Matiyas Mamo Bekele is an emerging optometry professional and clinical researcher whose work spans community eye health, refractive error–related quality of life, low-vision challenges, spectacle use, and the broader landscape of preventable visual impairment. As an academic and clinician at the University of Gondar, he integrates teaching, research, and service, contributing to the development of future optometrists, ophthalmic nurses, and ophthalmology residents while also providing comprehensive eye care through both static and outreach platforms. His scholarly work demonstrates a strong orientation toward population-based ophthalmic research, with multiple peer-reviewed publications addressing eye care utilization patterns, spectacle coverage, knowledge and attitudes toward vision correction, and the burden of ocular diseases among diverse communities and at-risk groups, including individuals with diabetes. His collaborative projects with multidisciplinary teams across hospitals, academic institutions, and public health units reflect a commitment to generating evidence that informs national strategies for equitable eye health access. Through his engagement in systematic reviews, clinical investigations, and community-focused studies, he contributes to a growing body of knowledge that supports early detection, appropriate referral pathways, and improved service delivery in low-resource settings. His involvement in national professional bodies and international volunteer organizations further underscores his dedication to strengthening training systems, capacity building, and vision-related advocacy. As a research advisor and mentor, he supports emerging scholars in pursuing impactful inquiry that addresses gaps in vision care and public health. His continuing work advances the understanding of refractive error needs, ocular morbidities, and community-based approaches to blindness prevention, positioned toward improving quality of life and reducing avoidable vision loss across broader populations. He has 10 citations from 13 documents with an h-index of 2.
Profiles: Scopus | ORCID
Publications
1. Hulleck, A. A., Mohan, D. M., Abdallah, N., El Rich, M., & Khalaf, K. (2022). Present and future of gait assessment in clinical practice: Towards the application of novel trends and technologies.
2. Mohan, D. M., Khandoker, A. H., Wasti, S. A., Ismail Alali, S. I. I., & colleagues. (2021). Assessment methods of post-stroke gait: A scoping review of technology-driven approaches to gait characterization and analysis.
3. Jelinek, H. F., Osman, W. M., Khandoker, A. H., Khalaf, K., Lee, S., Almahmeed, W., & colleagues. (2017). Clinical profiles, comorbidities and complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus in patients from United Arab Emirates.
4. Maschirow, L., Khalaf, K., Al-Aubaidy, H. A., & Jelinek, H. F. (2015). Inflammation, coagulation, endothelial dysfunction and oxidative stress in prediabetes—Biomarkers as a possible tool for early disease detection for rural screening.
5. Witzel, I. I., Jelinek, H. F., Khalaf, K., Lee, S., Khandoker, A. H., & Alsafar, H. (2015). Identifying common genetic risk factors of diabetic neuropathies.