- Keynote Speakers
- Invited Speakers
Keynote Speakers
Dr Balwantray C. Chauhan
Presenting The IPS Lecture
Balwantray Chauhan is Professor and Research Director of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, and Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at Dalhousie University. He is also the holder of first endowed Chair in Vision Research at Dalhousie. He obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Wales, Cardiff and his postdoctoral training at the University of British Columbia under the supervision of Dr. Stephen Drance.
Dr. Chauhan’s clinical research interests are in the diagnosis of early changes in the visual field and optic disc in glaucoma. He has devised new strategies for detecting glaucomatous progression and conducted additional research leading to their translation to clinical practice. A key contribution in this area is the Topographical Change Analysis (TCA), a widely used technique for identifying changes in optic disc topography with modern imaging techniques such as scanning laser tomography. Dr. Chauhan is the principal investigator of the Canadian Glaucoma Study, a multicentre study and the largest of its kind, investigating the risk factors for the progression of open-angle glaucoma. His research is shedding new information on the nature and mode of glaucomatous progression.
His research interests also include experimental models of optic nerve damage. This work complements his clinical research and address research questions to provide new clues about the aetiology of glaucoma and possible new avenues of therapy. Recent areas of activity include studies of neuron-glia the retina and optic nerve, in vivo imaging of retinal neurons and neuroprotection. He conducts his basic science research in the Retina and Optic Nerve Research Laboratory, a multidisciplinary facility he was instrumental in establishing. This laboratory of 6 principal investigators from 4 departments in the Dalhousie Medical Faculty, and over 25 students, fellows and technicians, is unique in the country and provides an excellent opportunity for discovery and training.
Dr. Chauhan holds research grants for both his clinical (since 1991) and basic science (since 1997) research from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Atlantic Innovation Fund, and other public and private sector agencies. He is a member of the CIHR Group in Retina of 4 scientists at Dalhousie involved in collaborative basic science research.
Professor Joanne Wood BSc(Hons) PhD Aston, MCOptom, FAAO
Presenting The Aulhorn Lecture
Joanne Wood is a Professor in the School of Optometry and the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), and has research expertise spanning a number of key areas. Joanne received her PhD in visual science from the University of Aston, Birmingham, U.K., which included a series of studies on static automated perimetry in normal and abnormal eyes. Her PhD was followed by a post doctoral fellowship in clinical psychophysics at Oxford University. She then joined the School of Optometry at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane, Australia in 1989 as a Post Doctoral Fellow and currently holds the position of Professor and Director of Research in the School. Joanne has an international reputation for her investigations of the relationship between vision, ageing and driving performance and has made a significant contribution to understanding how visual impairment affects driving performance, identifying risk factors for unsafe older drivers and on the factors affecting pedestrian visibility at night-time. This research approach has led to the development of a wide research network overseas, attracting visiting scholars from around the world to participate in collaborative research projects. Joanne's research has resulted in the publication of 155 articles in national and international refereed journals, and presentation of 150 research papers at major international conferences.