Prof. Lizette Mowatt MB; BS(UWI), MMedSci, FRCS(Ed) (CCST), FRCOphth, OSJ President (2015 - Present

Biodata for Dr Mowatt

Dr Lizette Mowatt MB; BS (UWI), MMedSci, FRCS (Ed), FRCOphth is a Senior Lecturer and Residency Programme Coordinator for the DM Ophthalmology programme at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona campus. She is the Head of the Ophthalmology Division at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) and a Consultant Vitreoretinal Surgeon. Dr Mowatt is the immediate Past President of the Ophthalmological Society of Jamaica (OSJ).

Dr Mowatt is a graduate of the University of the West Indies, Mona campus. She did her six-year ophthalmology residency at the Birmingham and Midland Eye Center, Birmingham, West Midlands Training Programme, UK. During her residency, she also did a Masters initially in Medical Education, then transferred to a Masters in Medical Sciences.

She completed her ophthalmology residency training achieving the Certification of Completion of Specialist Training (CCST, UK) in Ophthalmology (2002) and then proceeded to do her vitreoretinal fellowship at the BMEC. She returned to the University of the West Indies, Mona, to develop the DM Ophthalmology Residency Programme in September 2004, which has grown significantly over the past 18 years. She has been involved in undergraduate and postgraduate training at the UWI during this period.

Dr Mowatt has published extensively in peer-review journals and has been a reviewer for over 17 ophthalmology journals, including Eye, BJO, Ophthalmology Retina, BMJ (Open), European Journal of Ophthalmology, etc. She has written three book chapters. Dr Mowatt was part of The Lancet Global Health Commission on Global Eye Health.

She is an avid educator and has presented over 100 lectures at scientific conferences locally, regionally and internationally, including in the UK, Spain, Cyprus, (Durban and Cape Town) South Africa, Ethiopia, Mexico and USA. For her research on diabetic retinopathy, she won the Dean's Award in 2013 and the most Impactful presentation at the Ministry of Health and Wellness, National Health Research Conference in 2016.

In 2013, Dr Mowatt was awarded The American Academy of Ophthalmology's (AAO) "International Ophthalmologist Education Award" and, in 2015, the AAO's "International Scholar's Award".

She has worked with the VISION 2020 LINKS and the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust (QEDJT) fund to implement and develop Diabetic Retinopathy Screening (DRS) services, the first DRS site in Jamaica at the UHWI. For her work in DRS, she was invited to Buckingham Palace and met HRH Queen Elizabeth II. Dr Mowatt has been a major advocate for DRS and education in Jamaica. She has collaborated with ORBIS and the Flying Eye Hospital for training opportunities for residents, ophthalmologists, ophthalmic nurses and technicians over the years.

Dr Mowatt has held leadership positions both locally and regionally and has been actively involved in Ophthalmic societies, having organized over 30 scientific conferences in Jamaica and the Caribbean for Ophthalmologists and allied health care professionals, including Ophthalmic Nurses symposia, Ophthalmic Assistants and Technicians' conferences, workshops training Diabetic Retinopathy Screeners and graders and held public seminars on eye health.

Her leadership positions held include:
2020- present: Chair, Diabetic Retinopathy Subcommittee, MOWH
2019- present: Co-Chair, National Technical Working Group on Eye Health, MOHW
2015- 2019 President, Ophthalmological Society of Jamaica (OSJ)
2012-2014 President, Ophthalmological Society of the West Indies (OSWI)
2011-2015 Vice President, Ophthalmological Society of Jamaica (OSJ)
2011-2019 Council Member, Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ)
2008-2010 Vice President, Ophthalmological Society of the West Indies (OSWI)
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