Sydney optometrist Professor Fiona Stapleton is the 2018 recipient of Optometry Australia’s prestigious H Barry Collin Research Medal.
She is the first woman to receive the peer nominated medal in its 41 year history.
Optometry Australia CEO Lyn Brodie, congratulated Professor Stapleton saying, “The H Barry Collin Medal is awarded to the leading luminaries within our profession and we are delighted that the spotlight this year falls on a woman who has done so much to advance optometric research and clinical application not only in Australia, but globally”.
In 2007 Professor Stapleton became the first female head of an optometry school in Australia when appointed Head of Optometry and Vision Science at UNSW Sydney and she received the medal for her research in contact lens infection, particularly corneal infection.
Many of Professor Stapleton’s 224 publications in journals have covered this field and she has led international collaborations on contact lens and corneal infection. She has conducted studies to establish and help reduce infection risks and has received other high profile international medals and awards for this work.
Professor Stapleton said she was, “surprised and humbled to receive the medal”.
She will submit a paper for publication in Optometry Australia’s journal, Clinical and Experimental Optometry, one of the top three optometry journals in the world. She will also receive a cash prize to support her research work.
