OUTCOMES OF CORNEAL ALLERGENIC INTRASTROMAL RING SEGMENT (CAIRS) SURGERY
Dr David Gunn, Ophthalmologist
Cornea, Cataract and Refractive Surgeon, Queensland Eye Institute
& Focus Vision Clinic in Brisbane, Queensland
RESEARCHER PROFILE (Filmed in Brisbane, Queensland, Australian | June 2024)
Dr David Gunn is an ophthalmologist specialising in cornea, cataract, and refractive surgery at the Queensland Eye Institute and Focus Vision in Brisbane, Queensland. His journey into ophthalmology began during medical school, inspired by a mentor. He initially engaged in research on mouse glaucoma, exploring amacrine cells and their responses.
After completing his residency and gaining experience in eye casualty at the Royal Brisbane Hospital, David underwent four years of surgical training in the Queensland network. This was followed by a stint at the Bristol Eye Hospital in the UK, focusing on the cornea and anterior segment. Since returning to Queensland, he has concentrated on keratoconus research.
One of the pivotal moments in his career was the decision to specialise in cornea surgery, which included performing Australia’s first CAIRS procedure in May 2021. His current research examines outcomes for patients undergoing Corneal Allergenic Intrastromal Ring Segment (CAIRS) surgery.
Dr Gunn finds immense satisfaction in the immediate post-operative results he sees in patients, as visual acuity provides a tangible measure of success. He is passionate about introducing less invasive surgical techniques that lead to improvements in patients’ lives.
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Inner ear organoids for the study of human hearing and balance
Dr Jackie Ogier is an auditory neuroscientist, with a research focus on the molecular biology of hair cells, the specialised sensory receptors in the ear that detect sound and balance. She is a postdoctoral research fellow in the laboratory of A/Prof Bryony Nayagam, supported by a prestigious Passe and Williams foundation fellowship.
Dr Ogier’s experience broadly spans the genetics of hearing loss, disease modelling, micro dissection, primary cell culture, stem cell culture, organoids, and proteomics. Overall, she aims to generate knowledge of hearing and vestibular sensory biology.
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Novel forms of brain stimulation & psychedelic assisted psychotherapy
Professor Paul Fitzgerald is the Head of the School of Medicine and Psychology at the Australian National University. He is an academic psychiatrist with a MBBS degree, Masters of Psychological Medicine and research PhD. He has conducted an extensive range of experimental studies and clinical trials, focused on the development of novel treatment options for patients with mental health conditions such as depression, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, PTSD, autism and Alzheimer’s disease.
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Anne O’Neill
STATE GOVERNMENT SUPPORTING MEDICAL RESEARCH
@ NSW HEALTH, NEW SOUTH WALES AUSTRALIA
