CERA

About

Dr Jennifer Fan Gaskin

Research Fellow, Ocular Fibrosis

Dr Jennifer Fan Gaskin is a clinician-scientist glaucoma specialist and leads CERA’s ocular fibrosis research.

Dr Jennifer Fan Gaskin

Research Fellow, Ocular Fibrosis

MBChB, MD, FRANZCO

Dr Jennifer Fan Gaskin leads ocular fibrosis research at CERA and is a Consultant Ophthalmologist at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital (RVEEH).

She was awarded the prestigious Clinical Research Training Fellowship (Health Research Council NZ) in 2007 for her Doctorate in Medicine research (Keratoconus: Novel Investigations of the Diseased Cornea).

Following vocational training, she undertook two years of glaucoma fellowships (2013 – 2014) in Auckland and Melbourne respectively, and was actively recruited to join the Glaucoma Unit at RVEEH and CERA.

Dr Fan Gaskin’s current research focus is on developing an effective and safe method of controlling postoperative scarring in glaucoma surgery to prevent glaucoma blindness.

She is active in teaching ophthalmology registrars and glaucoma fellows at RVEEH. She has also supervised two University of Melbourne (UoM) MD Elective students and is currently supervising a MPhil (UoM) student.

In addition, she is a member of the Glaucoma Australia Ophthalmology committee, a Director of the Ophthalmic Research Institute of Australia, a board member of the Australian and New Zealand Glaucoma Society, the Victorian Representative of the RANZCO Continuing Professional Development Committee, a reviewer for the RANZCO Scientific Program Committee, and an examiner for the RANZCO Ophthalmic Basic Competencies and Knowledge Examination.

Key research questions
  • How can we make glaucoma surgery safer and more effective?
  • What are new methods of treating glaucoma?

Current projects

Selected publications

My team

Key collaborators

Funding and support

Current projects

Finding novel ways to reduce post-operative scarring in glaucoma patients.

While glaucoma filtration surgery is effective, the operation has a high rate of failure due to scarring. The current anti-scarring agents that are used are nonspecific, chemotherapy agents that have unfavourable risks. Our goal is to develop a more specific, less toxic, and clinically effective anti-scarring agent to improve the safety and efficacy of glaucoma surgery.

The availability of such an agent would also help improve the long-term benefit of the recently launched minimally- invasive glaucoma surgical devices. These devices are less invasive than traditional glaucoma surgery and have resulted in earlier adoption of surgery. However, it has already become evident that post-operative scarring is substantially reducing the long-term benefit of these devices and the manufacturers are actively seeking improved methods of fibrosis control.

Contact Dr Jennifer Fan Gaskin

Leave a direct enquiry for CERA below!

Please note: Unfortunately we are not able to provide individual medical advice over email.

General Contact Form