Researcher Profile
Anna-Lena Arnold
After realising laboratory work wasn't her calling, science graduate Anna-Lena Arnold set her sights on a Masters in Public Health at the University of Melbourne and hasn't looked back.
"I wanted to work in a field that would allow me to conduct ground-level research to directly benefit disadvantaged communities," Anna-Lena said.
Inspired by a volunteer stint at aid and development organisation Oxfam, Anna-Lena set out to find a job that would complement her studies. This led to her current position as Research Assistant within the Population Health Unit at the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA).
In her first year at CERA, Anna-Lena helped coordinate the National Indigenous Eye Health Survey, a national study into the extent and impact of eye disease in Indigenous communities
"It was a fantastic experience. The survey took me to some of Australia's most remote Indigenous communities to conduct vision testing and introduced me to some of Australia's most admired champions of Indigenous health" Anna-Lena said.
The survey's results, launched in 2009, will inform Government policy into the introduction and development of eye care services in these communities.
Anna-Lena now coordinates programs through the Australian Government's Avoidable Blindness Initiative, which aims to eliminate avoidable blindness in the Asia Pacific region by 2020.
The role has seen Anna-Lena travel to poverty-stricken areas of Vietnam and Cambodia to assess the rate of blindness and attitudes to eye health.
"Sadly, I saw many people who'd gone blind from treatable diseases like cataract or minor accidents like cuts to the cornea."
"People living in regional areas of countries like Vietnam and Cambodia often don't seek treatment for eye problems because it's costly and difficult to access. That's why we're bringing eye care to the people. "
According to Anna-Lena, while the location and communities in which she works can vary immensely, the central mission remains the same - to reduce vision loss and blindness in disadvantaged communities.
"Healthy vision is so important to a person's quality of life. Knowing that I'm helping to make a practical difference in someone's life - that's the most rewarding aspect of my work."
Education
Bachelor of Science (Double Major Immunology/) - Monash University
Masters of Public Health - The University of Melbourne
Position
Research Assistant, Population Health Unit, Centre for Eye Research Australia
