Susan Cotter, OD, MA, FAAO, professor at the Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B Ketchum University, a distinguished pediatric optometrist, was honored as the 2024 UAB School of Optometry’s Springer lecturer. A clinician-scientist, her presentation highlighted the advancements in amblyopia treatment, a vision disorder Cotter is passionate about.

Candice Turner, OD, associate professor, has been named the Alabama Optometric Association Educator of the Year. 

Janelle Sventek, OD, has joined the UAB School of Optometry as an assistant professor after four years as a pediatric optometrist in private practice. Her interest in becoming an eye doctor started when she received her first pair of glasses at age eight.

by Matt Windsor and Satina Richardson 

Kristine Hopkins, OD, MSPH, has been selected to receive the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, which honors those who have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in teaching. She has been selected for this honor three times.

Sandra Wang-Harris, OD, MPH, has joined the UAB School of Optometry as an associate professor. She has worked in numerous developing countries to ensure the availability of eye care to those in need and will now care for Alabama’s vulnerable populations as an educator and healthcare provider.

by Satina Richardson 

Katherine K. Weise, OD, MBA, FAAO, UAB School of Optometry professor and Pediatric Optometry Service director at UAB Eye Care, is the national network co-chair of the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group (PEDIG). She will serve a five-year term as one of the few optometrists to head the research organization of 300 optometrists and ophthalmologists. 

by Nathan Anderson

Sommer Thompson received the UAB School of Optometry’s Dean’s Outstanding Staff Award for her efforts at the School, which have positively impacted faculty, staff, patients and students through her role as the senior director of development. The Dean’s Outstanding Staff award is selected by Dean Kelly Nichols each year.  

by Nathan Anderson

The Dean’s Distinguished Faculty Award recognizes exemplary leadership and service. During the 2024 Doctoral Convocation and Hooding Ceremony, the award was presented to Adam Gordon, OD, MPH, FAAO, professor and chair for the Department of Optometry and Vision Science. 

by Satina Richardson

The Ohio State University College of Optometry awarded Drs. Kelly and Jason Nichols the prestigious Fry Medal in Physiological Optics. The Fry Medal is awarded to individuals who have truly distinguished themselves with long and exemplary records of vision research only when notable recipients are identified. They delivered the Westheimer Endowed Lecture as part of the honor.

by Nathan Anderson

Steve Beaty, MD, has joined the UAB School of Optometry’s (UABSO) faculty as the School’s first volunteer ophthalmology professor teaching the Resident and Clinical Management courses, while providing clinical consultations at UAB Eye Care, UABSO’s clinical arm.

by Satina Richardson

The 2023 Springer Lecture marked a significant milestone for the endowed series—25 years. The first endowed lecture funded by the Nathaniel E. Springer Memorial Fund occurred in 1999. This year's speaker was Jill Autry, OD, RPh. Autry, much like Donald Springer, OD, who was the impetus for the lecture series' establishment, is passionate about optometry, the betterment of the profession, and lifelong learning.

by Nathan Anderson

Jillian Ziemanski, OD, MS, PhD, FAAO, assistant professor, received the UAB 2023 President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. This honor recognizes full-time regular faculty members at the university who have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in teaching. 

by Nathan Anderson

Terri Call, OD, is the state’s 2023 Optometric Educator of the Year. The American Optometric Association (ALOA) granted the associate professor this honor. 

by Nathan Anderson

Jason Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, FAAO, senior associate vice president for research, provost faculty fellow, and UAB School of Optometry professor, was awarded the Max Schapero Memorial Lecture Award. The award is given by the American Academy of Optometry’s Section on Cornea, Contact Lenses and Refractive Technologies.

by Nathan Anderson

Katherine Weise, OD, MBA, FAAO, UAB School of Optometry professor, has been accepted into the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee as an Expert in Myopia. She will help assess the current mechanistic understanding of myopia pathogenesis and causes of its increased prevalence, to identify knowledge gaps and barriers to progress, and to develop a research agenda aimed at better understanding the biological and environmental factors that could explain its increasing incidence.

