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Laura Downie

Professional Bio

Laura Downie is a clinician scientist who has gained international recognition for research excellence in ocular disease, with awards, highly cited papers, international speaking engagements and appointments to professional bodies. She is an Associate Professor and an inaugural Dame Kate Campbell Fellow in the Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences at the University of Melbourne. She heads the ‘Anterior Eye, Clinical Trials and Research Translation Unit’ comprising 11 members (6 PhD and 1 Masters students, 4 staff). Her research combines laboratory, clinical and implementation science as a foundation for improving patient outcomes, particularly in the areas of anterior eye disease and age-related macular degeneration. She is a previous NHMRC Translating Research Into Practice (TRIP) Fellow (2015-7), and has been awarded research funding from a diversity of sources, including the Macular Disease Foundation of Australia, Rebecca L Cooper Medical Foundation and industry.                                             

Laura graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Optometry in 2003, and completed her PhD, focusing on vascular, neuronal and glial cell changes in retinopathy of prematurity, at the same institution in 2008. She has undertaken postgraduate training in evidence-based medicine at the University of Oxford, and completed the Women's Executive Leadership program at the Hass School of Business, UC Berkeley. Her research spans ocular biomarkers and diagnostics, clinical trials, systematic reviews, and implementation science. Laura has authored >90 papers and is lead inventor on two patents relating to new tear film biomarkers. She serves as a member on national and international expert panels, standards committees, industry advisory boards, and community and professional committees.

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