About us

I completed my PhD in Physiology in 2015. Since then, I have developed interests in science writing and communication, and vision research. I enjoy collating and synthesising complex information and I hope to apply these skills to new projects within the Community Eye Health team.

I began my PhD in 2018 on Aniseikonia: A potential barrier to neural plasticity. My thesis investigates the role that image size plays in anisometropic amblyopia. I became interested in this as through my clinical experience I have come across a large number of children who are not able to complete amblyopia treatment due to inequitable access to glasses and occlusion. I hope that my research will highlight the importance of glasses as the first line of amblyopia treatment and improve funding and access for all children.

I joined SOVS in 2021 as a Community Coordinator following completion of my Masters in Public Health focused on Pacific Health. Our pilot population-based study uncovered a large unmet need for eye care in our Pacific Community and I look forward to working with the Community Eye Health Team to make eye care more accessible in Aotearoa.

In 2020 I was awarded the University of Auckland Senior Health Research Scholarship to complete my PhD on inequities in eye care access with a particular focus on Māori and Pacific people in Auckland. I hope my research will be used to plan equitable eye care services for all New Zealanders.

I joined the School in 2019 and subsequently began a part-time MHSc in optometry alongside teaching. I am an active part of the SOVS school vision screening programme and I have based some of my research on the prevalence of uncorrected refractive error in school children. I’m interested in a number of areas of research in optometry, notably equity in paediatric eye care as well as the scope of cultural safety of optometrists in Aotearoa.

I am an optometrist with previous experience working in remote aboriginal communities in Western Australia. Currently, I’m a Professional Teaching Fellow on the Vision Bus Aotearoa. The Vision Bus is a mobile optometry clinic that aims to address inequity in eye health by making sure children can see clearly at school so that they can seek higher education.

I am a Māori medical student in the final year of my studies, and a student researcher in the Department of Ophthalmology. My research focuses on Kaupapa Māori eye health projects, developing Māori frameworks for eye health, and working towards equitable and culturally safe eye healthcare for Māori in Aotearoa.

I am a Dispensing Optician and Professional Teaching Fellow on the Vision Bus Aotearoa dispensing glasses to children. My interests lie in childhood myopia and I have begun a Master of Health Science investigating how well children adapt and adhere to glasses designed to slow myopia progression, and the barriers to full time wear.

I am a Podiatrist at Te Whatu Ora (Waikato) and I am completing my PhD on improving health care for older adults with sensory impairment and diabetes. I am enjoying being part of the Community Eye Health Team who all have similar goals in improving health care for all people in Aotearoa.