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Speakers 2024

 


 

artificial intelligence

Professor pearSe keane

MD, FRCOpth


 

Pearse Keane is Professor of Artificial Medical Intelligence at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, and a consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London. Since 2020, he has been funded by UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) as a Future Leaders Fellow, and in 2023 he became a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Senior Investigator. He is originally from Ireland and received his medical degree from University College Dublin (UCD), graduating in 2002. 

 

In 2016, he initiated a collaboration between Moorfields Eye Hospital and Google DeepMind, with the aim of developing artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms for the earlier detection and treatment of retinal disease. In August 2018, the first results of this collaboration were published in the journal, Nature Medicine. In May 2020, he jointly led work, again published in Nature Medicine, to develop an early warning system for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), by far the commonest cause of blindness in many countries. In 2023, he led the development of RETFound, the first foundation model in ophthalmology, published in Nature and made available open source. 

 

In October 2019, he was included on the Evening Standard Progress1000 list of most influential Londoners (https://www.standard.co.uk/news/the1000) and in June 2020, he was profiled in The Economist (https://www.economist.com/technology-quarterly/2020/06/11/the-potential-and-the-pitfalls-of-medical-ai). 

 

In 2022, he was listed in the “Top 10” of the “The Power List” by The Ophthalmologist magazine, a ranking of the Top 100 most influential people in the world of ophthalmology https://theophthalmologist.com/power-list/2022

 

 

 


 

CATARACT

PROFESSOR Uday devgan

MD, FACS, FRCS

 

 

Uday Devgan is ranked as the number 1 eye surgeon in California and number 2 in the USA (out of more than 15,000 ophthalmologists). He is in private practice, specializing in cataract and refractive surgery, at Devgan Eye Surgery in Los Angeles and a full partner at Specialty Surgical Center in Beverly Hills, California. He is honored to have performed cataract surgery for more than 70 fellow eye surgeons and he knows that this personal recognition from your peers is far more important than a celebrity endorsement. Patients from all over the USA (and from other countries) fly to Los Angeles to have their cataract surgery with Dr. Devgan. A leading eye surgery journal deemed Uday Devgan MD as 1 of the top 25 leaders in ophthalmology of the last 25 years. He has been honored as 1 of the World’s Top 100 influential leaders by The Ophthalmologist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

Retina

Associate Prof R. RIshi Gupta

mD, FRCSC, DRCSC, DABO, FASRS

 

 

 

Board certified in the U.S and Canada, Dr. R. Rishi Gupta is an Associate Professor and Vitreoretinal Specialist in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. After attending medical school at the University of Toronto, he completed his Ophthalmology residency training at the University of Ottawa and thereafter received his Vitreoretinal Fellowship from McGill University. Dr. Gupta actively participates in research and has over 50 publications in prominent peer-reviewed journals. He is a Founding Editor of the journal Canadian Eye Care Today. A dynamic presenter, Dr. Gupta is regularly invited to speak nationally and internationally on a variety of topics, including medical and surgical retina, wellness, ethics, audits and complaints, and communication. Dr. Gupta also has a keen interest in ergonomics and injury prevention and established the Canadian Ophthalmological Society’s Working Group in Ergonomics. He has received awards for his work in medical education, research, surgical videos, as well as excellence in patient care. A passionate educator, he has won the department’s “Clinical Teacher Of the Year” award three times.  

He is a contributing member of the American society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) and American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and has received the AAO Global Video Film Festival 2nd Place Prize (2020), AAO International Education Award (2021), ASRS Honor Award (2022), ASRS “Best In Show” Film Festival Prize (2022), ASRS Master Distinguished Contributor Award (2023), and AAO International Scholar Award (2024).

Dr. Gupta’s believes strongly in the power of story-telling in medical education. His best-selling book, Reflections of a Pupil, was named one of the top must-have books for beginning ophthalmologists and has become required reading in some residency programs. His most recent publication is a children’s book, that he wrote with his wife and three kids, called “Milk, Eggs, Butter, and Broccoli”! His 2024 resolutions are to work less (failing miserably), write another book, record an album, and run a marathon!