by Satina Richardson

Kathryn Trammell was awarded the Dean’s Outstanding Staff award for her work managing continuing education (CE) at the UAB School of Optometry. Her efforts help ensure that optometrists keep their licenses current year after year.

by Satina Richardson

Janene Sims, OD, PhD, was honored with the Dean’s Distinguished Faculty award at the UAB School of Optometry’s 2023 convocation and hooding ceremony. The award recognizes exemplary leadership and service to the school and is given when an individual rises to the occasion in an exceptional way. 

by Nathan Anderson

Janene Sims, OD, PhD, and Andrew Rothstein, OD, will be inducted into the Center for the Study of Community Health as Center Scholars. Induction into this organization is based on the effort potential members make to reduce health risks in underserved communities.

In its 24^th year, the annual Springer Lecture brings a distinguished vision scientist or clinician to the UAB School of Optometry to share knowledge with students and faculty. Leo Semes, OD, FAAO, was the 2022 guest lecturer.

Semes, a UABSO emeritus professor, and retired clinician scientist, titled his lecture How Discovery Favors the Prepared Mind. He explained the meaning of the title.

Janene Sims, OD, PhD, FAAO, is the state’s 2022 Optometric Educator of the Year. The American Optometric Association (ALOA) granted the associate professor this honor.

by Satina Richardson

Adam Gordon, OD, MPH, FAAO, has been named the UAB School of Optometry’s first CooperVision Endowed Scholar – Myopia Management and Contact Lenses.

by Caleb Jones

Lawrence Sincich, PhD, professor of vision science and director of the graduate program at the UAB School of Optometry, has received the 2022 President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. This honor recognizes full-time regular faculty members at the university who have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in teaching.

The teaching faculty at the UAB School of Optometry (UABSO) was awarded the Dr. Jack Bennett Innovation in Optometric Education Award at the 2022 Optometry’s Meeting held in Chicago, IL. 

Keshia S. Elder, OD, MS, FAAO, professor at the UAB School of Optometry (UABSO), was awarded the Millicent Knight Trailblazer Award at the 2022 National Optometric Association (NOA) Conference.

by Satina Richardson 

Gerald Simon, OD, was named 2022 Optometrist of the Year by the National Optometric Association (NOA).

by Satina Richardson

Jason Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, UAB School of Optometry professor and the UAB Office of Research’s senior associate vice president for research, received the 2022 Donald R. Korb Award. Given by the American Optometric Association (AOA) Contact Lens and Cornea Section, the award recognizes an individual who has been a true innovator and leader in the field of contact lenses and anterior segment disease.

by Satina Richardson

Dr. Keshia S. Elder, associate professor at the UAB School of Optometry (UABSO), will become the first African American female in the nation to lead a school of optometry. Effective September 1, 2022, she will be dean of the College of Optometry at the University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL).

by Satina Richardson

Gerald Simon, OD, received the Dean’s Distinguished Service Award at the 2022 Hooding and Convocation Ceremony. The Dean’s Distinguished Service Award acknowledges leadership and service to the community and the optometric profession.

by Satina Richardson

The Dean’s Outstanding Staff Award was given to Chris Boutwell at the 2022 Convocation and Hooding Ceremony. Boutwell earned the award due to his countless contributions to the school since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Thomas T. Norton, PhD, FAAO, UAB School of Optometry professor emeritus, has been granted an honorary Doctor of Science degree from State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry for making substantial contributions to the advancement of optometry and public healthcare.

Kelly K. Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, FAAO, UAB School of Optometry dean, was awarded the Dr. Frank Fontana Career Achievement Award at the 2022 Southeastern Congress of Optometry (SECO). 

The award is named after Dr. Frank Fontana, the first optometrist to receive the lifetime achievement award from Review of Optometry in 2014. Lovingly known by many as “Uncle Frank,” Fontana had a remarkable 70-year career and left an indelible imprint on the profession. He was a friend and mentor to many for generations and passed away at the age of 96 years.

