WCO Announces New President
22 June 2009
The World Council of Optometry (WCO) recently elected Professor George Woo as President at its biannual General Delegates Meeting (GDM) held on 5th and 6th June in Melaka, Malaysia.
The GDM was part of a larger meeting which included a joint conference with the hosts, the Association of Malaysian Optometrists (AMO). The meeting was managed by the College of Optometrists (UK) which provides the secretariat for the WCO.
Professor Woo, Chair Professor of Optometry and Dean of Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University takes over from Robert Chappell who stands down after two years as President.
In his acceptance speech at the WCO-AMO joint gala dinner held on Saturday 6th June, Professor Woo said one of his aims as President would be to “push globally for optometrists to be recognised as primary healthcare professionals.”
Professor George Woo has had an extensive and distinguished career in optometry, receiving his Doctor of Optometry (OD) degree from the University of Waterloo in Canada. Subsequently he obtained MSc and PhD degrees in Physiological Optics from Indiana University in the US. In January 1997, he took up an appointment as Dean, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and currently holds this position as well as Chair Professor of Optometry. He is also an Honorary Professor at China’s Sun Yat-sen University and Tianjin Medical University.
Other changes agreed at the General Delegates Meeting with immediate effect:
- Ms Tone Garaas-Maurdalen (Norway) becomes President-Elect
- Professor Maurice Yap (Hong Kong) becomes Chairman of the Education Committee.
- Professor Kovin Naidoo (South Africa) moves from Chairman of Education Committee to Chairman of the Public Health Committee.
- Dr Susan Cooper (Canada) becomes Chairman of the Legislation, Registration and Standards Committee, taking over from Ms Garaas-Maurdalen.
- Dr Sidney Stern (US) was elected President of the World Optometry Foundation.
- Professor Carly Lam (Hong Kong) becomes Chairman of the Fellowship Committee.
The College of Optometrists provides the secretariat for WCO | WCO is registered in England and Wales (Co Registration No. 6950128) | Charity Registration No. 1133429
42 Craven Street, WC2N 5NG, United Kingdom | Tel: +44 (0) 20 7839 6000 | Fax: +44 (0) 20 7839 6800
With thanks to our annual sponsor, Optometry Giving Sight, and the College of Optometrists for their support |
Useful links: World Optometry Foundation | Vision 2020 | The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB)
