Hugh Taylor (1966) Helen Keller Award
Inspired by decades of work to improve Indigenous eye health, Professor Hugh Taylor and fellow alumni Penelope Allen and David Skewes have established the Hugh Taylor Helen Keller Award – supporting Indigenous students to pursue medicine and carry forward a legacy of care, equity and opportunity.
Monday 7 September 2020 • 5 minute read
Ormondians Hugh Taylor, Penelope Allen and David Skewes are building a legacy committed to creating opportunities for Indigenous students interested in pursuing a career in healthcare.Professor Hugh Taylor’s work with the late Fred Hollows and the National Trachoma and Eye Health Programme in the 1970s, screening more than 60,000 Indigenous Australians, inspired him to lead a career where he could improve vision in the world’s most disadvantaged populations, from Liberia to Nepal. He now holds a chair in Indigenous Eye Health at the University.He has been recognised with 16 international awards including the 2009 Helen Keller Prize for Vision Research. The award, the first to an Australian, recognised his 30 years of work to improve the vision of Indigenous people. He was the 18th person to receive the award, which is named after the deaf-blind activist who became an international celebrity from the age of eight.Hugh donated the funds he received for this Prize to establish the Hugh Taylor Helen Keller Award at Ormond to encourage and support more Indigenous students to study medicine.Other alumni, including Penelope Allen (1981) and David Skewes (1965) have supported this scholarship alongside Hugh. “Penny and David share my passion for trying to Close the Gap and to provide equity in health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. I would welcome the generosity of others who also feel that supporting Indigenous students interested in a career in health care is important. To assist them in having the wonderful Ormond experience can only add to the richness of their training.”Penny, a medical retina and vitreoretinal surgeon and Program Leader of the Surgical Program at Bionic Vision Australia, feels that “being able to offer Indigenous students the support that I had is an important way to express my gratitude for the educational opportunities offered by Ormond College. We need to have a medical workforce who reflect the diversity of the Australian population and this as Hugh mentions is a personal contribution the Closing the Gap.”This year’s recipient of the award is first year biomedicine student Braith Gausden, from Palm Beach Currumbin High School in Queensland.Braith wrote to Hugh recently explaining how the scholarship has impacted his life. “When I look back on my year, a year spent making friends I will have for a lifetime, a year spent surrounded by such inspiring people and a year spent participating in experiences I could never imagine, it is fair to say this year is something I truly never thought I would experience. My level of appreciation for both of you, Prof Taylor and Dr Allen, is immeasurable.”
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