Clare Gilbert, MD

Professor Clare E. Gilbert qualified in medicine at Bristol University and went straight into ophthalmology, partly because she knew that blindness was relatively common in developing countries and that ophthalmology was a transferable skill. After clinical training, and while working at the Institute of Ophthalmology with Professor David McLeod on an MD (equivalent to a PhD in the United States), she had the opportunity to work on one of the first clinical trials of Mectizan for the treatment of onchocerciasis in Sierra Leone. This reconfirmed her interest and desire to work in international eye health.

Dr. Gilbert joined the International Centre for Eye Health in 1990, under the leadership of Professors Gordon Johnson and Allen Foster (the 2005 recipient of the International Blindness Prevention Award) with a remit to study the epidemiology of blindness in children. In 1995, she obtained a masters in epidemiology and became an advisor to Sightsavers International.