 

 

 


 

Myopia

Associate profESSOR loren rose

MBBS(hons), PHD, FRANZCO

 

 

Dr. Rose completed her ophthalmic training at the Royal Eye and Ear Hospital in Victoria and a fellowship in paediatric ophthalmology at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne. She is a Clinical Senior Lecturer at Macquarie University and has completed her PhD at Macquarie University titled Myopia Progression in Children in 2021. She has also been appointed Adjunct Assoc Professor at the University of Canberra.

She is involved in ophthalmic registrar training both in her public VMO position at Bankstown Hospital and Westmead Children's Hospital and in private rooms.

She is the founder of Myopia Australia, her new project which helps patients and eye health providers best manage myopia progression in children.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

uveitis

dr narme deva

mbchb, md, FRANZCO

 

     

    Dr Narme Deva is a key opinion leader for Medical retina and Uveitis in New Zealand and an expert cataract surgeon. She graduated

    from Auckland Medical School in 2002, and in addition to her Ophthalmology training also obtained a Doctorate in Medicine. Narme

    has spent over two years at the highly prestigious Moorfields Eye Hospital, London where she completed fellowships in Medical Retina

    and Uveitis. She presently holds a consultant post at Auckland City Hospital, Eye Institute and is an honorary senior lecturer at the

    University of Auckland.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


     

    Cornea

    Dr andrea ang

    mbbs, mph, franzco

     

     

    Dr Andrea Ang is a Corneal and Laser Refractive specialist at the Lions Eye Institute and Royal Perth Hospital, and is the Director of Lions Laser Vision.

    Dr Ang graduated with the gold medal in medicine from the University of Western Australia and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for which she completed a Masters of Public Health at Harvard. Dr Ang completed her ophthalmology training in Western Australia, and then trained in her subspecialty of Corneal, Refractive and Anterior segment surgery at the internationally renowned Cincinnati Eye Institute and Singapore National Eye Centre. 

    Dr Ang has authored numerous textbook chapters and scientific papers, and presents at national and international conferences.  She has a keen interest in teaching the next generation of ophthalmologists and is the corneal fellowship supervisor at Royal Perth Hospital and examiner for RANZCO. She is the immediate past Chair of the Qualifications and Education Committee and Director of Training of RANZCO (WA).

    Dr Ang is widely involved in the Ophthalmology community in Australia and internationally, serving on multiple organisations including the Australasian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (AUSCRS), and the Australian and New Zealand Cornea Society (ANSCS). Dr Ang was a volunteer with the Myanmar Eye Care Project from 2012 to 2020.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


     

    GLAUCOMA

    professor jamie craig

    mbbs, phd, franZco

     

     

    Professor of Ophthalmology
    Director of the Flinders Centre for Ophthalmology, Eye and Vision Research
    Chair and Academic Head of the Department of Ophthalmology
    Flinders University College of Medicine and Public Health

    Practising Consultant Ophthalmologist
    NHMRC Senior Practitioner-Fellow

    As Chair and Academic Head of the Department of Ophthalmology (ERA rank 5) at Flinders University and a Consultant Ophthalmologist, Professor Jamie Craig specialises in the care of patients with glaucoma, a leading cause of irreversible blindness. Professor Craig is a clinician-scientist and NHMRC Practitioner-Fellow, who translates laboratory-based research into clinical practice.

    Having developed an exceptional track record in synergising clinical practice and laboratory-based research, Professor Craig’s pioneering work establishing the Australian and New Zealand Registry of Advanced Glaucoma has been critical to Australia leading the world in discovery and translation of glaucoma genetics. His clinical practice and ongoing leadership of the world’s largest glaucoma progression study enable significant translational outcomes to be achieved by more rational use of available tools, coupled with innovative concepts.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


     

    ocular oncology

    dr lindsay mcgrath

    bAppsci(Optom), MBBS, mphil (Ophthal), FRANZCO

     

     

    Lindsay McGrath is a specialist ocular oncology, oculoplastic and orbital surgeon.

     

    Lindsay undertook her specialty ophthalmology training in Queensland. She completed her training at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital in the orbital, lacrimal and plastics team. She then went on to complete a further year of subspecialty training in ocular oncology, oculoplastics and orbit at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in the United Kingdom.

