UNSW SOVS Launches Campaign to Train Next Generation of Advanced Practice Optometrists

The School of Optometry & Vision Science is calling on alumni, clinicians and industry partners to help funds its flagship Optometry Residency Program – a transformative initiative preparing optometrists for advanced clinical roles and leadership in eye care.

The UNSW School of Optometry & Vision Science has an ambitious goal of raising over $2 million by May 2026 to fund its optometry residency program and empower the next generation of eye care leaders. The critical funds will ensure that graduates receive advanced clinical training, preparing them to innovate and transform eye care across Australia and beyond.

“Residency programs are where theory meets practice,” says Professor Lisa Keay, Head of School and internationally recognised leader in optometry education and research. “They give emerging optometrists the confidence and expertise to manage complex cases, lead multidisciplinary teams, and drive change in eye care.”

Under Professor Keay’s leadership, UNSW has become a global powerhouse in optometry education, ranked among the top programs worldwide for research and clinical excellence. Her vision for the future is clear: to create pathways that produce clinicians who are not only skilled but also adaptable and innovative in a rapidly evolving digital health care landscape.

This program aligns with the opening of a world-leading integrated medical, research and health innovation centre at UNSW Sydney. The UNSW Health Translation Hub connects pioneering research and education with public health, private industry and community - the first of its kind in Australia to operationalise translational health at scale. 

The 35,600 square metre facility was developed in partnership by UNSW Sydney and leading infrastructure developer Plenary. The UNSW Health Translation Hub enables seamless integration between local hospitals and the University, ensuring the rapid translation of research directly into improved patient care. 

The opening of UNSW’s Health Translation Hub marks a major milestone in the state government’s $1.5 billion Randwick Campus Redevelopment - one of the largest health infrastructure projects in NSW. 

The UNSW Health Translation Hub offers a uniquely interdisciplinary student experience, connecting future health professionals directly with industry, clinical communities and the public. Students will engage in every aspect of care - from medicine to allied health, population health to biomedical engineering - working side-by-side with researchers and practitioners on real-world projects. The facility’s immersive, collaborative environment enhances patient care and community participation while cultivating the leadership and problem-solving skills needed to shape the future of health. 

A new Optometry Clinic will open in January 2026 embedded within the Health Translation Hub UNSW Health Clinics, offering eyecare alongside a range of health and wellbeing services. The multi-disciplinary service will enable inter-professional clinical training for UNSW Optometry students alongside medical and allied health students. While our UNSW Optometry Clinic on main campus will continue as a student led clinic, the UNSW HTH offers a unique opportunity to integrate eyecare with other services, innovate in healthcare delivery and have a lasting impact on community health. 

Residency-trained optometrists will work in this facility and are expected to become the profession’s future leaders, leading advanced clinics in glaucoma, myopic control and complex comorbidity care, contributing to new models of care, and advocating for overall better patient outcomes. By supporting this campaign, donors will help shape a future where preventable blindness is reduced, and patients receive world-class, interdisciplinary care.

Join us in making this vision a reality.  With increasing demand for optometrists to take on enhanced scope roles, every contribution will soon help us train leaders at the forefront of innovation.  Donation details will be available in early January.