Professor Jill Keeffe OAM

Professor Jill Keeffe OAM is Head of CERA's Population Health Unit and Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for the Prevention of Blindness specialising in Low Vision and Health Services Research. The Population Health Unit specialises in prevention of vision loss and blindness in Australia and our region.

Professor Keeffe began her research career with her PhD, “Assessment and Educational Implications of Common Causes of Low Vision in Children”. This unique study combined her training and experience as a teacher of children with impaired vision with that of work in paediatric ophthalmology to document the broad impact of impaired vision.

Professor Keeffe’s post-doctoral research has taken her around the world, where she has shared her initiatives and knowledge with communities in Africa, South America, Asia and Pacific Nations. The outcome of her post-doctoral research was ‘The Low Vision Kit’, a cost effective vision screening kit for use in developing countries, published by the World Health Organization and is now available in 11 languages. She has conducted numerous training courses on Low Vision around the world and is often an invited speaker at international conferences.

Professor Keeffe is Chair of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness’ (IAPB) Low Vision Program Committee. This group has established a Resource Centre in Hong Kong to provide low cost low vision devices throughout the world and has developed curriculum for national leaders and eye health professionals to establish low vision programs.

Professor Keeffe holds the position of First Vice-President of the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI), a global initiative seeking to provide education for all visually impaired people throughout the world.

CERA is a core participant in the Vision CRC, a research centre established in 2003 and supported under the Australian Government's Cooperative Research Centres Program. Professor Keeffe is Program Director for the Vision Care Delivery Program, which is working with eyecare and other organisations to:

• understand the magnitude and causes of vision loss and blindness problem.
• develop models for effective vision care delivery systems.
• develop enabling technology for the delivery of eyecare in under-resourced areas.
• contribute to The Vision Initiative, an Australian Vision 2020 project designed to increase public awareness of the importance of eyecare.

Professor Keeffe was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2007 for “services to public health particularly in the area of vision testing and as a contributor to the advancement of eye care education and practice”. She is heavily involved in teaching and learning at CERA, having supervised approximately 30 undergraduate and graduate research students and currently chairing CERA’s Graduate Committee. Professor Keeffe has published her work in more than 110 peer reviewed articles.

Professor Keeffe describes her work as translating research to provide evidence for best practice in eye care and low vision services.