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Congratulations to Professor Stephanie Watson on Order Of Australia award

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Professor Stephanie Watson OAM

Keratoconus Australia would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Professor Stephanie Watson on being awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2022 The Queen’s Birthday Honours List for her services to ophthalmology.

Professor Watson has been a long time partner of Keratoconus Australia and established the Save Sight Keratoconus Registry which has been tracking the outcomes of crosslinking and other treatments for keratoconus since 2014. She also played a significant role in securing a Medicare rebate for crosslinking procedures – which has provided enormous assistance to many people requiring this operation.

Professor Watson was a co-founder with Keratoconus Australia of the KeraClub, an annual meeting forum for people with keratoconus and their families, keratoconus specialists and researchers.

Professor Watson has also supported the Association in its efforts to raise awareness of the dangers of eye rubbing for keratoconus patients and has collaborated on projects to raise awareness of keratoconus and its treatments. She has been a long-time friend and supporter of the Association.

This award is richly deserved and an acknowledgment of a career devoted to improving eye health in Australia

Below is the full citation for Professor Watson’s Order of Australia award



Professor Stephanie Louise WATSON, Queens Park NSW 2022
For service to ophthalmology.
Sydney Eye Hospital, Sydney Children’s Hospital and Prince of Wales Hospital
– Head of Department, Corneal Unit, current.
– Ophthalmic Surgeon.
Keratoconus Australia
– Co-Founder, Save Sight Keratoconus Registry, since 2014.
– Ophthalmologist, since 2014.
University of Sydney
– Professor, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Save Sight Institute, since 2017.
– Honorary Clinical Professor, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Save Sight Institute
2011-16.
Australian Vision Research (formerly Ophthalmic Research Institute of Australia)
– Chairperson, current.
– Board Member.
Ophthalmology – Other
– First Vice-President, Sydney Eye Lions Club, since 2015.
– Editor, Cochrane Eyes and Vision Group.
– Chair of the Advocacy and Outreach Committee, Association for Research in Vision
and Ophthalmology, since 2021.
– Fellow, Academy of Asia-Pacific Professors of Ophthalmology (AAPPO), since 2019.
Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO)
– Co-Founder, Women in Ophthalmology Group, 2018.
– Fellow, since 2001.
Awards and recognition include:
– Top 100 Global Power list for Ophthalmology, The Ophthalmologist, 2022.
– Silver Fellow, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, 2021.
– Top 100 Power list for Women in Ophthalmology, The Ophthalmologist, 2021.
– Dorothy Potter Medal, New Zealand branch of the Royal Australian and New Zealand
College of Ophthalmologists 2021.
– NSW Premiers Prize in Science and Engineering Leadership in Innovation, 2019.
– First prize, Medical Device Commercialisation Training programme, NSW Health and
ATP Innovations, 2015.
– Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop Fellowship, Asialink Leaders Programme, University of
Melbourne, 2013.
– National Health and Medical Research Council Awards, Gustav Nossal Medical and
Dental Postgraduate Research Scholarship, 2004.