Dr James Muecke AM
Australian of the Year 2020, Ophthalmologist, Humanitarian, Social Entrepreneur & Keynote Speaker
Dr James Muecke is an ophthalmologist, humanitarian, and founder of Sight For All, on a mission to end preventable blindness in Australia and globally. Named 2020 Australian of the Year, he inspires audiences to take action, think differently, and make a real impact.
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Dr James Muecke is an ophthalmologist, humanitarian, and social entrepreneur renowned for his work in preventing blindness and driving social change. With over 30 years of medical experience, James combines expertise in ophthalmology, medical research, education, and project management with a wide range of creative pursuits including writing, photography, music, and film production to deliver innovative solutions and meaningful impact.
James has served as a visiting medical consultant for over two decades at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Women’s & Children’s Hospital and maintains a private practice in Adelaide. Following his internship in 1988, he practised as a doctor in Africa and later as an eye surgeon in the Middle East, confronting malaria, wild animals, rebel soldiers, and insurgent groups — experiences that shaped his humanitarian approach.
In 2008, James founded Sight For All, an organisation dedicated to preventing avoidable blindness in Aboriginal and broader Australian communities, as well as in some of the world’s poorest countries. Under his leadership, the organisation has transformed lives and brought national attention to issues of preventable blindness.
James has received numerous accolades for his humanitarian and social entrepreneurship work, including Member of the Order of Australia (2012), EY Social Entrepreneur of the Year – Australia (2015), Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Adelaide (2019), and Australian of the Year (2020).
As a keynote speaker, James draws on his extensive medical experience and humanitarian work to deliver presentations that are inspiring, confronting, and highly impactful, motivating audiences to take action and make a difference.
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Topics
Forging Resilience
A Personal and Global Journey
James’ career as an eye surgeon, humanitarian and social entrepreneur has enriched his life with extraordinary characters and confronting experiences. He has witnessed powerful stories of resilience that he wants to share with the world – a man who woke blind in both eyes, a group of disabled children in an impoverished country, and a global health crisis crying out for help. And through the re-telling of his own story of loss, James explores the critical elements needed to build resilience, at all levels. (40 mins)
Harnessing your Passion to Change the World
The Art and Science of Social Entrepreneurship
James is an eye surgeon, humanitarian and social entrepreneur, and for 30 years has been fighting blindness in Australia and some of the poorest countries of the world. In this fascinating and at times confronting keynote presentation, James uses powerful stories from his work with social impact organisation Sight For All, to outline the three key elements of social entrepreneurship – a spirit of adventure, a humanitarian spirit, and an entrepreneurial spirit. He also discusses the ingredients that make up an entrepreneurial spirit and how you can harness your passion and use these ingredients to change the world for better. (20, 30 and 40 min versions)
Blinded
The Toxic Impact of Sugar and the Rise of Type 2 Diabetes
Blinded tells the story of Neil Hansell, a man who woke one morning blind in both eyes due to neglect of his diabetes. In this confronting 20-minute keynote presentation, James discusses why type 2 diabetes is a growing worldwide epidemic and explores a number of strategies to curb the toxic impact of sugar on our health and on our world. There are versions of this keynote designed for parents and teachers. (20, 30 and 40 min versions)
Social Entrepreneurship and Beyond
The Power of Innovation
Innovation is a key element of social entrepreneurship. It’s also a key element for building personal resilience. In this timely and engaging presentation, James draws on powerful experiences from his humanitarian work with social impact organisation Sight For All to illustrate how innovation is a critical ingredient for people wanting to make a difference in the world. And through the re-telling of his own story of loss, James explores how innovation is an essential tool to forge inner strength and to help us overcome some of life’s toughest challenges. (40 mins)
The Art of Travel
Two of James’s undying passions are travel and photography, indeed the combination of the two fuels in him a constant search for adventure. Frustrated by the inability to travel internationally through the pandemic, James set out to explore his own backyard – South Australia. James’ 30-minute keynote, “The Art of Travel”, features stunning photographs of South Australia, all taken with his smart phone, all taken during the Covid era. Throughout the presentation, James encourages his audience to look at their homeland in a different way, capture it with the lens, and share it with the world. (30 mins)
