Staff Spotlight: Tim Henderson
Meet our Head of Ophthalmology and the Eye Department in Alice Springs Hospital.
When Tim and his wife travelled from the UK to Australia for a research project, he never thought he'd end up calling Alice Springs home for over 23 years and counting!
As an eye specialist and now Head of Ophthalmology and the Eye Department at the Alice Springs Hospital, Tim says he feels very privileged to be working in the Red Centre.
"When we arrived in Australia, I conducted research with Flinders University in Adelaide as part of my UK eye training, looking at surface of the eye problems. Following my stint as an ophthalmology consultant in the UK, we were offered jobs in Alice Springs, gave it a go and loved it," Tim said.
"It's a perfect fit because I grew up in Central Africa, so Central Australia feels more like home than the UK ever did."
Tim and his team provide equitable access to preventative eye health services for all patients at Alice Springs Hospital.
"I need to see patients before they're aware they have a problem. If everything works well, the patient won't notice anything different because we're keeping their sight and preventing them from going blind."
Tim said that improving the sight of a patient is incredibly rewarding, and the team know they can deliver when it comes to treating eye problems.
"The evidence for eye treatment success is about as strong as absolutely anything else in health care. For example, cataract surgery is one of the most worthwhile interventions in all of medicine because it works - patients go from being blind to seeing again!"
"I'm looking forward to increasing opportunistic care while also scheduling visits in Central Australian communities by jumping on a plane with the primary care service, performing specialist outreach care and ensuring patients access regular visiting optometrists."
Learn more about a career in Health, visit: healthjobs.nt.gov.au
