The connections that fellows make during their time with the OMI in Salzburg, not only with faculty but fellows alike, can lead to many wonderful professional developments. That is why, when we received word that Moldovan ophthalmologist Dr. Natalia Palarie had just released a glaucoma publication in collaboration with twelve international colleagues, seven of whom she met through the OMI, we were overjoyed to hear it. Dr. Palarie has completed multiple OMI seminars and observerships.
Course director Dr. Gary J. Lelli, Jr. congratulated the OMI alumna on her achievement: “This is just great! Congratulations, Natalia and team! We can share this with the fellows who come to the seminar this November as a success story.”
Curious to find out more? Read Dr. Palarie’s message below:
“I wanted to share a publication that has a special connection to the OMI seminars and to the network created through the Open Medical Institute.
Our article, “Glaucoma management across 13 countries in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe: an exploratory survey”, has just been published in International Ophthalmology. I am very happy to be the first author of this multi-country study. What makes this publication particularly meaningful to me is that many of the colleagues involved in the project first became known to me through OMI seminars in Salzburg. Over the years, those professional contacts developed into long-standing collaborations and friendships, and eventually helped us bring together glaucoma specialists from 13 countries for this study. For me, this is a wonderful example of how the OMI seminars can create impact far beyond the course itself.
Springer has provided a SharedIt link allowing free read-only access to the article: https://rdcu.be/v8uWkq4SPwEa
I wanted to share this milestone with you and to thank the OMI for creating an environment where such professional connections can begin and grow.”
Natalia Palarie, MD, MBA, FICO
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology | Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy
Chisinau, Moldova
Gallery (photos provided by Dr. Palarie):
Photo 1: Members of the core author group of the Eastern European glaucoma study at the 26th EVER Congress, Valencia, Spain, 2023. From left to right, starting with the second person: Dr. Qendrese Daka (Kosovo), Dr. Tinatin Jikurashvili (Georgia), Dr. Ewa Kosior-Jarecka (Poland), Dr. Fidan Aghayeva (Azerbaijan/Germany), Dr. Natalia Palarie (Moldova), and Dr. Nino Kobakhidze (Georgia).
Photo 2: Dr. Natalia Palarie (Moldova) and Dr. Qendrese Daka (Kosovo), from left to right, alongside a poster presenting an earlier phase of the Eastern European glaucoma survey at the EGS Congress, Dublin, Ireland, 2024.
Photo 3: Colleagues reunited at the ESCRS Congress in London, September 2026, maintaining the professional connections behind our collaboration. From left to right: Dr. Fidan Aghayeva (Azerbaijan/Germany), Dr. Natalia Palarie (Moldova), Dr. Tinatin Jikurashvili (Georgia), and Dr. Nino Kobakhidze (Georgia).
Photo 4: Also members of the core author group of the Eastern European glaucoma study at the 26th EVER Congress, Valencia, Spain, 2023. From left to right: Dr. Ewa Kosior-Jarecka (Poland), Dr. Qendrese Daka (Kosovo), Dr. Natalia Palarie (Moldova), Dr. Fidan Aghayeva (Azerbaijan/Germany), and Dr. Nino Kobakhidze (Georgia).
Photo 5: Colleagues reunited at the ESCRS Congress in London, September 2026. From left to right: Dr. Yana Oganova and daughter (Armenia), Dr. Natalia Palarie (Moldova), and Dr. Fidan Aghayeva (Azerbaijan/Germany).
