Fiona Stapleton: New Head of School

Associate Professor Fiona Stapleton of the Vision Cooperative Research Centre has been announced as the next Head of School for the School of Optometry and Vision Science of the University of New South Wales. She is the first female head of an optometry school in Australia.

“I am very much looking forward to the opportunities and challenges of the role“, said Associate Professor Stapleton (BSc MSc PhD MCOptom DCLP FAAO), who is currently a member of the academic staff within the School, Senior Research Associate in the Institute for Eye Research and Executive Director of Education of the Vision CRC.

“The UNSW School has tremendous strengths to be built upon. In particular I believe that the School has enormous strengths in clinical service and research which can be recognised and developed.

“Other strong research areas at UNSW are contact lenses, the ageing eye, paediatric optometry, refractive error, evidence-based optometry, sports vision, and industrial, ergonomic and safety standards in vision.

“I would like to see the UNSW School take a premier position in clinical, professional and basic research. The importance of eye care is increasingly being recognised, and I would also like to see us help to maintain public health optometry and eye care priorities in Australia on government agendas.

“The UNSW School has an excellent record in undergraduate education which will be furthered, and close liaison with the profession will support our efforts in maintaining practical and leading-edge courses.

“Collaboration and linkages are another major strength of the School. It enjoys strong support from the ophthalmic industry and profession, and UNSW has strong international linkages, particularly in Asia, which we will build on. I have developed effective collaborations between groups of researchers, industry groups, eye care professions, and with major clinical, eye research, education and public health organisations locally, nationally and internationally. Locally these have included excellent synergies in research and education with the Vision CRC, through the CEO, Professor Debbie Sweeney and extensive research collaboration with Brien Holden, Scientia Professor at UNSW and Professor Mark Willcox within the Institute for Eye Research.

“Of course the major strength of the School is the people. The academic staff are dedicated and outstanding in teaching and research, there are hugely talented staff optometrists, and general and visiting staff who have remained focused and committed to the task often despite a lack of resources.

“Through support of existing staff and recruitment of rising stars we will enhance the teaching and research performance of the School and develop the next generation of leaders in the field.”

Associate Professor Stapleton graduated in Optometry from the University of Cardiff, Wales in 1985 and has worked in academic, hospital and private optometric practice. She was awarded her PhD in 1991 from City University and Moorfields Eye Hospital in London with her research on the pathogenesis and epidemiology of contact lens related disease.

Associate Professor Stapleton’s main research areas remain the pathogenesis of lens-related disease, ocular microbiology, contact lens care systems, ocular defence mechanisms and corneal healing following refractive surgery. She recently led the Australian and New Zealand Microbial Keratitis Study, which has provided invaluable information on the risk factors for disease. Among the largest contact lens studies ever conducted, this work involved surveillance by all the eye care practitioners in both countries as well as a population-based telephone survey of 30,000 households nationwide.

She holds numerous memberships and affiliations with optometric organisations, and is a regular reviewer for a variety of journals. She has published over 80 scientific papers and has contributed 13 chapters to textbooks.