The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ and the University of Otago are proud to present the Inaugural Fred Hollows' Lecture hosted by Va'a o Tautai - Centre for Pacific Health, University of Otago. The annual lecture is in memory of legendary Kiwi eye doctor and humanitarian, Professor Fred Hollows. Our first speaker is Dr John Szetu who has been delivering eye care in the Pacific since 1988 and has worked with The Foundation team for the last 21 years. He is currently The Foundation's Medical Director.

St David Complex University of Otago, Saint David Street, Dunedin, Otago, 9016

Programme

5:00pm Doors open for drinks and nibbles

5:45pm Formal Proceedings begin with Cook Island Welcome and Introductions

6:30pm Dr Szetu gives his lecture followed by Q&A

7:10pm Entertainment

7:30pm Event closes

For those that can not attend in person, the lecture will be live streamed here

https://www.otago.ac.nz/its/services/teaching/streaming/otago600495.html

Dr John Szetu, Medical Director, The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ

Based in Solomon Islands

Dr John Szetu has been with The Foundation since it started delivering programmes in the Pacific in 2001. He currently holds the position of Medical Director, based at the Regional Eye Centre in Solomon Islands.

Among his myriad of other achievements, Dr Szetu (with the support of The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ) established the Pacific Eye Institute in 2006, a training centre for Pacific eye health workers now located in Suva, Fiji. At around the same time, he formed the Pacific Eye Care Society (PacEYES) to represent eye care professionals working in the Pacific region. Dr Szetu also held the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness Western Pacific Region Co-Chair position for the Pacific Islands Sub–Region from 2009–2012.

Dr Szetu had long recognised the importance of training Pacific eye health workers to deliver eye care in their own communities, and has always advocated strongly for formalising ophthalmic training, both of doctors and nurses in the Pacific. He realised that more of both cadres were badly needed to cater for the particular needs of the small but scattered populations across the islands. He has an impressive track record in designing and implementing training courses for eye care nurses and supervising registrars in the Pacific. His successful training and clinical service programmes in Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands are highly regarded throughout the Pacific eye health sector.

The growth of the Pacific Eye Institute reflects the respect that Dr Szetu commands amongst his Pacific Island colleagues, as well as those from New Zealand and Australia. He has been able to inspire others to realise that, like him, they can stand on their own feet and provide increasingly high-quality eye health care and leadership for their own communities. Dr Szetu is highly respected by the global eye health community and has inspired others to join the fight against avoidable blindness.