The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees has approved Kent Keyser, PhD, as professor emeritus in the Department of Optometry and Vision Science.

by Caleb Jones

Katherine Weise, OD, MBA, FAAO, director of the Pediatric Optometry Service at UAB Eye Care, was selected from among hundreds of optometrists and ophthalmologists from the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group (PEDIG) to serve as co-chair of the international research network, effective January 2024. The appointment lasts for five years.

by Satina Richardson

The education students receive at the UAB School of Optometry ex­tends beyond subjects related to op­tometry and vision science. It includes educational opportunities that will produce graduates who are prepared to build doctor-patient relationships that can yield better outcomes and decrease healthcare disparities.

by Rick Lewis

Adam Gordon, OD, MPH, FAAO, attributes his nearly four-decades-long career as an optometrist and professor in the UAB School of Optometry (UABSO) to his failing to find fame as a musician. As a fresh biology major graduate out of Washington University in St. Louis, Gordon had a guitar and his sights on the stage, but when “it became obvious [he] wasn’t going to pay rent,” he moved back to Baltimore and landed an entry-level job at The Johns Hopkins Hospital instead.

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by Satina Richardson

A professor dedicated to treating young patients and training future optometrists, Kristine Hopkins, OD, MSPH, FAAO, was named the 2021 Alabama Optometric Association (ALOA) Educator of the Year.

Hopkins joined the UAB School of Optometry faculty in the summer of 1998  working in pediatric clinical services and founded UAB Eye Care’s Vision Therapy Clinic. UAB Eye Care is the clinical arm of the school. She left to work in an Atlanta-area private practice in 2012. However, her love for teaching influenced a return to UAB in 2015.

By Caleb Jones

Keshia S. Elder, OD, MS, FAAO, associate professor of optometry and an attending in the UAB Eye Care Primary Care clinic, has been selected to participate in the Health Leadership Academy (HLA). She will be a member of the 2022 cohort, which includes a select few from a cross-section of individuals from UAB schools, the UAB Health System and UAB Medicine.

by Satina Richardson

Candice Turner, OD, discovered her passion for teaching while working with fourth year optometry students during her career in private practice. She ultimately changed paths and became a full-time educator. Her decision has been rewarding. Turner received the 2021 UAB President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.

by Satina Richardson

Four of the six UAB School of Optometry deans have served as president of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO). Following in their footsteps, UAB School of Optometry Dean Kelly Nichols is ASCO president for 2021-22.

Nichols is the first ASCO president who also served as president of the American Optometric Student Association (AOSA).

by Kim O'Sullivan, ASCO director of communications 

During ASCO’s Board meeting in June, ASCO swore in a new President for the upcoming 12 months. This year, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Board meeting was held remotely, and Dr. Kelly Nichols was sworn in as ASCO’s president virtually.

Kelly Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, FAAO, UAB School of Optometry dean, has been elected secretary of the board of directors for each the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (NAEVR) and the Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (AEVR) for the 2021-2023 term.

Andrew D. Pucker, OD, PhD, UAB School of Optometry assistant professor, has successfully completed his fellowship in the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA). Only about 200 contact lens professionals from the international community of contact lens industry and practice have achieved this distinction since it was introduced in 2006.  

The Dean’s Distinguished Faculty Award recognizes exemplary leadership and service and is only given when an individual rises to the occasion in an exceptional way. During the 2021 Doctoral Convocation and Hooding Ceremony, the award was presented to Elizabeth Steele, OD, FAAO, associate professor and associate dean for clinical affairs.

John Laurent, OD, MS, PhD, traveled a storied path to becoming an associate professor at the UAB School of Optometry. Prior to joining the faculty, he spent 30 years on active duty in the US Army and US Navy. During that time, he gained the knowledge and experience needed to become an educator. After 10 years at the school, Laurent retired effective March 1.

Katie Clore, OD, has been named the 2020 Alabama Optometric Association (ALOA) Educator of the Year.

By Satina Richardson

Marina Gorbatyuk, PhD, associate professor, has been invited by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to serve as a peer reviewer in the study section for the Biology of the Visual Systems Study Section, Center for Scientific Review. The appointment is for 4-years and places Gorbatyuk at the heart of the NIH’s grant process. 

