UKZN Professor to Lead World Council for Optometry Committee

University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) Associate Professor of Optometry, Vanessa Moodley, is the new Education Committee Chairperson for the World Council for Optometry (WCO). Moodley will serve a two-year tenure.

An international membership-based non-profit organisation for individual optometrists, industry professionals and optometric organisations, the WCO is set on its mission to advance and promote optometry, global eye health and vision care through collaboration, education and advocacy.

In line with WCO’s vision for accessible eye health and vision care for everyone, Moodley has, over the years, held both optometric professional and academic leadership positions. Humbled by the appointment, Moodley said: “Leadership opportunities spanned contributions to curriculum transformation, optometry programme design and scope expansion, and faculty development, all to strengthen education and continually upskill practitioners.”

An excerpt from Moodley’s nomination by South African Optometric Association Public Health Director, Professor Ingrid Metsing, read: “As a scholar, Prof Moodley is well recognised for the relevance and quality of her work. Her contributions to research, publications, curriculum development and policy have positively influenced both academic and clinical practice. She brings an effective balance of academic insight and practical leadership, ensuring that her work remains applicable and impactful. Prof Moodley is a respected and trusted colleague, known for her integrity, sound judgment and commitment to mentorship and professional development.”

Moodley’s experience covers national, regional and global contexts, with her postgraduate research focus and mentorship including supervision of master’s and PhD student studies across 10 countries, widening her global perspective. During her 10-year leadership role as Chairperson of the Professional Board for Optometry and Dispensing Opticians in South Africa, she led initiatives to expand the scope of the profession of optometry and introduced standardised quality assurance measures in optometry education and mandatory continuing professional development (CPD) to enhance patient care.

Towards providing competent leadership, Moodley engaged in extensive self-education and personal skills development within the fields of Higher Education, medico-legal regulatory frameworks and public eye care, enabling her to provide effective, visionary leadership whilst fostering teamwork and mentorship.

Her PhD in Optometry Education (through the Dublin Institute of Technology), included conducting research across different countries in Africa. “I introduced the concept of social accountability into the quality assessment criteria for optometry education, believing that a key measure of a successful optometry education programme in any country is the impact it makes on improving eye care needs of populations served. Having the Professional Board for Optometry and Dispensing Opticians and WCO include social accountability measures into their evaluation/assessment criteria is evidence of the impact of the work.”

Moodley leads with purpose and passion. “Whilst a WCO Legislation, Regulation and Standards Committee member, I worked with a team to design and undertake a situational analysis of education, legislation and public health across global regions, which has been presented at various platforms. I also conducted optometry curriculum development workshops for academics in the Philippines, Lebanon and South Africa, presented education papers at conferences and published scholarly articles in optometry education.”

In addition to continuing the current WCO projects that Moodley is involved in (guidelines for scope expansion for ocular therapeutics and self-evaluation for optometry schools globally), she said her vision is for the WCO education committee to:

• serve as the primary global resource for support in key optometry education areas
• play a role in fostering the introduction and expansion of quality optometry education programmes, intentionally aligned with the needs of respective countries
• strengthen its reach and impact through closer engagement with regional education committees
• support new optometry academic leaders through the development of specific educator leadership tools for strengthened leadership skills and competencies
• guide optometry education globally to ultimately strengthen global eye health care, keeping the people served central to technological and educational advancements.

Moodley said: “I believe that my skill set, national, regional and global experience, teamwork and mentorship ethos, previous experience as a member of two WCO committees and vision for a strengthened optometry education sector globally, will help me make a positive impact as Education Chairperson.”

Nominated by WCO’s Board of Directors, the Committee Chair has a two-year term and may serve a maximum of three consecutive terms. The Committee Chair also serves as a member of the Board of Directors who are expected to provide guidance by contributing to the organisation’s culture, strategic focus, effectiveness and financial sustainability as well as serving as ambassadors and advocates.

Words: Lunga Memela

Photograph: Supplied