International development organisation The Fred Hollows Foundation has welcomed a new Medical Director, Dr Andy Cassels-Brown, who will drive medical advice, research and innovation that will extend The Foundation’s impact.
Dr Cassels-Brown brings three decades’ ophthalmic experience to his new role and a passion for community eye health, which he has championed globally, particularly in Africa.
“I’m excited and honoured to join The Fred Hollows Foundation, a world renowned organisation, in its mission to end avoidable blindness,” Dr Cassels-Brown said.
“As a practising ophthalmologist, Fred is someone I’ve always deeply respected. He knew eye health was integral to a person’s overall health and economic welfare, and he challenged the establishment to argue that high quality eye health was available to everyone no matter where they lived.
“I can think of nothing better than working with a talented international team to scale up our efforts and test new approaches to affordable eye care.
“For many years, The Foundation has led the way internationally in addressing blindness and vision loss. Going forward, strengthening our approach to innovation and sustainability are two key areas that I see us focusing on to increase our impact.
“With the number of blind and vision impaired people set to triple over the next 30 years, our work is certainly cut out for us.”
Dr Cassels-Brown will work with The Foundation’s long-serving Medical Director, Dr Richard Le Mesurier, to ensure a smooth transition. Dr Le Mesurier, who will step down next year, has been working with The Foundation since 1995 when he set up The Foundation’s ground-breaking cataract surgical training program in Africa.
Dr Cassels-Brown was a consultant ophthalmologist for the UK’s National Health Service, overseeing cataract services, general, medical retina and glaucoma service redesign.
He also has a passion for sustainability and is Secretary of the Environmental Sustainability Working Group for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.
This complements The Foundation’s commitment to building long-term sustainability of health systems and eye health services, as outlined in our 2019-2023 Strategy
Dr Cassels-Brown will oversee The Foundation’s growing international team of Medical Advisors.