Talin Barisani-Asenbauer has studied Medicine at the University of Vienna, Austria. She started her career in 1987 at the Department of Ophthalmology as scientific coworker and from 1990 to 1997 she completed her residency in ophthalmology with special emphasis on ocular immunology and infectiology. In 1997 she became senior staff member of the Department and the director of the Uveitis unit and the working group “ocular immunology & infectiology”. In 2001 she was awarded the habiliation degree by the University of Vienna, the topic of her habilitation thesis being `Molecular methods to identify microbes in ocular tissues´. In 2009 Talin Barisani-Asenbauer succeeded to obtain one of eight highly competitive peer-reviewed Laura Bassi Centre of Expertise grants from the Austrian Ministry of Economics allowing her to establish in 2010 with her industrial partner BIRD-C the Laura Bassi Centre of Expertise OCUVAC at the Institute of Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Vienna. OCUVAC aims at achieving a multidisciplinary understanding of trachoma and ocular immunity that underpins the more translational research in the centre, while having the potential for the discovery of innovative drug-delivery systems and ocular vaccines.

 

Talin Barisani-Asenbauer occupies several chairwoman positions; she became chairwoman of the Educational Committee of the IOIS in 2011 and in the same year of the Educational Board of the European Board of Ophthalmology. Since 2010 she acts as Vice-Chairwoman of the Commission for International Ophthalmology of the Austrian Ophthalmology Society (ÖOG) and since 2009 she is (vice)Chairwoman of the ÖOG Commission for Ocular Inflammation, infection and allergy. In 2009 she was President of the Viennese Ophthalmological Society and from 2007 to 2011 she was General-Secretary of the International Ocular Inflammation Society-IOIS. Her research interests are: rare and neglected ocular diseases, ocular immunology, inflammation & infection, drug delivery to ocular tissues and ocular vaccine development.

 

Besides her several career-related activities Barisani-Asenbauer created Vision 2020 Austria the Austrian chapter of the worldwide-known collaboration between the IABP and WHO. She seeks to help promoting ocular health in developing countries by establishing educational and research collaborations aiming on mutual benefits.She is actively involved in promoting team-oriented research, diversity and ethical conduct in the working environment. Through the Laura Bassi Programme she aspires to promote the career and empowerment of the female scientists in her team and to strengthen the partnership with the industry. 

She is member of the Academia-Net, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), IOIS, ÖOG, the Royal Society of Medicine and the Austrian Society of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology. 

Professor Barisani-Asenbauer is Co-chief editor of the “Journal of Ophthalmic Inflammation & Infection”.

2010 - present