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Dr Hannah Maree Kersten
BOptom (Hons), PhD (Auckland)
Biography
Hannah completed her Bachelor of Optometry (with first class honours) in 2008. Following the completion of her undergraduate degree, Hannah worked in a busy private optometric practice in Wellington, New Zealand, with a focus on eye health. After two years in community optometry, Hannah returned to the University of Auckland as a junior optic nerve research fellow, working under the supervision of Professor Helen Danesh-Meyer in the Department of Ophthalmology.
Hannah commenced her doctoral studies in 2012, supervised by Professor Danesh-Meyer and Dr Richard Roxburgh of the Department of Neurology at Auckland City Hospital. The topic of her thesis was Optical Coherence Tomography in Neurodegenerative Disease. Hannah investigated the optic nerve and the retina, and the potential role of ophthalmic changes as biomarkers of disease progression, in a number of neurodegenerative conditions including muscular dystrophies, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease and ataxias.
From 2016 - 2017, following the completion of her PhD thesis, Hannah held a joint appointment between the School of Optometry and Vision Science and the Department of Ophthalmology. Since December 2017, Hannah has held a lecturer position in the School of Optometry and Vision Science. Hannah continues to work in private practice, with a special interest in glaucoma and neuro-ophthalmic disorders.
Research | Current
Hannah's primary area of research interest is investigating the eye as a window to the brain: What are the ocular manifestations of neurodegenerative disorders, and can these changes in the eye act a surrogate marker of how disease is progressing? It is important to identify biomarkers of disease progression, particularly as novel treatment agents are currently being developed.
Hannah is also involved in glaucoma research, including objective eye movement testing in glaucoma and systemic capillary changes in primary open angle glaucoma.
Teaching | Current
Optom 216 - Introduction to Clinical Optometry
Optom 353 - Ocular Pathology - Course Coordinator
Optom 472 - Visual Science 3
Optom 510 - Advanced Clinical Optometry 1
Optom 570 - Research in Advanced Optometric Science
Distinctions/Honours
2017 Auckland Medical Research Association Travel Grant
2017 Univerisity of Auckland Faculty Research Development Fund New Staff Grant
2016 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Travel Grant
2015 European Ophthalmological Society Travel Grant
2015 Invited speaker, Muscular Dystrophy Association of NZ, 'Life without limits' Conference
2012 - 2015 University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship
2012 - 2013 H.C Russell Memorial Scholarship
2012 Neuromuscular Research Foundation Trust Scholarship
2008 Senior Prize in Optometry for first in class
2006 Annual Prize in Optometry
2004 Federation of University Graduate Women Scholarship
Committees/Professional groups/Services
2017 - Present Trustee, Glaucoma New Zealand
2016 - 2017 Member, Local Organising Committee, Retina International World Congress
2016 Member, Organising Committee, Inaugural Glaucoma New Zealand Symposium
2014 - present Authorised glaucoma medications prescriber
2009 - Present Member, New Zealand Association of Optometrists
2009 - 2011 Member, Cornea and Contact Lens Society New Zealand
2009 Certified secondary grader of diabetic retinopathy, CCDHB
Selected publications and creative works (Research Outputs)
- Ryan, B., Baker, A., Ilse, C., Brickell, K. L., Kersten, H. M., Danesh-Meyer, H. V., ... Curtis, M. A. (2018). Diagnosing pre-clinical dementia: the NZ Genetic Frontotemporal Dementia Study (FTDGeNZ). The New Zealand Medical Journal, 131 (1476), 88-91. Related URL.
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Brigid Ryan, Helen Danesh-Meyer, Donna Rose Addis, Maurice Curtis, Lynette Tippett, Christina Ilse - Misra, S. L., Kersten, H. M., Roxburgh, R. H., Danesh-Meyer, H. V., & McGhee, C. N. (2017). Corneal nerve microstructure in Parkinson's disease. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, 39, 53-58. 10.1016/j.jocn.2017.02.033
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Stuti Misra, Richard Roxburgh, Helen Danesh-Meyer, Charles McGhee - Kersten, H. M., Danesh-Meyer, H. V., & Roxburgh, R. H. (2016). Ophthalmic findings in myotonic dystrophy type 2: A case series. Journal of Neurology, 263 (12), 2552-2554. 10.1007/s00415-016-8325-7
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/41761
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Helen Danesh-Meyer, Richard Roxburgh - Kersten, H. M., Roxburgh, R. H., Danesh-Meyer, H. V., & Hutchinson, D. O. (2016). Optical coherence tomography findings in a patient with type 1 sialidosis. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, 31, 199-201. 10.1016/j.jocn.2016.02.015
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Helen Danesh-Meyer, Richard Roxburgh - Kersten, H. M. (2016). Optical coherence tomography in neurodegenerative disorders The University of Auckland. ResearchSpace@Auckland.
- Kersten, H. M., Danesh-Meyer, H. V., Kilfoyle, D. H., & Roxburgh, R. H. (2015). Optical coherence tomography findings in Huntington's disease: A potential biomarker of disease progression. Journal of Neurology, 262 (11), 2457-2465. 10.1007/s00415-015-7869-2
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Helen Danesh-Meyer, Richard Roxburgh - Kersten, H. M., Danesh-Meyer, H. V., Kilfoyle, D. H., & Roxburgh, R. H. (2015). Optical coherence tomography findings in Huntington's disease: a potential biomarker of disease progression. Journal of neurology, 262 (11), 2457-2465. 10.1007/s00415-015-7869-2
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Helen Danesh-Meyer, Richard Roxburgh - Kersten, H. M., Roxburgh, R. H., & Danesh-Meyer, H. V. (2014). Ophthalmic manifestations of inherited neurodegenerative disorders. Nature Reviews: Neurology, 10 (6), 349-362. 10.1038/nrneurol.2014.79
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Helen Danesh-Meyer, Richard Roxburgh
Identifiers
Contact details
- +64 9 923 4010
- +64.9.923.4010
- h.kersten@auckland.ac.nz
- hker008@aucklanduni.ac.nz