Dr. Jaume Català Mora is a pediatric ophthalmologist based in Barcelona, Spain, whose impact reaches far beyond the patients he cares for each day. Alongside his work treating children with retinoblastoma and other pediatric retinal diseases, including retinopathy of prematurity and complex vitreoretinal conditions, he is deeply committed to mentoring and training the next generation of pediatric ophthalmologists. Over the years, physicians from across Sub-Saharan Africa, the Philippines, and other parts of the world have come to Barcelona to learn from his expertise before returning home to care for children in their own communities. As Know The Glow’s work throughout Sub-Saharan Africa continues to grow, it felt like the perfect time to reconnect with Dr. Català. He recently joined Know The Glow co-founder Megan Webber, Director of Global Outreach Helene Dameris, and Africa Program Manager Ruth Ngaruiya for a virtual conversation to share updates on his work, discuss the organization’s expanding efforts across Africa, and explore new opportunities to work together. The meeting also marked his first opportunity to meet Ruth, who joined the Know The Glow team following his last conversation with Megan and Helene.
Much of his impact has grown out of a fellowship program in Barcelona, through which doctors from across the world have trained alongside Dr. Català and returned home equipped to manage retinoblastoma locally. Among them are Mariamo Abdalá and Tapuwa Banguire, who now lead ophthalmology care and retinoblastoma treatment in Mozambique. Dr. Català described how these doctors have put their training to direct use with LeukoCheck, a mobile screening app developed in Barcelona, achieving encouraging early results identifying children with the condition. In Mozambique, the app is used mostly not by doctors but by community health workers already trained in outreach such as vaccination drives, who are now also capturing eye photographs during routine visits.
An ophthalmologist from Angola has also trained with Dr. Català and has since spent several months in Brazil deepening her expertise in retinoblastoma, skills that will be invaluable as Angola continues building out its own program.
Given the strength of the Mozambique model, Dr. Català suggested that Kenya could be a strong candidate for a similar LeukoCheck rollout as Know The Glow continues to expand its work identifying and supporting earlier detection of retinoblastoma across the region, an idea the team was glad to hear and looks forward to exploring further.
Parent support networks came up as another point of common ground. In Catalonia, retinoblastoma foundations run active WhatsApp groups for families and host an annual gathering where parents meet with the treating physicians, including oncologists and geneticists, to ask questions directly. Dr. Català also described a recent day in clinic when three patients from the Middle East, part of a growing referral partnership with Qatar and Abu Dhabi, were being seen simultaneously. A mother receiving a new diagnosis found unexpected comfort from two other mothers further along in treatment, despite the language barrier, a moment Dr. Català said may point toward building similar peer support for the region’s small but growing patient population.
Beyond retinoblastoma, Dr. Català is also involved in liquid biopsy research, collaborating with Dr. Jesse Berry by contributing patients while running the aqueous humor analysis in Barcelona, and in early-stage photonics research using confocal microscopy to study protein composition in ocular fluid without invasive sampling, a slow-moving but promising avenue limited mainly by funding.
The conversation came to a close as a reminder that this global network of doctors, fellows, and foundations, all working toward the same goal, is helping families recognize the Glow before it’s too late. Know The Glow looks forward to continuing to learn from Dr. Català’s work and to exploring where paths, particularly in Kenya and across Sub-Saharan Africa, might align.
