
He is a member of the College of Ophthalmology of Eastern Central and Southern Africa (COECSA), Ophthalmological Society of Kenya (OSK), Kenya National Retinoblastoma Society (KNRS), Kenya Medical Association (KMA), Africa Ophthalmology Council (AOC), and international member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Dr. Matende is the immediate past: treasurer of Ophthalmological Society of Eastern Africa (OSEA) and secretary general of East Africa College of Ophthalmology (EACO).
He was the interim president at the founding of COECSA with the merger of EACO and OSEA. He lives with his wife Julia, son Judah and daughter Neema in the beautiful touristic port city of Kenya, Mombasa.