     

    She has published extensively in her area of subspecialty in peer-reviewed journals and presented lectures and workshops at international conferences. Lindsay has recently been appointed an adjunct Associate Professor with Queensland University of Technology and is a visiting Consultant Ophthalmologist and Supervisor of Training at the Mater Hospital in Brisbane. As well as urban practice, Lindsay services northern and central Queensland on a monthly basis to service these regional populations.

     

     

     

     


     

    neuro-ophthalmology

    associate professor sudarshini ramanathan

    MMED, FRANZCO


     

    Associate Professor Sudarshini Ramanathan is a neurologist and clinician-scientist with subspecialty expertise in neuroimmunology. She is a Staff Specialist Neurologist at Concord Hospital, where she diagnoses and treats patients with autoimmune neurological disorders. She heads a research team, the Translational Neuroimmunology Group, at the University of Sydney, and leads a basic science and clinical research program in autoimmune neurological

    disorders. Her team’s research program aims to improve our understanding of underlying disease pathogenesis with a focus towards ‘precision medicine’ in neuroimmunology with diagnosis and therapeutics. This has resulted in the development and validation of gold standard diagnostic assays in routine clinical use; the recognition of novel neurological syndromes and development of diagnostic criteria; biological insights into the pathophysiologyof these disorders; and the development of treatment recommendations and approval of therapies to reverse disability and improve outcomes in patients. A/Prof Ramanathan has been awarded over $10 million AUD of research funding as Chief Investigator, including 14 continuous years of NHMRC fellowship funding. The impact of her research program has beenrecognised by the Australian and New Zealand Association of Neurology Leonard Cox Award for Excellence in Neuroscience Research (2022), and the NSW Premier’s Prize in Science and Engineering (Early Career Researcher of the Year, Biological Sciences, 2022).

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


     

    oculoplastics

    dr lucy goOld

    MBBS, MMeD, fRANCO

     

     

    Dr Lucy Goold completed her medical training at the University of Sydney. She completed a Masters in Ophthalmology whilst working as an Ophthalmology Registrar in Newcastle, before moving to South Australia for her formal Ophthalmology training. She undertook an Oculoplastics and Orbit fellowship at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. She is the current Secretary of ANZSOPS and Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Tasmania. Lucy works in general ophthalmology and oculoplastics in private practice in Launceston, and through the Launceston General Hospital, and also conducts regular clinics in regional Tasmania through TazReach.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


     

    medical retina

    associate professor hemal mehta

    MBBS, MD (Cantab.), FRCOPhth, fRANzCO

     

     

     

    A/Prof Hemal Mehta is a medical retina ophthalmologist based in Sydney.  He has expertise in retinal clinical trials, tracking real-world treatment outcomes and retinal imaging. Hemal is a Medical Retina Section Editor for the Journal Eye and on the Therapeutics Committee of RANZCO.

    Hemal is Co-director of Clinical Trials Research with Dr James Wong at Strathfield Retina Clinic and has served as PI or Sub-PI in over 50 retinal clinical trials. The clinical research during his previous fellowships at Sydney Eye Hospital and Moorfields Eye Hospital contributed to his higher research degree supervised by Professors Mark Gillies and Adnan Tufail on ‘Novel endpoints in diabetic retinopathy clinical trials’ registered at Cambridge University.

    Hemal is an Associate Professor at University of Sydney and on the Steering Committee of the Fight Retinal Blindness! (FRB!) project. Hemal was recently awarded the Australian Vision Research RANZCO Primer Grant to support linking imaging with FRB! registry data. Together with Professor Svetlana Cherepanoff, Hemal is co-supervising a Sarks Macular Degeneration Research Foundation PhD student looking at novel imaging – histopathological correlates in AMD.

     

     

     

     


     

     

    chairs

     

     

    UVEITIS

     

    DR richard symes

    MBBS, Bsc (Hons), FRCO Ophth, FRANZCO

      

     

    Dr Richard Symes is a consultant ophthalmologist at Sydney Eye Hospital and Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sydney.  He is a director at Gordon Eye Surgery. At Sydney Eye Hospital he subspecialises in uveitis, medical retina and glaucoma and he is followship trained in these three subspecialties. He has a particular interest in the surgical management of uveitis including cataract and glaucoma in patients with uveitis.

