Staff

Melbourne Laureate Professor Hugh Taylor is the Harold Mitchell Professor of Indigenous Eye Health at the University of Melbourne. Previously he was Head of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Melbourne and the Founding Director of the Centre for Eye Research Australia Prior to that, he was a Professor of Ophthalmology at the Wilmer Institute at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore with joint appointments in the Departments of Epidemiology and International Health.

Professor Taylor's research interests include blindness prevention strategies, infectious causes of blindness and the development of health policy. His current work particularly focuses on Aboriginal eye health and the elimination of trachoma. Professor Taylor has written 30 books and reports including a recent book on trachoma, and more then 600 scientific papers. He has received multiple international awards and prizes. In 2001, he was made a Companion in the Order of Australia. He is President - Elect of the International Council of Ophthalmology, former Vice President of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, and Deputy Chairman for Vision 2020 Australia.

Mitchell Anjou is an optometrist and public health practitioner whose motivating professional interest is the provision of eye care for people who have difficulty realising care. Mitchell is a Senior Research Fellow, Academic Specialist in the Indigenous Eye Health group. After completing his optometry and research masters degrees, he worked for the Australian/Victorian College of Optometry for over twenty years as Clinic Director and Senior Fellow in the Optometry Department of the University of Melbourne.

Mitchell served for over 10 years on the Optometrist Registration Board of Victoria and is now an appointed member of the Registration and Notifications Committee of the Optometry Board of Australia. He is a Fellow of the Australian College of Optometry, founding member of the Public Health Optometry Group, Director of the Optometry Council of Australia and New Zealand and was honoured in 2013 as a Member in the Order of Australia award for significant service to optometry and public health.

Walter Bathern is an Aboriginal man who has been living and working in the Alice Springs region his whole life.

Walter joined IEH in 2020 as Trachoma Community Engagement Officer. Walter has extensive experience in community engagement and consultation, previously working as a Parks & Wildlife Indigenous Ranger and also as an Intensive Case Manager at NAAJA Throughcare supporting and identifying the needs of clients in correction services, so they can enter back into the community. Walter also speaks and understands a number of the Central and Barkly region languages such as Arrernte, Luritja and Pitjantjatjara.

Jordan Bryan decided to relocate to Melbourne after having commuted from Sydney to complete her Grad Dip Applied Business and Grad Dip Organisational Coaching at Swinburne University of Technology. Prior to that, she had 15 years of experience in the tertiary education sector, the majority of which was within the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sydney, working at various Clinical Schools. Her current role involves assisting Professor Taylor with his work and the administration of the Centre’s activities.

Rachael Ferguson has a Diploma of Arts - Applied Photography and Certificate in Vocational Photography and in 2019 Rachael completed her Certificate IV in Digital Design. Having developed an interest in health promotion and social marketing, working closely on the production and distribution of The Trachoma Story Kits and ‘Check Today, See Tomorrow’ resources, Rachael's work at the IEH involves creating and developing high quality publications for educational resources used widely for presentations, posters, printed reports, invitations, brochures and other online and media environments. Joining Indigenous Eye Health in 2010 as the Multimedia Administrator, in 2021 Rachael transitioned to the role of Communication Officer.

Guy Gillor recently joined Indigenous Eye Health in the role of Academic Specialist: Indigenous Eye Health Policy and Practice. Guy has an interest in health policy with particular interest in Indigenous self-determination and its application in health systems. Prior to joining the University, Guy worked at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) in various roles, most recently Senior Manager – Policy and Projects. Guy holds a PhD from the University of Western Sydney, his dissertation traces the early history of the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services movement in Australia. Following his PhD studies, Guy worked as a Senior Research Coordinator for the Aboriginal Medical Service Western Sydney. Before first coming to Australia in 2007, Guy worked for Physicians for Human Rights in his native Israel/ Palestine, advocating for equitable access to health services.

Fiona Lange has a BHSc and has recently completed her MPH at Melbourne University. She has an extensive background in community development, health promotion and social marketing. Fiona has worked in local Government, education, health and hospital settings developing innovative health promotion to increase access, equity and value diversity using community and arts based health promotion approaches. Fiona works with Government services, Aboriginal controlled health services, NGOs and individuals to develop engaging health promotion and multi media social marketing strategies that are being used to support the elimination of trachoma in Australian by 2020.

