Newsletter | August 2016

Welcome to our second newsletter for 2016. We have moved to a new e-format which we hope you will find easy to read and informative. This newsletter is one of our strategies to keep our alumni and friends informed of the activities of the department. We hope you find it relevant. Any feedback on format or content is gratefully received, as is any feedback on any of the work of the department.

This edition highlights some of the research activity of our postgraduate students, who have showcased their research to the world via presentations at major international conferences and publications in leading international journals.

A big thank you to all those who attended our "Seeing Beyond Lecture Series” on the 20^th of April. Our speakers were Professor Allison McKendrick and Associate Professor Bang Bui, who focussed on the latest research advances in glaucoma assessment and pathogenesis. Allison discussed new developments in macular assessment for glaucoma while Bang covered new insights into non-IOP risk factors in glaucoma.

We are planning to run these lectures twice a year. The intent of the lecture series is to provide clinically relevant continuing professional development for our alumni and friends.

Together, DOVS and the University of Melbourne Optometry Student Society hosted an engaging evening to hear Emeritus Professor Barry Cole’s personal take on “A History of Australian Optometry”.

Two of our teaching specialists, Dr Kwang Cham and Anthea Cochrane, were invited to present the Department's Learning and Teaching innovations at the Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences Annual Learning and Teaching Symposium.

In May, a large contingent of DOVS staff and students attended the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) annual conference in Seattle, Washington.

ARVO is considered the major conference for eye and vision research internationally and attracts approximately 8000 delegates. Our staff and students presented a range of talks, posters, chaired sessions and discussed new collaborative initiatives with our international partners. Congratulations to PhD student Jeremiah Lim on winning the Optometry Victoria Postgraduate travel grant assisting his attendance at this event.

The OD students made an amazing contribution to the Teddy Bear Hospital, Good Friday Appeal, which raised over $23,000.

Dr Christine Nguyen, A/Prof Bang Bui and Prof Algis Vingrys from the Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences and their collaborators (Dr Cebers and Dr Haeberlein) were successful in the most recent Australian Research Council Linkage Grant round.

The successful project aims to develop a multi-modal imaging technology platform to simultaneously measure amyloid beta and its neurovascular sequelae to identify novel early biomarkers of ageing in the eye and brain.

A big thanks and fond farewell to Rizwana Hussaindeen from the Elite School of Optometry in Chennai India.

Congratulations to Shajan Velaedan and Flora Hui.

The 30 and 40 year reunions for the classes of 1986 and 1976 were held In June.

These reunions enabled the classes a chance to view our new on-campus training facilities, our expanded UM Eyecare clinic, and some of our research laboratories engaged in the science that drives optometry’s future. The classes were then able to share the unique stories and memories of their time with the University over dinner.

If you are in one of the following graduating classes we’d loved to see you next June; 2007 (Tuesday 6^th June), 1997 (Thursday 8^th June), and 1987 (Tuesday 13^th June) and 1977 (Tuesday 15^th June). Please pass this along to colleagues whom may be interested. Looking forward to seeing many of you there, please email RSVP to tcougan@unimelb.edu.au.

We are excited to announce the launch of the Clinical Teaching and Demonstration Service (CTDS) for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) at the University of Melbourne Eyecare clinic.

Optometrists are invited to participate in this new initiative, which aims to promote clinical excellence in AMD care through demonstrating the latest, cutting-edge research in optometric practice. The project stems from the NHMRC Translating Research into Practice Fellowship awarded to Dr Laura Downie.

The Specialist Certificate in the Management of Neuro-Ophthalmic Disorders is a newly developed online, postgraduate course, offered in semester 2. The course enables optometrists to extend their abilities to assess and manage patients with neurological disorders.

A list of recent publications from Department staff and students.

It has certainly been full steam ahead for our OD4s, who have either returned from or are about to complete their overseas externships- I am currently sitting in a hotel in Las Vegas on my way to NYC for my placement in August! Experiences have been varied and rich, with students travelling far and wide to places like the US, Europe, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore and Hong Kong. Other OD students are surely anticipating hearing the accounts of our placements at ODSC- we’re excited to share them with you!

The department would like to thank Optimed and BOC (supported by Welch Allyn) for their contribution to our preclinical teaching.