Early career optometrist Harrison Pike from Canberra has received the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Eye Health Conference26 (NATSIEHC26) emerging leadership award.
Presented by the First Nations Eye Health Alliance (FNEHA), the accolade was announced at the 2026 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Eye Health Conference at the MCG, Naarm/Melbourne – Wurundjeri Country in May 2026.
Pike is the first Indigenous student to graduate from the Master of Optometry at the University of Canberra, and an optometrist at OPSM Canberra City.
Lose (Rose) Fonua, CEO of FNEHA, said the alliance congratulated Pike on receiving the award.
“As a valued member of FNEHA and our conference leadership group, Harrison represents the next generation of leaders helping to improve eye health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through culturally safe, community-centred care,” she told Insight.
“His recognition highlights the important role optometrists play in closing the gap in vision outcomes and the need to continue to grow a strong, skilled, and culturally responsive eye health workforce.
“We hope Harrison’s achievement inspires more emerging practitioners to work alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and contribute to a stronger future for eye health across Australia.”
Pike expressed his gratitude to the organisers.
“I was deeply honoured to receive the Emerging Leadership Award,” he said on the Optometry Australia website.
“A huge thank you to the First Nations Eye Health Alliance for this recognition. I don’t do this work for award, however receiving this means a great deal to me and reinforces my commitment to continuing to advocate for better eye health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.”
Trachoma elimination
At the conference, the alliance also acknowledged the landmark public health achievement of the World Health Organisation (WHO) formally validating Australia for eliminating trachoma as a public health problem.
It said the WHO validation marked a significant milestone for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander eye health and for global efforts to eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).
“Australia now joins a growing number of countries contributing to the WHO NTD Road Map 2021–2030 and the global elimination of preventable blindness,” the alliance said in a media release.
FNEHA co-chair Shaun Tatipata said: “The elimination of trachoma is a historic public health victory for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and a powerful example of what community-led action can achieve.
“For too long, trachoma reflected the inequities experienced in some of the most remote communities in Australia. This milestone shows that preventable blindness can be eliminated when governments, communities, and Aboriginal community-controlled health services work together with long-term commitment and shared purpose.”
The alliance said Australia’s achievement reflected decades of sustained public health action in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, with progress driven by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander eye care sector, communities, leadership, community-controlled health organisations, health workers, clinicians, researchers, and government partners.
It said continued vigilance and investment in trachoma elimination as a public health problem would be critical to maintaining elimination status and ensuring future generations remain free from trachoma.
Fonua said: “Australia eliminating trachoma as a public health problem is a globally significant achievement and a proud moment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander eye health. This achievement reflects decades of leadership from communities, health workers, clinicians, and researchers who refused to accept preventable blindness as inevitable.
“While we celebrate today, this milestone must also drive continued action to maintain elimination and ensure all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples continue to have equitable access to eye care and the opportunity to enjoy lifelong vision and eye health.”
On behalf of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander eye care sector, the alliance will present an award to Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler and Assistant Minister Rebecca White in Canberra, in recognition of the Australian Government’s achievement in eliminating trachoma as a public health problem.
The alliance also celebrated 10 years of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander eye health conferences. Watch a YouTube video celebrating the 10 years of work in this space.
Ophthalmologist and University of Melbourne Professor Emeritus Hugh Taylor said in the video: “When I first started working on this 50 years ago with Fred Hollows, two-thirds of the children in remote communities had trachoma so to eliminate it now as a public health problem is fantastic.”
