After six years on its governing council, Professor Konrad Pesudovs has been made President of the Australian College of Optometrists (ACO) – the leading industry body in Australia.

He joins Chief Executive Maureen O’Keefe and Vice-President Professor Alex Gentle. Other council members include Flinders’ Associate Lecturer Ben Hamlyn.

As Foundation Chair of Optometry and Vision Science at Flinders, Professor Pesudovs is responsible for the Optometry double degree, including its accreditation, the establishment of the Flinders Vision optometry clinic, developing a 150-partner clinical placement network and a multi-million dollar research program. He is on the editorial boards of three professional journals, including Optometry and Vision Science.

At its annual meeting on May 25, the ACO also awarded Flinders’ Associate Professor and Head of Optics Teaching, Rod Watkins, an honorary life membership “in recognition of distinguished service to the ACO and to the optometry profession”. Associate Professor Watkins, who designed the Watkins Fundus Lens for optometrists, is among a select few to be honoured with this award in the college’s 76-year history.