James Muecke | Australian of the Year 2020 & Advisory Board Member
Australian Metabolic Health Society

Dr James Muecke AM is a retired ophthalmologist based in Adelaide. He graduated with Honors from Adelaide University Medical School in 1988. Following ophthalmology training in Adelaide, James undertook Fellowships in Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery at Salisbury District Hospital in the UK and in Ocular Oncology at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. He returned to Adelaide in 1998 where he was a Visiting Consultant and Senior Lecturer at Royal Adelaide Hospital until 2020 and at Women’s & Children’s Hospital until 2016. James established the Ophthalmic Oncology Units at these two centres upon his return. In 1999, in conjunction with the Familial Cancer Unit at WCH, James established a national service for genetic testing for retinoblastoma and von Hippel Lindau Syndrome. Until his retirement from clinical ophthalmology in December 2024, James had a keen interest in the field of medical retina, in particular diabetes-related eye disease, vascular eye tumours, and conditions that masquerade as intraocular cancers. He is the author of numerous publications in the field of ophthalmic oncology - https://www.researchgate.net/profile/James_Muecke/contributions. James has taught ocular oncology throughout Asia and in Africa. He was the founding Chairman of Sight For All, a not-for-profit social impact organization dedicated to fighting blindness in Australian mainstream and Aboriginal communities and in the low income countries of the world (www.sightforall.org). James was Australian of the Year in 2020 for over three decades of humanitarian work. He is using this powerful platform to raise awareness of our poor diet, laden with sugar, seed oils and ultra-processed substances, which is devastating the health of Australians. James is a Scientific Advisor to the Australasian Metabolic Health Society. James is an Ambassador to: ·      Defeat Diabetes ·      Macular Disease Foundation  ·      Sight For All Awards and honors: ·      Lieutenant Governor of South Australia, January 2022 to Feb 2024 ·      Knight Commander of the Royal Order of Monisaraphon, Cambodia, 2022 ·      Degree of Doctor of the University (honoris causa), University of Adelaide, 2021 ·      Australian of the Year, 2020. ·      South Australian of the Year, 2019. ·      University of Adelaide Distinguished Alumni Award, 2019 ·      Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (Australia, Social Category), 2015 ·      Finalist, Pride of Australia Medal, 2014 ·      President’s Leadership Award for blindness prevention in developing countries - Australian Medical Association, 2013. ·      Rural Health and Wellbeing Award for service to Aboriginal eye health in South Australia, 2012. ·      Member of the Order of Australia for the provision of eye health services to Asian and Australian Aboriginal communities, 2012. ·      Outstanding Service to the Prevention of Blindness Award - Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology, 2011.