Page 48 - FLIPBOOK ALL SOM WINTER 2022_Neat

neck of the woods | prof ile

HOW ARE YOU MOVED BY THE STORIES PEOPLE TELL? My wife, Davis, is a palliative care physician. No one was doing palliative care medicine when
we moved here. She was able to start programs at Providence and Asante in palliative care and
MATT: I seldom get a chance to hear the individual stories as I am working on 100 to work in the hospice setting. We both love it here and love that we've been able to contribute
or 120 patients per day. Yet, each person has a unique story about their blindness and to the community. We came for professional reasons, but then fell in love with Southern Oregon
how it has affected them and their family and their fortunes. Christopher Briscoe is a and the people.
master photographer and storyteller. He has accompanied us on several trips. His pho-
tographs show the human side of blindness. They reveal people’s emotions and capture
the moment of sight restoration. Patients smile, they laugh, and there is communal joy.
WWW.CUREBLINDNESS.ORG
HOW DID YOU BECOME AN OPHTHALMOLOGIST? AND
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR WORK?
Matt: I chose ophthalmology because I want to help people with problems that have solutions.
Restoring sight to someone is pretty immediate and dramatic. I like using my hands. And I enjoy
working with patients of all ages. When I first went to Nepal at 22, I saw how huge the issue of
blindness is in the world. I felt drawn to a profession where I knew there were big needs.

WHY DO YOU CHOOSE TO LIVE IN SOUTHERN OREGON?
MATT: Professionally, it's because of the great partners and staff that I have at the Medical Eye
Center. I was drawn to Southern Oregon because no one was doing cornea transplants. There
were lots of people from the coast and rural areas that had a hard time getting to San Francisco
or Portland for eye care. I felt like I was needed here. Personally, I love living in Ashland with
access to culture and the outdoors. I love the sunny weather and the people here. I love having the
Rogue Valley Airport close where I can be in Ethiopia in a few flights. It's been great for my family.

46 www.southernoregonmagazine.com | winter 2022