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WVUK was set up to promote women's profile in the field of Vision. We aim to make women's achievements more visible and promote all women's successes
Scroll below to see the amazing accomplishments of Women in Vision.
Just got an award? Know a colleague that recently got one? Want to promote of a nice woman success story? We want to hear from you! Contact Abigail or Maryse to feature on this page or help promote women in vision by suggesting a colleague too shy to apply!
Congratulations!
Vision UK 2019 Awards: congratulations to Women in Vision UK members Jayshree Vasani, Irene Stratton, Jugnoo Rahi and Lola Solebo!
This joint conference between the RSM GP with Primary Health Care Section, Vision UK and in association with the RSM Ophthalmology Section and Digital Health Section saw WVUK members win prestigious awards.
Congratulations to Jayshree Vasani, winner of Vision UK Astbury Award for Excellence in Collaboration 2019!
Jayshree Vasani, as team member of the “Seeing Beyond the Eyes” team for Seeing beyond the Eyes project, took home the Astbury award for excellence in collaboration. Vision UK recognised the ground-breaking work being done by the “Seeing Beyond the Eyes team” at their joint conference between the RSM GP with Primary Health Care Section, Vision UK and in association with the RSM Ophthalmology Section and Digital Health Section.
The team (pictured below) faced stiff competition from other nominees in this category.
Since launch in 2018, the team’s achievements in bringing together the optical and sight loss support sectors to benefit patients with visual impairment have been outstanding. 60 interactive Continuing Education and Training (CET) workshops have been delivered throughout England and Scotland empowering thousands of optometrists and dispensing opticians to better support their patients with sight loss and develop closer links with local and national support services.
To find out more about the project and book a workshop place follow this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/seeing-beyond-the-eyes-cet-bristol-tickets-70590631479
Congratulations to Irene Stratton, winner of Vision UK Award for Excellence in Evidence and Statistics 2019!
Irene Stratton took home the award in recognition of career contributions against tough competition.
Irene Stratton is a senior medical statistician and has been working in medical statistics since 1980 starting in cancer research moving to the Diabetes Trials Unit in 1988 as the senior medical statistician on the UK Prospective Diabetes Study. Irene has also worked on the design of a number of trials in diabetes, pre-diabetes and neurology and contributed to many of the papers which came from analyses of UKPDS.
Based in Gloucestershire since 2008 with Diabetic Retinopathy Research Group, her main interests are in modelling progression of diabetic eye disease and application of this work to screening strategies and design of new screening programmes. More recently Irene has become interested in more qualitative research and have collaborated with teams on successful RfPB funded projects.
Professor Sarah Coupland wins RCPATH Excellence Award for significant contribution to specialty
Sarah's research focuses on molecular genetics of cancers with particular interests in uveal melanoma; conjunctival melanoma; intraocular and ocular adnexal lymphomas; and CNS lymphoma. Sarah is internationally acclaimed for her work in ocular oncology. She has been instrumental to the care delivered to the world-recognised ocular oncology service in Liverpool through her pathology work, development of molecular and tumour signatures of ocular tumours, providing the evidence that informs treatments, prognosis and optimal patient care.
Follow the link below to the RCPATH awards page:
https://www.rcpath.org/discover-pathology/news/rcpath-excellence-awards-winners-announced.html
Congratulations to Marcela for her recent paper which was recognised as a top 20 most read paper in Acta Ophthalmologica.
Her research focuses on the role of mitochondrial dynamics in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative disease. As part of her role as a clinician scientist Marcela also recruits patients with inherited optic neuropathy for genetic screening and runs a Retinal Clinic and a Genetic Eye Clinic, at the University Hospital of Wales.
The paper titled “Can the retina be used to diagnose and plot the progression of Alzheimer's disease?” can be read at the following link.
Top download article 2017-2018-Votruba
Judith Potts hosts the first Charles Bonnet Syndrome information Day in York on April 25th 2019
JUDITH POTTS is the Founder of Esme’s Umbrella – www.charlesbonnetsyndrome.uk – which is the first Campaign to raise awareness of Charles Bonnet Syndrome and gather funds for research into this distressing condition.
Following the first Charles Bonnet Syndrome Patient Day, which she hosted last November at Moorfields, she was shortlisted for the Low Vision Award given by Optician Magazine.
