Therapeutics Heroes - Mark Roth, John Bartlett and Judith Abbott. Major figures in obtaining therapeutic prescribing rights by Australia optometrists

Description Of Item: This file contains 3 documents -History of Victorian Therapeutics (7 x A4 pages), 'Gold Award 2004', a speech given by Ben Harris, Executive Director, Optometrists Association (Victoria), on presenting the inaugural award to Mark Roth, John Bartlett and Judith Abbott (7 pages), and an email titled Recollection Regarding the Therapeutic Heroes, written by Peter Dwyer, Nov 2020 (1 page).The History of Victorian Therapeutics is a 2009 summary timeline from 1976 to 2008, covering the names, dates and events leading up to suitably qualified optometrists gaining prescribing rights to a number of therapeutic drugs under the PBS. In 1990, guided by Dr Algis Vingrys, John Bartlett, Judith Abbott, Mark Roth and Colin Madigan began developing a therapeutics course for the Optometrists Association, culminating in the first Ocular Therapeutics course being delivered in 1993. A review of the Health Professions Act in Dec 1994 allowed optometrists to prescribe drugs but it took much negotiation by academics, OAA officers and office bearers to determine the schedule of prescribed drugs. The work of John Bartlett, Mark Roth, Algys Vingrys and Tony Gibson was instrumental in obtaining the right to prescribe antivirals, antibiotics, steroids and glaucoma treatment. The first optometrists were endorsed in 2000. Other significant contributors of the many named over the 30 years covered in the document are Prof. Barry Cole, Ian Gutteridge, David Southgate and Ian Breadon.The Gold Award speech honours the outstanding work and leadership by Roth, Bartlett and Abbott in gaining therapeutic prescribing rights.