RANZCO NZ 2022: Meet the speakers

As evidenced by scientific literature, Prof Danesh-Meyer said in general women are still under-represented on scientific conference programmes. This is not because there aren’t enough qualified women speakers, but because organising committees aren’t making enough effort to address issues of diversity, she said. “As in many aspects of life, New Zealand leads Australia by example, and this is one such area. I think the key is to not focus on putting women on the programme but in identifying women who are capable and qualified in the area and encouraging them to contribute to the programme as speakers.”

Dr Rachael Niederer

Dr Niederer is a clinician-scientist working at Greenlane Clinical Centre, the University of Auckland and Auckland Eye. She completed her PhD at Auckland University and her fellowship training in uveitis and medical retina at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. She is the author of 75 peer-reviewed publications and has been the recipient of several awards, including the KG Howsam Medal for excellence in ophthalmology, the Vice Chancellor Best-Doctoral Thesis Award and the Sir William MacKenzie prize in ophthalmology.

Dr Niederer said she was drawn to ophthalmology as she has always had a fascination with tiny, detailed work. “I was looking for a surgical specialty that would enable this when I stumbled into Dr Stephen Best’s clinics as a medical student and was completely enraptured. I worked with Dr Best for my surgical selective and with Prof Helen Danesh-Meyer for my elective and I was hooked. There was no looking back.”

Her current research focus lies within improving outcomes for patients and covers several exciting projects, she said, including one focusing on herpes zoster ophthalmicus. “One in three people will develop shingles in their lifetime and 10-20% of shingles affects the V1 distribution around the eye. These patients have a high risk of losing vision due to corneal scarring and chronic uveitis. The Auckland Zoster Study is the largest retrospective study of herpes zoster ophthalmicus (869 patients), which is uncovering many important aspects of this disease, such as the risk of vision loss, stroke and neurotrophic keratopathy.”

Dr Niederer said she is really looking forward to the NZ branch meeting, “It will be wonderful to be able to meet with all the good friends and colleagues that I have seen far too little of over the last year.

“With the ground shifting under our feet continuously, we need to keep care for our patients central in our minds. This has involved triaging patients during the midst of the pandemic, so those with greatest need were seen, working flexibly and adapting the way we care, keeping essential services running. Lastly, we must remember to take care of ourselves, as we can’t look after our patients if we allow ourselves to become burnt out or sick – for me, this has involved beach walks, running, and the occasional gin and tonic!”

Associate Professor Samantha Fraser-Bell

A specialist in medical retinal conditions, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic eye disease and retinal vascular diseases, Sydney-based A/Prof Fraser-Bell’s first exposure to ophthalmic research included working with Professor Paul Mitchell in the Blue Mountains Eye Study. This led to her position as a postgraduate research fellow at the Doheny Eye Institute, University of Southern California, focusing on AMD, which led to her receiving a PhD from the University of Sydney. She has completed medical retina and uveitis fellowships at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and is the medical retina subeditor for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology. She is also the chief investigator for several clinical trials at the Macular Research Unit at the Save Sight Institute.

At the RANZCO NZ meeting, A/Prof Fraser-Bell will be discussing new treatments for AMD and retinovascular disease, the management of diabetic macular oedema, long-term outcomes of retinal vein occlusion treated with VEGF inhibition, and development of macular atrophy in eyes receiving treatment for AMD.

Nicola Dunlop

Nicola Dunlop is a nurse consultant with Moorfields Eye Hospital, London. She is currently undertaking a doctorate and has pioneered many nurse-led services in botulinum toxin, minor surgery, post-operative care, histology reporting, lacrimal and virtual lesion and lacrimal clinics.

A passionate educator, she organises study days and creates comprehensive DVDs on various eye conditions, and is a sought- after international speaker. Dunlop won the Moorfields Eye Hospital Patient Choice Award 2019 and the British Thyroid Foundation’s Evelyn Ashley Smith Award in 2013.

Meeting the needs of patients is Dunlop’s biggest driver. “I do so by assessing their care and service then learning and improving my practice to contribute to deficits in those areas. I love that nursing provides lifelong learning and we are a caring profession meeting the needs of our patients though any means possible.”