Kris Rallah-Baker

Get to know Your Local Eye Doctor

Associate Professor Kristopher Rallah-Baker (commonly known as ‘Dr Kris’ to his patients) is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, based here on the Sunshine Coast.

Kris was born in Canberra and moved to Brisbane as a young boy with his family and then attended Villanova College.  Inspired from a young age by his mother, who was one of Australia’s female Indigenous Health Workers and then by the work of the late Fred Hollows, he realised very early at school that a path in the Medical profession was his calling.  

He completed his undergraduate Medical Degree at the University of Newcastle.  He then undertook specialist ophthalmology training with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists and on completion of training, was offered a Fred Hollows Foundation Fellowship in 2017.  This saw Kris spend time working closely with Indigenous populations in Alice Springs, as well as time overseas in the Pacific Islands, working with complex cataract patients.

Kris is Australia’s first and currently only Indigenous ophthalmologist and has contributed to the following boards and organisations in both past and present roles:

• He is a visiting medical officer (VMO) at Noosa Day Hospital
• Honourary Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne
• Adjunct Associate Professor at the Qld University of Technology
• Current Zeiss Key Opinion Leader on Cataract and Comprehensive Ophthalmology
• Director on the Board of the Nova Peris Foundation
• Past director on the Board of Vision2020 Australia
• Founding member and former President of the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association (AIDA) 
• A past director on the Federal Board of the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS)
• As a RANZCO Fellow, Kris sits on RANZCO’s Federal Indigenous Committee and is Co-Chair of RANZCO’s Reconciliation Action Plan Committee

His ophthalmic interests include cataract, diabetic eye disease and diagnosis and treatment of macular degeneration.

Kris is now the owner of Sunshine Coast Ophthalmologists (SCO) where he lives locally and enjoys all the Sunshine Coast has to offer.

Outside of work, Kris is very active in pursuits like music, art, making furniture, hobby farming and bee-keeping on his properties in the Noosa hinterland and Gympie.