Professor Hugh R Taylor AC

Professor Taylor received his medical degree from the University of Melbourne in 1971 and his Doctorate in 1978. He was on the Faculty of the Wilmer Institute at The Johns Hopkins University from 1977 to 1990 where he held joint appointments in Epidemiology and International Health.

Professor Taylor’s research interests include blindness prevention strategies, infectious causes of blindness and the growing interface between medicine, public health and health economics.

Professor Taylor has published 10 books, more than 50 book chapters and 500 scientific articles. He has chaired or served on advisory committees or boards for organizations, including The World Health Organization, The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists, The American Academy of Ophthalmology and Vision 2020 Australia.

His numerous awards include the Paul Harris Award from Rotary International, the International Blindness Prevention Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Gold Medal from the International Organization Against Trachoma. In 2001 he was made a Companion in the Order of Australia for his contributions to the prevention of river blindness, to academia through research and education related to the prevention of eye disease, and to eye health in indigenous communities. He was a finalist in the 2005 Australian of the Year Awards.

Among the many named lectures he has delivered are the Jackson Lecture (American Academy of Ophthalmology), the Mildred Weisenfeld Lecture (Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology), the Holmes Lecture (Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology), the Council Lecture (Royal Australian College of Ophthalmologists), the Fred Hollows Memorial Lecture (International Eye Foundation) and the Lang Lecture (Royal Society of Medicine).

Professor Taylor is a member of the International Council of Ophthalmology, Regional Chairman for the Western Pacific for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness and Vision 2020, and holds the 53rd Chair of the Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis.

Although retired from his role as Managing Director, Professor Taylor continues his work in Aboriginal Eye Health, working close collaboration with the Centre on the National Indigenous Eye Health Survey among other projects.