Ski Japan Eyecare Conference, 2012

Niseko Ski resort, Hokkaido, Japan

This conference has now finished. The 2013 January conference will be at Snowmass/Aspen-Colorado USA starting 12th January. 

A conference for all arms of the eye care profession.

Based at the luxurious Niseko Vale Hotel. This has a prime ski-in, Ski-out location in the very lively town of Hirafu on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. Hirafu is the main Niseko village teeming with restaurants and bars.

This area is blessed with some of the best snowfalls in the world as cold air from Siberia forms some of the driest, most consistent powder snow on the planet. Niseko has been named as the 2nd snowiest place in the world with an average snow fall of over 15m and a very long season. It has been ranked in the top 10 ski resorts of the world.

As with previous events there will be 4 x 4 hour lecture sessions during the week between 4 and 8pm so delegates and guests can enjoy the surrounds and have plenty of time for networking on the slopes. See the Education section for an outline of the conference philosophy.

The area is ideal for beginners as well as advanced skiers. In fact the lift at the back door of the hotel gives direct access to a lovely, gentle, tree lined beginners run to gain your confidence on and there are great, English speaking, ski schools available so it is a perfect setting to learn snow sports.

The other great thing about Niseko is that the lifts open for 12 hours a day with superb night skiing at no extra cost. It has a massive area lit up at night, not just a minor 'bunny run'

For the more advanced the 3.5 Niseko valleys are directly accessed. We are based in the 'main' valley, Hirafu.The other valleys are accessed by skis and one pass covers all areas.

Restricted conference room facilities in Niseko means that there will be a limit on delegate numbers and I expect the event to sell out so please make your mind up early and sort your group.

Friends and family are most welcome to come along too.

The important thing is to get your expression of interest in ASAP so I can reserve you a place, it's first in-best dressed for rooms etc.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Professor David A Mackey MBBS, MD, FRANZCO, FRACS

Ophthalmologist

Professor of Ophthalmology, Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science; Managing Director Lions Eye Institute

Professor David Mackey has spent 20 years studying the genetics of the optic nerve. He conducted extensive studies into large pedigrees with Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy and Dominant Optic Atrophy. In 1993 he initiated the Glaucoma Inheritance Study in Tasmania (GIST), creating one of the largest glaucoma biobanks in the world, and is now recognised as an international leader in the genetics of glaucoma with over 50 papers published on the subject. GIST has helped define phenotype-genotype correlations in myocilin glaucoma as well as identifying other glaucoma genes. In 2000 he started the Twins Eye Study in Tasmania and Brisbane to investigate the genetic and environmental factors contributing to the ocular biometry related to glaucoma and myopia. He also leads the Norfolk Island Eye Study, examining 800 descendant of the Bounty Mutineers, and in Western Australia runs the Raine Eye Health Study of 2,000 20-year olds from a birth cohort.

Dr Andrew Field

Ophthalmologist

Andrew graduated from Monash University,1980 and worked as a General Practitioner in rural Queenslandthird world PNG and suburban Melbourne until 1988.

Trained as an ophthalmologist at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital for three years and then did a Fellowship in Cornea and External Disease at John Hopkins Hospital, USA. Worked as a Senior Registrar in Southampton, UK, before commencing private practice at Cairns Eye & Laser Clinic in 1994. Currently, Senior Visiting Ophthalmologist to Cairns Base Hospital. Areas of special interest include cataract and pterygium surgery, along with diabetic retinal laser surgery and treatment of wet AMD with intravitreal Lucentis.

Robert Terry MSc

Senior Research Optometrist

Robert  graduated from the University of New South Wales with a Bachelor of Optometry in 1980. Over the following five years he worked in clinical practice in England before returning to Australia. He began working at the Cornea and Contact Lens Research Unit (CCLRU) and the Institute for Eye Research (IER) 1985, under the directorship of Professor Brien Holden, and now works for the Brien Holden Vision Institute where he is the Senior Research Optometrist. He is currently a consultant to the Clinical Studies team and his main area of research has been in the field of extended wear rigid gas permeable and soft contact lenses.Since 1990 he has been involved in many Contact Lens Education Programs conducted by CCLRU/IER.In 1995 he was awarded a Master of Science degree from UNSW for research work undertaken at CCLRU/IER investigating the effect of rigid gas-permeable lens wear on the human corneal touch threshold.At present he is the Chairman of the Contact Lens Society of Australia (NSW Chapter) and is a member of the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) and the International Association of Contact Lens Educators (IACLE). In 1993 he was made a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry.

