Optometrists Rukaiya Anwar and Harry Singh Bhakar have been appointed to the newly-created role of council associate by the General Optical Council.
As council associates, Anwar and Bhakar will take part in GOC council meetings and associated activity, as well as attend its audit, risk and finance committee.
The role encouraged contributions to discussions without voting powers and was created to increase the diversity of experiences and perspectives on the GOC council.
Dr Anne Wright, chair of the GOC council, said: ‘For the GOC, this scheme will enhance the work that Council does to protect patients and the public, by gaining broader perspectives around our council table to represent the diverse needs of our registrants, staff and other stakeholder groups.’
Based in the southwest of England, Anwar graduated from Aston University with a masters in 2016 and currently split her time between academia and practice with a special interest in the legal aspects of optometry.
Bhakar, who is works at a multiple based in County Durham, completed his optometry degree at Anglia Ruskin University in 2020 and was awarded the Haag-Streit UK Prize for undergraduate research into technology and low vision assessment.