Research areas
Dr Obaid Kousha is a Scottish Clinical Research Excellence Development Scheme (SCREDS) clinical lecturer in the Infection and Global Health Division of the School of Medicine at the University of St Andrews. Dr Kousha is also an ophthalmology speciality trainee working in NHS Tayside and NHS Fife.
Dr Kousha studied Medicine at St John’s College, University of Oxford, intercalating with a BA in Neuroscience. After completing medical school, he worked as a foundation doctor in Devon and Cornwall before working as a junior research fellow in ophthalmology at the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. As a junior research fellow, his responsibilities included assessing and recruiting patients for clinical trials in the medical retina while ensuring the smooth running of the day-to-day business of clinical trials. This was a gateway for a career in ophthalmology and he started his ophthalmology speciality training in NHS Tayside and NHS Fife. During this period, Dr Kousha started working with Dr Andrew Blaikie in Global Health Division.
In his current capacity, Dr Kousha is involved in the supervision and teaching of undergraduate medical students. Dr Kousha’s main research interest is in the development and validation of low-cost ophthalmic devices designed for use in low resource settings. In particular, his work includes finding ways of diagnosing and managing diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity using frugal devices.
Selected publications
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Open access
222 nm Far-UVC from filtered Krypton-Chloride excimer lamps does not cause eye irritation when deployed in a simulated office environment
Kousha, O., O’Mahoney, P., Hammond, R., Wood, K. & Eadie, E., 1 Jan 2024, In: Photochemistry and Photobiology. 100, 1, p. 137-145 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Decolonising the 'red' reflex test: transitioning from terminology based on colour to anatomy
Kelly, C., Anderson, M., Smith, H., Kousha, O., Hitchcott, N., Reddy, M. A. & Blaikie, A., 21 Nov 2024, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Eye. 3 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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A new technique for teaching the fundal reflex test and fundoscopy: 'screen casting' with the Arclight direct ophthalmoscope attached to the camera of a mobile phone
Staniszewski, B., Atukunda, I., Kousha, O., Kitema, G. F. & Blaikie, A., 11 Dec 2023, (E-pub ahead of print)Research output: Other contribution
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Frugal tele-otoscopy for low resource settings – an online evaluation study among ENT specialists
Buhr, R. C., Bahr-Hamm, K., Kousha, O. & Blaikie, A., 12 May 2023, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Laryngo-Rhino-Otologie. 102, S02, S199.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Interprofessional ArclightTM eye health workshop: impact on students’ clinical identification and ophthalmic skills
O'Carroll, V., Kousha, O., Kitema, G. F., Sagahutu, J. B., Denys, N., Kayiranga, D., Rujeni, N. & Blaikie, A., 1 Oct 2023, In: Journal of Interprofessional Care. 37, 5, p. 841-845 5 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
A mathematical determination of foveal attachment in primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment when obscured by bullous retina
Kousha, O., Tarafdar, S. & Ellis, J., 3 Feb 2022, In: International Journal of Retina and Vitreous. 8, 5 p., 10.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Comparative evaluation of a low-cost solar powered otoscope with a traditional device among health care workers in Malawi
Balfour, K., McCarthy, A., Hey, S. Y., Kousha, O., Singano, E., Mulwafu, W., Walker, D. F. D. L. & Blaikie, A., Aug 2021, In: Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology. 6, 4, p. 839-843 5 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Comparative evaluation of a new frugal binocular indirect ophthalmoscope
Kousha, O., Ganesananthan, S., Shahin, B., Ellis, J. & Blaikie, A., 23 Dec 2021, In: Eye. Advance Access, 3 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Diabetic maculopathy: multicolour and SD-OCT versus fundus photography
Kousha, O., Maria Delle Fave, M., Cozzi, M., Carini, E. & Pagliarini, S., 19 Feb 2021, In: BMJ Open Ophthalmology. 6, 1, 6 p., e000514.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Frugal retinal laser training simulation eyes
Kousha, O., Staniszewski, B., Ulloa, J. L., Tarafdar, S., Ellis, J. & Blaikie, A., 11 Jun 2021, In: Eye. 2 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › peer-review