Our academic leaders
Meet our academics, who are renowned researchers and experienced professionals; their work guides future professionals and shapes current healthcare policies and practices.
Professor Kathryn Rose
Head of Discipline, Orthoptics
Professor Rose is an internationally acclaimed Orthoptics practitioner and researcher whose work centres on the field of myopia (shortsightedness) and new-borns admitted to neonatal intensive care units who have a higher percentage of turned eye, as well as high refractive error. “There is a huge need for orthoptists in the workforce. Our emphasis is on high-quality education and constant renewal and appraisal of the educational process to ensure that our graduates are well prepared for the wide range of opportunities available to them. In particular, we are working closely with the orthoptic profession and wider industry groups to support our students, and that’s a real advantage of being at UTS.
Dr Amanda French
Lecturer
Amanda's research interests include the development and progression of refractive errors, particularly myopia (shortsightedness) and associated environmental risk factors such as time spent outdoors. Other areas of interest include orthoptic practice, in particular, vision testing methods and the epidemiology of eye related disorders such as; visual impairment, amblyopia and strabismus.
Mara Giribaldi
Associate Lecturer
Mara has worked in areas such as paediatric clinics, neurology and brain injury units, glaucoma and cataract clinics, LASIK environments, private Orthoptic practice, school vision screening, baby health clinics and since 2001 predominantly in the niche area of macular degeneration, medical retina, retinal diagnostics and ocular photography and angiography.
Michelle Courtney-Harris
Associate Lecturer
Michelle has extensive clinical experience as an Orthoptist in the Private sector and Community Health and manages clinical education for our students. Michelle is studying a PhD research degree with a focus on stroke and related ocular conditions. In consultation with the Ophthalmology Service of the NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation (ACI), Michelle has completed the validation of a screening tool to identify eye conditions in stroke patients. The screening tool and an interactive education module has been implemented within NSW stroke services and NSW Health online education platform. Read more.
