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Scientia Professor Fiona Stapleton
Image: School of Optometry and Vision Science, UNSW

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A distinguished leader in optometry, science and research, UNSW Scientia Professor Fiona Stapleton has established herself as one of the most influential women in our sector.

Journey into optometry and research

As a UK trained optometrist, Fiona completed her postgraduate training at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, where she developed a strong interest in research, particularly in the realm of contact lenses.

‘I worked in the contact lens department at Moorfields Eye Hospital and was surrounded by some really energetic and enthusiastic people who supported and encouraged me to start a journey in research,’ Fiona said.

‘I was fortunate to be able to marry the clinical part of optometry with research. I did a master’s degree and then came back to Moorfields to do my PhD which looked at contact lens disease, trying to understand the risks and how we could make contact lens wear safer. A feature of my research has always been about how can we improve care for patients.’

In 1995, Fiona moved to Australia and started working at the Cornea and Contact Lens Research Unit (CCLRU) and the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Eye Research and Technology in Sydney. She then joined the UNSW School of Optometry and Vision Science in 2004 and became their first ever female Head of School in 2007, completing a 12-year term. Fiona has since held different leadership positions within the UNSW faculty, where she is currently a Scientia Professor.

‘Wherever you work, having the commitment of leadership is very important,’ she said. ‘When I first became Head of School at UNSW, I was really well supported. I had a young child at the time, and I received a lot of support from all the academic and professional staff around me.’

Over the course of her career, Fiona has been honoured with numerous accolades for her outstanding achievements in optometry and science. In 2018, she was the first female to ever receive Optometry Australia’s prestigious H Barry Collin Research Medal in its 41-year history. In the same year, she was also admitted as a Fellow to the Australian Academy of Technology, Science and Engineering.

Professor Fiona Stapleton presented with the H Barry Collin Research Medal

 

The power of education

Fiona was the first child in her family to attend university – an experience she says she hasn’t taken for granted.

‘I’ve led a very different life to my parents and the rest of my family. It’s made me realise how fortunate I am to have had access to these opportunities.

‘I’ve always been motivated by the transformative power of education, and having equal opportunity in education. For me, it’s about supporting people to reach their full potential. This is something I’m very passionate about in everything I do.’

Leading the SAGE Athena SWAN program

Fiona is currently the Academic Lead of the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) Athena SWAN initiative at UNSW.

Athena SWAN is an internationally accredited framework that is used to promote gender equity, diversity and inclusion. First established in the UK in 2005, the program encourages and recognises an institution’s commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) in higher education and research.

Fiona is supported by a Self-Assessment Team (SAT), comprising UNSW academic and professional staff; together they oversee the implementation of the program.

‘All the initiatives and strategies that we implement here, we try to align them with evidence-based research. There’s a lot of literature around what enables gender equity in organisations. Within big organisations, it’s about addressing the organisational process. This includes hiring policies, promotion policies, salaries, salary investigations and salary benchmarks, as well as the understanding that you need equal pay for equal work, no matter the gender, age or background of an individual.

‘When it comes to leadership, maintaining consistent hiring principles for leadership positions is extremely important. It’s also important to make sure that you have a credible variety of people available on a panel, with gender diversity, cultural diversity and linguistic diversity all represented. Your panel needs to be representative of the diversity that you wish to achieve in your organisation. If you stick to those principles, you have a much better chance of achieving equity and diversity within your organisation. While these things may seem like small changes, they reflect a commitment. And they’re modelled at a senior level, so everyone can see that that’s the aspiration of leadership.

‘Another thing that’s important is parental leave; particularly how you support a person when they go on leave and when they return, for example, supporting breastfeeding at work and ensuring there are spaces available for that. Again, these are practical initiatives that may not be up in the lights, but they make an organisation a nicer and fairer place to work.’

According to Fiona, measuring the outcomes of an initiative is just as important as its implementation.

‘The Athena SWAN framework allows us to design, plan and implement initiatives while monitoring the outcomes, enabling the development of our own evidence-based practices. I’m always mindful of measuring our outcomes and using evidence-based practices to guide our initiatives. By aligning our efforts with proven strategies, we can apply initiatives that fit under the right pillars. In my opinion, there’s no point in throwing a lot of initiatives anywhere if you don’t know what works and what doesn’t.’

Creating support networks

When it comes to mentoring and networking, Fiona says both play extremely important roles in encouraging the growth and development of an individual.

‘Everyone talks about mentorship – it’s one of those things that’s always spoken about but really hard to do well.

‘Creating networks around gender, and cultural and linguistic diversity, are so important. At our institution, we have networks for women in research, mid-career women, early-career women and women in leadership. These groups are designed as spaces to lend support and share experiences.’

Equity in education

‘When I first started in the field, it was a little trickier to be taken seriously. My first academic role was certainly challenged because there was that feeling that ‘women wouldn’t be around very long because we go and have babies’. I think perhaps I didn’t get taken quite as seriously because of that,’ Fiona said.

‘Although sometimes it doesn’t hurt to be underestimated, and I’ve always worked extremely hard. I don’t think I’ve had to work any harder because I’m female. I’ve had a fairly supportive environment in my journey as a female optometrist and academic.

‘I have a very strong commitment to equity in education. I’ve seen what it’s done for me having these opportunities, and I’ve seen the impact it’s had on other people.

‘I’ve supervised about 52 domestic and international PhD students to completion, and a lot of them are females from developing countries. They just grow and thrive and I’m immensely proud of them because they go on to become fantastic collaborators and innovators, and great role models.

‘For me, that’s the best thing you can expect to achieve in the kind of roles that I’m in; supporting the next generation to be great role models, being part of their journey and seeing where these people end up.

‘It’s incredible to see these lovely leadership roles they take on and know that you’ve been part of that journey.

‘I think that’s an amazing thing, and it makes me feel very proud to have shared that with them. That inspires me every day.’


Do you know someone who is pushing boundaries or challenging the norm?

This year, the theme of International Women’s Day is ‘Cracking the Code: Innovation for a gender-equal future’. In line with this theme, Optometry Australia is recognising leaders and changemakers within our sector who are ‘Cracking the Code’ and using innovative approaches to shape new social, economic and cultural codes.

Like Fiona Stapleton, if you know someone in our sector who is challenging the norm, and embracing new ideas, technologies or innovations, we ask you to help us celebrate them by nominating them to share their story and journey. Simply send an email to community@optometry.org.au, and let us know how they are ‘Cracking the Code’. 

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Acknowledgement of Country

In the spirit of reconciliation Optometry Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.