Hugh Taylor

About Hugh Taylor

Hugh Taylor

Melbourne Laureate Professor at the University of Melbourne

Hugh Taylor has a long and distinguished clinical and research career. His primate model of trachoma provided seminal insights into the pathogenesis of the disease and how to control it, and his contributions to the field of preventive ophthalmology include other seminal works on the value of using ivermectin as chemotherapy for onchocerciasis. He also discovered the link between ultraviolet radiation exposure and cataract formation. Taylor has worked tirelessly on blindness prevention strategies in both developed and developing countries, and has served on several advisory committees and boards for that purpose. He has consulted for the World Health organization for over 30 years, and in 2001, was made a Companion in the Order of Australia “for his contributions to the prevention of river blindness, through research and education related to the prevention of eye disease and to eye health in indigenous communities.” His current work focuses on Aboriginal eye health and the elimination of trachoma. He is a Board Member of the International Council of Ophthalmology and 

Vision 2020 Australia, and a member of the Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis.