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Matt Formston - Opening SpeakerParalympian, 2 times and current Adaptive Surfing World Champion, previous World Champion and World record holder in Tandem Cycling and 15 times Australian Champion across multiple sports. Matt is also the head of Sustainability for Optus Business in his corporate career and is chair of the Macquarie Business Park Community Initiative. Matt has had macular dystrophy since the age of five and is a sought after speaker and executive coach. |
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Dr Myra McGuinness - Patricia Lance LectureDr Myra McGuinness is a biostatistician at the Centre for Eye Research Australia in Melbourne. She commenced her career as a clinical orthoptist upon graduating from La Trobe University. After focussing on paediatric ophthalmology and strabismus care in the USA, she completed her Master’s degree and a PhD in biostatistics at the University of Melbourne. In addition to conducting applied research at CERA, Dr McGuinness is an honorary research fellow in the Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health where her research interests include statistical models for causal methodology in observational studies. |
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Associate Professor Alison McEwenAssociate Professor Alison McEwen is leading the establishment of a new Master of Genetic Counselling at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). The inaugural cohort of students started in February this year. Alison is the current Vice President of the Human Genetics Society of Australasia (HGSA), a two year role, before becoming President in 2021. Alison will be only the second genetic counsellor to take on this role, highlighting the importance of this appointment for the profession. Alison has held leadership roles in the Australasian Society of Genetic Counsellors (ASGC) and the Human Genetics Society of Australasia (HGSA) over a number of years with a particular focus on the education, training and certification of genetic counsellors. More recently she has been an active member in the working group that drove the successful application for professional regulation for genetic counsellors in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Research interests include genetic counsellor education and training, as well as understanding more about the ways in which genetic counsellors roles are evolving. Prior to moving to UTS, Alison was a Senior Genetic Counsellor in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand and a clinical lecturer for Otago University Wellington. |
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Professor Ian MorganProfessor Ian Morgan is a Visiting Fellow at the Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra and at the State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Guangzhou. He has worked very closely with Professor Kathryn Rose (Universsity of Technology Sydney) and Professor Mingguang He on the problem of myopia. Over the past 20 years, his papers have contributed to radically revising our understanding of myopia. In particular, his work has shown that myopia, once thought to be under tight genetic control, is a condition subject to strong environmental influences. His work has also contributed to the identification of two major environmental influences – educational pressures that promote myopia, and time spent outdoors by children during daylight hours, with more time outdoors slowing the onset and perhaps the progression of myopia to high myopia. The ability of increased time outdoors in schools to slow the onset of myopia has been demonstrated in a school-based trial in Guangzhou. The influence of his work on the field is demonstrated by the fact that he has co-authored the most cited papers on myopia published in 2008, 2012, 2015, 2018, and the second most cited from 2005. |
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Associate Professor Agneta RydbergSince qualifying as an orthoptist in 1975 in Moorfields London, Agneta has worked in several countries and has always been determined to further her knowledge and that of others. She gained her PhD in 1998. |