International Optometrist of the Year 2019 Professor Joanne Wood

Professor Joanne Wood is the first woman to receive the International Optometrist of the Year Award.

Prof Wood, from the School of Optometry and Vision Science at Queensland University of Technology, has received more than 20 international awards for her work on the impact of visual impairment, ageing and driving during her career and was awarded the International Optometrist of the Year 2019 title by a Spanish optometry collective.

The collaboration, including the College of Optometrists of Catalonia, the Catalan Association of Optometry and Vision Therapy, the Terrassa School of Optics and Optometry, and the Universitat Politécnica de Catalunya, Barcelona with the support of the Facultat d’Òptica and Optometria of Terrassa (FOOT) awarded Prof Wood its 2019 prize, based on the number of publications in optics and optometry in indexed journals and participation in international conferences during the past five years in the area of optics and optometry, as well as the social and scientific impact of her research in optics and optometry during professional career.

"Receiving the award was an amazing experience. I was lucky enough to travel to Barcelona to receive the award during the opening ceremony of the academic year," she said.

"What was particularly exciting was that I am the first woman to receive this international award, which was highlighted in the ceremony and also in the interviews I had with local television and newspapers." 

Prof Wood also received the 2019 Hal W. Hendrick Distinguished International Colleague Award, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the human factors and ergonomics field.

The award was presented at the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society’s international annual meeting in Seattle USA in October 2019, and recognises a non-US citizen who has made outstanding contributions to the human factors and ergonomics field.