Professor David Mackey is Professor of Ophthalmology at the Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science, The University of Western Australia, and Senior Principal Research Fellow in the UWA Medical School. He earned his MBBS from the University of Tasmania in 1983, MD in Ophthalmology from the University of Melbourne in 1993, and became a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists in 1991. His career includes positions as Associate Professor in the University of Melbourne Department of Ophthalmology from 1997 to 2009, Managing Director of the Lions Eye Institute from 2009 to 2019, and current roles as Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at UWA. Mackey completed ophthalmology fellowship training in the UK and USA before establishing key research programs.

David Mackey's research specializes in the clinical and molecular genetics of optic nerve disorders and hereditary eye diseases, including glaucoma, Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy, autosomal dominant optic atrophy, myopia, age-related macular degeneration, retinal dystrophies, strabismus, ptosis, corneal dystrophies, and keratoconus. In 1994, he founded the Glaucoma Inheritance Study in Tasmania, recruiting over 1,700 cases and identifying MYOC gene mutations, which enabled genetic counselling, cascade screening, and predictive testing, underpinning NHMRC glaucoma guidelines. He leads contributions to international consortia such as the International Glaucoma Genetics Consortium, Consortium for Refractive Error and Myopia, and International AMD Genomics Consortium. Major studies include the Twins Eye Study, Norfolk Island Eye Study, Raine Eye Health Study, and Busselton Healthy Aging Study, revealing gene-environment interactions like outdoor activity protecting against myopia. With over 400 peer-reviewed publications, including key works like 'Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies 127 open-angle glaucoma loci' (Nature Communications, 2021) and 'Meta-analysis of 542,934 subjects... predisposing to refractive error and myopia' (Nature Genetics, 2020), he is the world's most published glaucoma genetics researcher. Mackey has received the Order of Australia (AO, 2019), Alcon Research Institute Award (2010), American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award (2015), and election to the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (2014). He chairs the RANZCO Professors Special Interest Group and serves on numerous scientific advisory committees.

Professional Email: david.mackey@uwa.edu.au