Dr Andrew Apel MBBS (QLD), FRANZCO

Ophthalmologist

Dr Apel completed his ophthalmology training in Brisbane, then undertook a two year Corneal and External Diseases Fellowship at the University of Toronto, Canada from 1992-1994. He has over 15 years experience in treating medical and surgical conditions of the anterior segment of the eye. He has published many articles, reviewed journals, lectured internationally, and teaches at the Princess Alexandra Hospital. Dr Apel is an Aviation Medical Examiner (DAMO) for CASA and examines the ocular health of pilots and air traffic controllers. As well as his busy private practices in Brisbane and Ipswich, Dr Apel is a Senior Consultant at the Princess Alexandra Hospital. He performs procedures in relation to anterior segment surgery which include Cataract Surgery, Corneal Transplantation, Pterygium Surgery and Refractive Surgery.

Dr Nigel Morlet MBBS (WA), FRACS, FRANZCO

Ophthalmologist

Nigel graduated Medicine from the University of Western Australia in 1981 and trained in Ophthalmology at Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, NSW, under Professor Fred Hollows. He gained his FRACO AND FRACS in 1994.After a specialist Fellowship in corneal and external diseases at Moorfields Eye Hospital London, Nigel was a lecturer at the Institution of Ophthalmology, UK, returning to Australia as Consultant Ophthalmologist at Royal Perth Hospital. He specialises in cornea and external diseases, cataract, refractive and oculoplastic surgery.Dr Morlet is an active researcher and teacher and is a Clinical Associate Professor with the UWA School of Population health, as well as an Adjunct Associate Professor at Curtin University Department of Public Health. Nigel is widely published in the area of ophthalmic infections and drugs as well as on refractive surgery. Nigel was awarded for surgical instrument design by the Royal College of Surgeons and has received over $2,300,000 in research grants including four NH&MRC project grants.

Dr Phillipa Lamont MB.BS Ph.D FRACP

Phillipa trained in paediatrics in Perth WA, then did a Ph.D in neuropathology at Sydney Uni. Her post doc position was in the Neurogenetic laboratory of Prof Anita Harding at Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London. Upon returning to Perth she trained in adult and paediatric neurology, then went on to establish the Neurogenetic unit at Royal Perth Hospital, seeing adults with neurogenetic disease, and also practice as a paediatric neurologist at the children’s hospital.

Krystle Biffin BAppSc(Optom)

Optometrist

A Brisbane girl born and bred, after graduating as an optometrist from QUT in 2007 Krystle headed to Western Australia where she worked in a contact lens focused independent practice for two years.  For the past year Krystle has undertaken the challenge of therapeutics training, whilst providing relief work across Queensland and Western Australia.  

Katy O’Connell Bachelor Nursing 1990 ACU

Education Coordinator- Mater Education Centre Brisbane CEO LINK CPR

Katy worked as an educator for over 10 years at the Mater Private Hospital in Brisbane, in this position was responsible for implementing the External Automated Defibrillator into the nursing and medical workforce. Katy now runs a Brisbane based Registered Training Organisation that is Nationally Accredited called LINK CPR that specialises in tailoring it courses to meet the client’s needs.

Dr Tanya De L. Karlson

Immunologist

Tanya finished her PhD at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Göteborgs University, Gothenburg, Sweden, in 2007 in the field of inflammatory bowel diseases. She has worked as a Post doc at the Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation Research at Göteborgs University in projects which involves the use of exosomes as cancer vaccines and development of a therapeutic vaccine against cervical cancer using cholera toxin as adjuvant.In 2010 Tanya received a Postdoctoral Fellowship from The Swedish Research Council to research on the use of nanoparticles in cancer vaccines at Monash University in Melbourne where she is currently employed.