Board & Leadership
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, Co-Patrons and Secretariat who guide and drive FNEHA's national work.
Co-Patrons
Pat Anderson AO
Co-Patron
Alyawarre woman
Pat Anderson AO is a Co-Patron of the First Nations Eye Health Alliance. Aunty Pat is an Alyawarre woman known nationally and internationally as an advocate for the rights and health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including community development, policy formation and research ethics. Aunty Pat was Co-Chair of the Referendum Council, the Co-Chair of the Uluru Dialogue, and a key advocate for the YES vote for the Voice to Parliament 2023 Australian Referendum.
Trevor Buzzacott OAM
Co-Patron
Arabana man
Trevor Buzzacott OAM is a Co-Patron of the First Nations Eye Health Alliance. Uncle Trevor is an Arabana man who worked closely with the late Professor Fred Hollows on the delivery of the National Trachoma program between 1976-1978. The program screened and treated over 100,000 people across Australia for eye disease including trachoma.
Board
Shaun Tatipata
Chair
Ngarrindjeri and Wuthathi man
Shaun Tatipata is a Ngarrindjeri and Wuthathi man, and the Chair of the First Nations Eye Health Alliance Board. Shaun's professional career has been devoted to advancing the health and well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Having trained as an Aboriginal Health Practitioner (AHP), Shaun gained extensive experience delivering Primary Health Care and designing and implementing outreach programs in both the Aboriginal Community Controlled Sector and with state/territory Governments. It was through these roles that Shaun developed a passion for preserving and restoring sight and set out to specialise in delivering culturally safe eye care services, combining the unique skill set and cultural brokerage role of an AHP with the clinical expertise of Optometrists and Ophthalmologists. This passion led Shaun to lead the first consultation with Mob on eye care needs in our communities on Larrakia Country in 2022, and as a result, he co-authored the V2030 Report and helped to establish FNEHA. Throughout his career, Shaun has held various senior leadership roles, including overseeing The Fred Hollows Foundation's programming efforts across Australia. He is now engaged with both the University of Melbourne and the University of Western Australia as an Academic Specialist and Senior Lecturer. He is a Board Director of IAHA NT Workforce Development Ltd. In 2020, Shaun established the Deadly Vision Centre in Darwin. As the first Aboriginal-owned and led Optical and Eye Care provider in Australia, the Deadly Vision Centre seeks to address the unmet eye care needs of Aboriginal communities across the Top End of the Northern Territory.
Lauren Carr (née Hutchinson)
Board member
Murrawarri woman
Lauren Hutchinson is a Murrawarri woman and optometrist. Lauren was born and raised on Wiradjuri country in the central west of NSW. She graduated from her Bachelor of Vision Science/Master of Optometry from QUT in 2017, following which, she returned to the central west, now residing back on the beautiful lands of the Wiradjuri people once again. Lauren has worked as an optometrist both in private practice and within the community-controlled sector. Lauren's passions are in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, rural and remote and paediatric health and is committed to advocating for improving outcomes for her people in these spaces. In her spare time you can find Lauren spending time with her beautiful nieces and nephews, on a hockey field or fishing on the Galari (Lachlan River).
Sara Carrison
Board member
Ngarrindjeri woman
Sara Carrison is a Ngarrindjeri woman who was born and raised on Barngarla Country in South Australia. She moved to Kaurna Yarta to study optometry and has since found her passion in supporting First Nations people who are studying, or aspiring to study, optometry. Sara believes that creating culturally safe learning and workplace environments is essential to the success and wellbeing of First Nations people in optometry, and will ultimately contribute to improved eye health outcomes. Sara has the privilege of directly supporting students through her role as a Lecturer at Flinders University and involvement in the A Place for Mob in Optometry project. As a PhD candidate, she is working alongside optometry students and recent graduates to explore the best ways to support wellbeing and success throughout their university journey and transition into the profession. She also contributes to the profession through her work with the OCANZ Indigenous Strategy Taskforce and the Optometry Board of Australia's Policy and Education Committee, helping to influence policy and support culturally responsive education and workforce development. Alongside these roles, Sara is also an optometrist, with a strong commitment to improving eye health outcomes for First Nations peoples.
Secretariat
Lose (Rose) Fonua
CEO
Wiradjuri and South Pacific Islander woman
Lose is a Wiradjuri and South Pacific Islander woman and is the Chief Executive Officer for the First Nations Eye Health Alliance. Lose Fonua is an experienced public and population health leader with more than two decades of work across government, academic, and not-for-profit sectors. Her career has focused on driving culturally safe, equitable health system reform for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. She holds a Bachelor of Science (Medicine), formal Leadership qualifications, and is currently completing a Master of Public Health. Lose's key passion is to see all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people healthy and thriving. Before establishing the First Nations Eye Health Alliance, Lose served as Associate Director at the Minum Barreng: Indigenous Eye Health Unit, where she helped implement the national Roadmap to Close the Gap for Vision. She is also a co-author of the nationally endorsed Vision 2030 Report, launched by the Minister for Indigenous Australians. Lose is Chief Investigator of the Lowitja Institute–funded Ngaaminya Project, a First Nations–led study exploring community expectations of children's eye health to inform improved care pathways and service models. Her academic contributions include peer-reviewed publications in the Medical Journal of Australia and BMC Primary Care, as well as leadership in developing national ear and hearing check guidelines for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
Carol S Wynne
Projects and Research Lead
Carol Wynne is originally from Ireland and has a background in public health, health promotion and education, with extensive experience working in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and cross-cultural settings in Australia and internationally. Prior to joining FNEHA, Carol was a Senior Research Fellow/Translation Research Scholar with Minum Barreng (Indigenous Eye Health Unit) at the University of Melbourne, working across knowledge translation, health promotion and systems reform. She remains an Honorary Senior Fellow with the University. Her earlier experience includes Aboriginal community-controlled health in the Northern Territory and international public health and community development in Mongolia, Kenya and West Timor. Carol is particularly interested in health equity, systems reform and working alongside communities.
Kim Lim
Finance Lead
Kim is a Chartered Accountant and experienced finance and governance professional with more than 15 years' experience across professional services and global industry. He brings deep expertise in financial management, risk advisory, internal audit and organisational change. Kim has worked closely with executive leadership teams to strengthen financial oversight, strategic planning and operational performance. He is known for his analytical insight, collaborative leadership and commitment to building strong financial systems that support accountable and sustainable organisational growth.
Jo Barden
Project Officer
Jo is an education and community engagement specialist with extensive experience in community engagement, events, fundraising, and communications. She is also an experienced educator with a background in early childhood and primary education settings. Jo has a strong understanding of government and service systems across the disability sector, working in frontline, leadership, and government roles with the Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care and in a Ministerial office. She is passionate about bringing people together to help build strong, connected communities.
Dr Stephen Corporal
Research Support
Eastern Arrernte man
Dr Stephen Corporal is an Eastern Arrernte man with close family connections to many other First Nations people, born in Townsville and lives in Jagera Country southeast Queensland. Stephen completed a PhD in 2020 titled "Identity, roles, and expectations influence on Indigenous university students when building the Indigenous health workforce" and a Grad Cert in Indigenous Leadership and Research. He is a board member of the Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) and IAHA NTWD. Stephen is a visiting Research Fellow at QUT and was employed the University of Melbourne as a Senior Research Fellow in the Indigenous Data Network. He is passionate about research and community development work with the Indigenous Community.