Lesley Martin is a Central Australian Arrernte Woman by decent, Lore & Culture.

Digby Mercer is a proud Gadigal man of the Eora Nation. Born on Bundjalung land, Digby joined IEH in November of 2021 in the role of Aboriginal Health Promotion Officer. Digby will be working at IEH alongside his role as Deadly Fringe Program Coordinator at Melbourne Fringe, which he has been in since May 2021 and previous to that Digby held a role at Aboriginal led Social Enterprise; Clothing the Gaps. Through his role, Digby is excited to fuse his creative experience and interests to develop engaging health promotion resources to support better eye care for First Nations Australians.

Makkaillah hails from Newcastle in New South Wales and identifies as a Kamilaroi/Worimi Woman born on Arrernte land. Her background is in the arts, having specialised in sculpture and bronze work she completed her BFA in 2018 and went on to pursue further study in health and business administration. She is now working as the Administration Officer with the Indigenous Eye Health team.

Tessa Saunders commenced in the role of Research Fellow with Indigenous Eye Health (IEH) at the University of Melbourne in November 2017. Tessa has over 10 years experience working in primary health care program management in Tasmania and Victoria - with a particular focus on collaboration for health system improvement. She has also worked for State Government and within the university sector. Tessa was awarded her PhD in 2009 (University of Tasmania) and completed a Master of Public Health at Monash University in 2017. In her role with IEH, Tessa is working with the IEH team to support regional implementation of the Roadmap to Close the Gap for Vision (2012) across Australia.

Nick Schubert started in the role of Senior Research Fellow with Indigenous Eye Health (IEH), University of Melbourne in January 2016. Nick has a background of rural health workforce policy and program delivery across Australia at community, state and national levels. He is also currently undertaking a part-time PhD in rural health sciences exploring global approaches to rural medical generalism. In his role with IEH, Nick is working with a number of regions and jurisdictions across Australia to support the implementation of the Roadmap to Close the Gap for Vision (2012), as well as working on a number of key underpinning projects in support of this work.

Emma Stanford has a BA, BSc and Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science from Monash University. Emma has several years experience working in health from a government, hospital and medical research perspective. Emma has worked as a policy adviser to two Federal Health Ministers, she has worked in communications at the Royal Women's Hospital and as Executive Officer for the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes. Emma is a Research Fellow in the Indigenous Eye Health group involved in the communications, policy development, advocacy and government liaison aspects of the work of the Group.

Shaun Tatipata is a descendant of the Narrindjeri / Wuthathi people with family connections in the Torres Strait, Cape York and South Australia. He joined Indigenous Eye Health in January 2021 in the role of Academic Specialist: Indigenous Eye Health Leadership. Shaun’s professional career has been devoted to advancing the health and well-being of Indigenous Australians and has held Senior Management positions within the Community Controlled and Non-Government Sectors. Having originally trained as an Aboriginal Health Worker, Shaun gained extensive experience in delivering Primary Health Care and designing and implementing outreach programs in Indigenous communities. It was through these roles that Shaun developed his passion for preserving and restoring sight, and set out to focus on ensuring the delivery of culturally safe eye care services for Indigenous communities.

Nick Wilson joined the IEH team in 2018 in the role of Marketing & Communications Officer. In 2021 he transitioned to the role of Senior Engagement Officer.

Nick is a Ngarrindjeri man and is originally from South Australia. Nick has been working in Indigenous health for 10 years and started his career working at an Aboriginal community-controlled health organisation in South Australia.

Nick’s current role involves engaging a broad range of stakeholders to advance activities and efforts to Close the Gap for Vision – with a particular focus on the elimination of trachoma in Australia by 2022.

Carol Wynne commenced in the role of Translation Research Scholar with Indigenous Eye Health (IEH) at the University of Melbourne in 2014. Carol's has over 10 years experience working in Aboriginal health in the Northern Territory and Victoria – with a particular focus on grassroots level community development and health promotion. She has also worked for local government, and various NGOs, in Ireland, South East Asia, Mongolia and Africa.  Carol has a strong interest in public health and completed her MPH at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 2005. In her role with IEH, Carol is working with the IEH team to support regional implementation of the Roadmap to Close the Gap for Vision across Australia.