January 18, 2001 - ‘I thought I would try to give back’ – Respected researcher, physician and teacher to promote services of Topeka’s Rehabilitation Center for the Blind

Abio-Tona Sokari is both a medical doctor and a doctor of philosophy. He currently is a professor of Human Anatomy and Patho Physiology at the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Medicine, but has taught and practiced medicine all over the world. Stops include Scotland where he earned a PH.D. in cardiovascular physiology and native Nigeria, where be became a medical doctor.

But recently, Dr. Sokari has also become what could be called an ‘ambassador’ for the Rehabilitation Center for the Blind (RCB) in Topeka. Besides developing and teaching a diabetic education course at the center, he has also agreed to become a public relations representative for RCB. He will provide information about work done at the center at medical conferences he attends and in Kansas communities.

Why would a well-known medical researcher and teacher who was named a Fellow in London’s Royal Society of Health take on the job of getting the word out about services provided at the Rehabilitation Center?

I came to the Rehabilitation Center, and within four weeks, it turned my life around," Dr. Sokari said. "I thought I would try to give back." Dr. Sokari explained that he lost his vision completely about 18 months ago. He said his surgeon had informed him seven years earlier that blindness could occur because of degenerative myopia. But the surgeon did not recommend any preparation for blindness and just had him continue to come in and be checked as his eyes failed.

"I realize that not many visually impaired patients are referred to the center," Dr. Sokari said. "If people were referred a lot earlier, they could do a lot to improve themselves. If I’d known about the center six years earlier, I’d have been a lot better off."

Dr. Sokari said since he went through four weeks of training at the rehabilitation center, he went from "zero literacy" on the computer to the ability to use computers for medical school teaching and to show slide presentation to his students.

Dianne Hemphill, administrator of the Division of Services for the Blind, said the amount of information Dr. Sokari brings to RCB programs will be invaluable.

"Dr. Sokari will be welcomed as a colleague among medical professionals whom he will meet while endorsing our program to these potential referral sources," said Ms. Hemphill. "Additionally, Dr. Sokari will assist Services for the Blind in the development and presentation of a diabetic education program for both clients in training at RCB and through coordination with our Kan-SAIL program which works with the growing population of Kansans age 55 and older who experience loss of vision."

At the University of Missouri at Kansas City (UMKC), Dr. Sokari is involved in several different levels of teaching. At the UMKC School of Medicine, he gives instruction in anatomy for students preparing for national tests. During summers, he teaches chemistry in an enrichment program for high school juniors and seniors interested in a health care career.

And most recently, he has been assigned to teach biological science, chemistry, math, and exam preparation in a Saturday class for high school students under a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant program, said Dr. Reaner Shannon, associate dean of minority affairs at UMKC. The grant program is a collaboration between UMKC School of Medicine and the University of Kansas School Medical Center.

"Dr. Sokari has been very well received," Dr. Shannon said. "His credentials are impressive."

But Dr. Sokari said RCB did more for him than improve his ability to teach and do research. He pointed to the everyday life skill improvements he gained after going through RCB training.

"My wife doesn’t get mad at me any more," he added. "Before, she even had to help me with the color of my shirts. And I can even cook for myself now. And on the road, I don’t need a lot of help getting around, except in areas that are new to me. That’s a lot to learn, in four weeks."

Page Last Updated: May 29, 2001