     

    Richard has a strong interest in registrar teaching, both in the clinic and in the wetlab. He is a regular trainer on the microsurgical skills course. He has served as a sub-investigator for 15 clinical trials in over the last 10 years. He has a passion for aid work and has participated in outreach programs to Papua New Guinea and the Philippines.

     

     

     

     

     


      

    Neuro-Ophthalmology

    Associate Professor Clare Fraser

    MBBS, MMed, FRANZCO

     

     

    Dr Clare Fraser specialises in neuro-ophthalmology, strabismus and visual electrodiagnostics.   She is a consultant Visiting Medical Officer at both Sydney Eye Hospital and St Vincent’s Hospital, and is also in private practice in Sydney.  At the University of Sydney, she holds the title of Associate Professor of Neuro-ophthalmology.

     

    She completed ophthalmic training at Sydney Eye Hospital in 2006-2009 and went on to further Neuro-ophthalmic training at Moorfields Eye Hospital and the National Hospital for Neurology, London, England with Dr Gordon Plant for 18 months.  In 2011 she completed a research fellowship at Emory Eye Centre, Atlanta, USA, with Drs Nancy Newman and Valerie Biousse.

     

    Dr Fraser is a committee member for the The Neuro-Ophthalmology Society of Australia.  She is also on the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society International Committee and the committee for the Neuro-Ophthalmology Virtual Education Library.

     

     

     


     

    cornea

    Associate Professor CHAMEEN samarawickrama

    Bsc (Med), MBBS, PHD, FRANZCO

     

     

    Chameen Samarawickrama is a clinical academic with public posts at both Westmead Hospital and Liverpool Hospital. He is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales.

     

    He completed two corneal fellowships in cornea and external eye diseases, first at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Melbourne, before moving to Moorfields Eye Hospital, London. He continued on at Moorfields as a consultant prior to returning back to Sydney.

     

    Chameen has over 50 publications in the international literature and been awarded over $350,000 in grant funding. His current research interests are in microbial keratitis, and the development of a novel collagen based corneal glue for the treatment of acute corneal perforations.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    DR tanya trinh

    MBBS, FRANZCO

      

     

    Dr. Trinh is a RANZCO qualified ophthalmologist in cornea, cataract and refractive surgery. She completed her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at the University of Queensland where she was awarded a scholarship in Medical Leadership and the Australian Medical Association of Queensland Harold Plant Prize for Best All Rounded Graduate. 

    Dr Trinh completed her ophthalmology specialist training under the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists in Queensland. She then embarked upon an advanced two-year fellowship in Cornea, External Diseases and Refractive Surgery at the University of Toronto, Canada where she developed extensive expertise in corneal transplantation, pterygium surgery, ocular surface regeneration, complex anterior segment surgery and refractive surgery including LASIK, PRK and corneal collagen crosslinking for the treatment of keratoconus. 

    Dr Trinh was awarded the position of Chief Fellow of the University of Toronto and subsequently received the prestigious Lim Memorial Prize for the subspecialty surgeon exemplifying best surgical and teaching skills. 

    Dr Trinh then undertook a research fellowship in laser cataract surgery, corneal transplantation, dry eye treatments and ocular surface disease. 

    Dr Trinh has now been invited to join the team at Sydney Eye Hospital, Australia as a Staff Specialist and is excited to be back home in Australia.

    She has published over 40 scientific journal articles in national and international journals, written book chapters on advanced corneal transplantation techniques and ocular surface disease and is a regular presenter on the national and international conference circuits. 

    She teaches medical students, residents, registrars and fellows, is involved in the development of anterior segment curriculum teaching at the University of Toronto and contributes regularly to community optometry education. She is also a clinical associate lecturer for the University of QLD. 


    She currently sits on the RANZCO Executive Committee for Women in Ophthalmology and is the Secretary for the Global Research and Education Society of Ophthalmology (GERSO).  

    She is also the Head of the Refractive Surgery Terminology Committee for the Refractive Surgical Alliance. 

    In 2022 she became the first Australian graduate of the Physician CEO Program at Northwestern University School of Business, Chicago and in 2023 she was awarded as an inaugural fellow of the World College of Refractive Surgery and Vision Sciences. 