She will be hosting the first Charles Bonnet Syndrome Information Day in York on 25th April.
Read Judith's statement
Professor Christine Purslow interviewed for "Acuity Magazine"
Christine was recently interviewed for a feature in 'Acuity' magazine. She started her optometry career in hospital, after which a variety of clinical roles followed. Embarking on an academic career in 2001, Christine was awarded her PhD from Aston University in 2005. She is a member of the College of Optometrists (UK), a Fellow of the IACLE and the BCLA, and a recipient of the 'Irving Fatt Memorial Award' for her work in anterior eye research.
Christine worked as a senior lecturer and researcher in the School of Optometry & Vision Sciences at Cardiff University working as Co-Director of the Contact Lens & Anterior Eye Research Unit (CLAER) alongside clinical work. Christine has previously been the Director of Postgraduate Taught Courses within WOPEC (Wales Optometry Postgraduate Education Centre), based at Cardiff University. Her most recent academic role was Professor and Head of Optometry at Plymouth University.
In 2013, Christine was appointed Head of Medical Affairs for Thea (UK & Ireland) which she continues alongside research at Cardiff University and visiting Professor at Plymouth and Aston Universities.
See below for the feature in Acuity Winter 2019 issue.
Rajula Karania receives the Association of Optometrists 2019 award for Second Sight UK
Rajula Karania is Specialist Optometrist working at Moorfields and Hillingdon hospitals. She is an active volunteer for the charity Second Sight UK. She recently received the Association of Optometrists 2019 award on behalf of the charity in recognition of work the charity is doing cure preventable blindness in India, and her involvement in training optometrists abroad.
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Dr Suzanne Hagan's Ocular Surface Group publishes 2 papers on dry eye:
Effect of tear supplements on signs, symptoms and inflammatory markers in dry eye.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29452970
Narrow Spectrum Kinase Inhibitors Demonstrate Promise for the Treatment of Dry Eye Disease and Other Ocular Inflammatory Disorders.
http://iovs.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2675343&resultClick=1
Dr Suzanne Hagan is a Lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University and works on the biological mechanisms underlying ocular surface disease
https://www.gcu.ac.uk/hls/staff/drsuzannehagan/
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Professor Tunde Peto and The Diabetic Eye Screening Programme Team: Winner of NI Healthcare award: Innovations in Ophthalmology prize February 2018.
With the aim of tackling the risk rate, since December 2016, the diabetic retinopathy screening services have implemented improvement changes that allow for timely analysis of the images taken and ensure that the patients are placed into the appropriate clinical pathway.
The team showcased their work at the19th Northern Ireland Healthcare Awards in February 2018:
http://nihealthcare.com/finalists/#1486049702279-fc274787-45b2 (Navigate to innovations section at bottom of page)
Tunde is a Professor at the Queen's University Belfast and the Clinical Lead of the Belfast Reading Center. She trained as an ophthalmologist and then completed her PhD in epidemiology and statistics on the field of diabetes care.
Check Tunde Peto's profile at the Queen's University Belfast
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Professor Jugnoo Rahi
NIHR Senior Investigator
Jugnoo has been appointed as National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Senior Investigator in the eleventh annual competition. She is the first Paediatric Ophthalmologist to be honoured with an NIHR Senior Investigator award.
More information
Jugnoo is Professor of Ophthalmic Epidemiology at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (ICH) and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and is supported by both the NIHR GOSH Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) and the NIHR Moorfields BRC.
She is an Honorary Consultant Ophthalmologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).
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Professor Christiana Ruhrberg
BSDB Cheryll Tickle Medal 2018
Christiana has been awarded the BSDB Cheryll Tickle Medal for her outstanding achievements in the field of Developmental Biology. The medal will be presented at next year’s BSDB Spring Meeting where Christiana will give the Cheryll Tickle Award Lecture.
2018 Judah Folkman Award for excellence in Vascular Biology research
The NAVBO Meritorious Awards Committee has announced Christiana as the recipient of the 2018 Judah Folkman Award in Vascular Biology. This award recognises outstanding contributions from vascular biologists at mid-career. Professor Ruhrberg will present the Folkman Award Lecture and receive the award at Vascular Biology 2018 in Newport, Rhode Island in October 2018.
More information
Christiana is a Professor at University College London’s Institute of Ophthalmology. Her studies are centred around the links between vascular and neuronal development.
