BCLA Fellowship

Dr Michael Read

Engaging the next generation of clinicians and researchers and encouraging them to work towards a BCLA Fellowship will form an ‘essential’ part of the role for the person responsible for driving forward the scheme.

Dr Michael Read, new technologies manager at Eurolens Research in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health at The University of Manchester, has been appointed as BCLA fellowship consultant and will be tasked with overseeing the current scheme and developing it in the years to come.

Since the scheme was launched in 2006, a total of 222 professionals from the international contact lens community have become BCLA Fellows following viva voce assessment at the BCLA Clinical Conference and BCLA Asia.

Dr Read said: “I am delighted to be taking on this exciting role supporting the BCLA fellowship scheme. I am keen to build on the successful work of Professor James Wolffsohn who has overseen the fellowship scheme from its inception to its current position, making it one of the most respected accreditations in the eye care profession. I feel my varied background working as a clinician, in academia and in close collaboration with industry will allow me to represent the BCLA’s interdisciplinary membership. I am particularly keen to engage with the next generation of clinicians, researchers and industry leaders to highlight the great work of the BCLA and encourage them to work towards a BCLA fellowship. We are keen to further develop the fellowship scheme and we are actively looking at new areas and clinical accreditations which may be incorporated into the scheme in the future.”

The fellowship scheme has grown in stature across the world, with eye care practitioners from a total of 22 countries now recognised as fellows.

BCLA chief executive, Cheryl Donnelly, said: “We are thrilled to have appointed Dr Read to help shape the future of our fellowship scheme. It’s an exciting time for the profession and by encouraging people to apply for a fellowship we can highlight best practice and the latest thinking and research. We look forward to working together and building on the outstanding work of Professor James Wolffsohn. The fellowship scheme is going from strength to strength across the world.”

For more information about BCLA fellowships, visit www.bcla.org.uk.