     


     

    Oculoplastics

    DR krishna tumuluri

    MBBS(hons), MPH, FRANZCO

     

     

    Krishna Tumuluri is an Oculoplastic surgeon working at Westmead adult and Children’s hospitals and also works at Liverpool Hospital, Sydney. He completed his Ophthalmology training at Sydney Eye Hospital and did three years of fellowship training at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London and Manchester Royal Eye Hospital UK. He was an examiner and subject leader in anatomy  for RANZCO and regularly teaches registrars in the field of Oculoplastic surgery. He is a clinical senior lecturer at University of Sydney and Macquarie University.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


     

    Vitreoretinal surgery

    DR gaurav bhardwaj

    MBBS, Phd, FRANZCO


     

    Dr Gaurav Bhardwaj is an adult and paediatric vitreoretinal surgeon and medical retina specialist. He is a consultant at Westmead Hospital, Liverpool Hospital and the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network and a Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney Faculty of Health and Save Sight Institute. He has completed a PhD in the topic of retinal haemorrhages in children. His areas of expertise include all areas of vitreoretinal surgery and he was involved in the first case of ocular gene therapy performed in Australia. He is also a principal and associate investigator in several clinical trials.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


     

    GLAUCOMA

    DR EMILY GREGORY-ROBERTS

    BSC, MBBS, MPHILMED, FRANZCO


     

    Dr Emily Gregory-Roberts graduated in Medicine from the University of Sydney with honours and completed a Masters degree in the discipline of Clinical Ophthalmology at the University of Sydney. Following this, she trained in Ophthalmology at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital in Melbourne. She then completed a clinical glaucoma fellowship at the Oxford Eye Hospital in Oxford, United Kingdom. She also worked as a research fellow in the ophthalmology department at Columbia University in New York and her research has been published in multiple scientific journals. She is affiliated with the University of Sydney as a Clinical Lecturer in the Sydney Medical School, and she sits on the Therapeutics committee of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO).

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


     

    Conference convenor

    Professor Adrian Fung

    MBBS, MMed (Clin Epi), MMEd (Ophthal sci), FRANZCO

     

     

    Professor Adrian Fung is Head of the Westmead Hospital Vitreoretinal Unit and a specialist in vitreoretinal surgery, medical retina diseases and posterior segment tumours of the eye. He is a Clinical Professor at Macquarie University Hospital and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Sydney. He has Masters degrees in Ophthalmic Science and Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Sydney and completed four clinical and research fellowships in the United States and Canada.

     

    Professor Fung has published over 125 international peer-reviewed journal articles and 7 book or book chapters, including “Westmead Eye Manual” (www.westmeadeye.com) and “Vitreoretinal Surgery Online” (www.vrsurgeryonline.com). He is a Principal Investigator of the Bionic Eye Project, Golden Geographic Atrophy and Velodrome Port Delivery System trials. He was the first surgeon in the world outside of the USA to implant the Port Delivery System and perform a refill-exchange injection. He is Editor for Retinal Cases and Brief Reports and Medical Retina Section Editor for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology. He has been invited to speak and teach at over 100 national and international meetings in Australasia, North America and Europe. He was awarded the RANZCO Teacher of Excellence Award in 2019. He is amongst the first retinal surgeons in Australia to be admitted to the Macula and Retina Societies in the USA and received the Macula Society Travel Grant Award in 2020.

     

    Professor Fung is an APVRS Councillor and immediate past-Chair of the RANZCO Clinical Standards Committee. He sits on the RANZCO Scientific Congress, RANZCO NSW Branch ASM, Sydney Eye Hospital Alumni, ORIA, RANZCO Clinical Standards, ANZSRS Surgical Registry, Fight Tumour Blindness and APVRS Young Ophthalmologists committees. He is a member of RANZCO, ASO, ANZSRS, AAO, ASRS, ARVO, Euretina, Macula Society, Retina Society, APOIS, Vit-Buckle Society, Lifeline Express International Academy, ISOO, IRGIII, IntRIS, APAO and APVRS. He is an APVRS Leadership Development Program Mentor and a RANZCO RACE Examiner.

     

    www.dradrianfung.com.au

    https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/about/our-people/academic-staff/adrian-fung.html