Justine Smith

Professor Justine Smith is a Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor at Flinders University and a Senior Consultant Ophthalmologist at Flinders Medical Centre. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and Chair of the Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis.

Her research focuses on uveitis (inflammation of the eye), ocular infections, and cancers. She has pioneered the use of biologic drugs to mitigate vision loss in non-infectious uveitis and contributed to global guidelines for uveitis management through her leadership roles in the International Uveitis Study Group and the American Uveitis Society.

Recent publications highlight her work on

• retinal endothelial barrier mechanisms
• nutritional interventions in retinal diseases
• multimodal imaging standards
• organoid models for ocular toxoplasmosis
• terminology evolution in white dot syndromes

Scientific accolades include the 2024 Joanne Angle Service Award and recognition as a Superstar of STEM. She was the 2020–2023 Editor-in-Chief of Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology.

Her advocacy for women in science and clinical leadership in ophthalmology demonstrate a career dedicated to advancing eye health globally while promoting diversity in STEM fields.