By Satina Richardson

Robert Kleinstein, OD, MPH, PhD, retired UAB School of Optometry professor, has been appointed Professor Emeritus in the Department of Optometry and Vision Science by the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama System. Kleinstein retired from the UAB School of Optometry in 2019 following 45 years of service.

By Satina Richardson

Jason Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, has received the Contact Lens Cornea Section Legends Award from the American Optometric Association (AOA).

This award is given to optometrists who demonstrate intellectual depth and passion toward contact lenses, cornea, or refractive technology and quest for continued learning and firm foundation of basic and clinical sciences of contact lenses and anterior segment. Recipients also must exhibit exceptional leadership skills and mentoring, innovation, and desire to advance research.

by Satina Richardson

Felton Perry, OD, had never planned to have a career in optometry. Forty-five years after beginning work at the UAB School of Optometry, he has retired knowing that he had his perfect career that filled the need for eye care in Alabama communities. 

A UAB School of Optometry faculty member has been named the American Optometric Association (AOA) Optometric Educator of the Year for the third time in less than five years. Caroline Pate, OD, FAAO, is the 2020 recipient of the award.

Kelly K. Nichols, OD MPH, PhD, FAAO, dean of the UAB School of Optometry, has been elected to serve on the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (NAEVR) and the Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (AEVR) Board of Directors in the class of 2020-2023.

Terri Call, OD, has been awarded the UAB 2020 President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. The award is based solely on outstanding accomplishments in teaching as demonstrated, in part, by her thorough knowledge of the subject area and exemplary classroom instruction. 

After 42 years at the UAB School of Optometry, Michael Loop, PhD, associate professor of Optometry and Vision Sciences, retires effective April 30th.

By Satina Richardson

Maggie Bailey, OD, assistant professor, has been named chief of the Vision Therapy Clinic (VT), a specialty clinic within UAB Eye Care that provides treatment for children and adults with eye teaming, focusing and tracking disorders.

By Satina Richardson

During the 2020 Eye Center South Eye Education Foundation symposium, the inaugural Dr. CD Denney Memorial Award was presented to Dean Kelly K. Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, FAAO.

by Satina Richardson

Juan “Jenny” Huang, PhD, OD, MPH, has joined the UAB School of Optometry as an assistant professor, tenure track.  She comes to UAB from The Ohio State University College of Optometry where she was a research assistant professor.

Emeritus professor, Robert P. Rutstein, OD, MS, FAAO, was named the 21^st Springer Award Honoree and presented the annual Springer Lecture on the topic of retinally induced aniseikonia, a binocular vision disorder.

John Laurent, OD, PhD, FAAO, is an associate professor who specializes in contact lens fitting. He received his OD from Ohio State University along with his master’s degree in Vision Science. Laurent went on to earn his PhD in vision science with a research area of corneal psychology from UABSO. He has practiced in the US Navy and Army where he served 30 years. For four years, he worked as a research scientist for the Naval Aerospace Medical Research Lab and later served as the research director for the Navy Refractive Surgery Center. Laurent is a member of the Academic Optometric Association, International Society of Contact Lens Specialists, a Fellow of American Academy of Optometry and a Fellow of Scleral Lens Education Society.

By Satina Richardson

Robert Kleinstein, OD, MPH, PhD, retired UAB School of Optometry professor, received the Henry B. Peters Memorial Award from the American Academy of Optometry Foundation.

By Satina Richardson

Caroline Pate, OD, FAAO, associate professor and director of residency programs at the UAB School of Optometry, has been named the 2019 Optometric Educator of the Year by the Alabama Optometric Association (ALOA).

Andrew D. Pucker, OD, PhD, FAAO, FSLS, UAB School of Optometry assistant professor, recently earned his Diplomate in the Section on Cornea, Contact Lenses and Refractive Technologies from the American Academy of Optometry (AAO).

Adam Gordon, OD, MPH, FAAO, has been named the Department of Optometry and Vision Science Chair. He is the second person to hold the position, which is now appointed by the Dean after faculty input.

The Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama System approved the appointment of Narayana Sthanam, PhD, as Professor Emeritus in the Department of Optometry and Vision Science.

Amy Henderson, OD, and Brian Roberts, OD, have joined the UAB School of Optometry as assistant professors.

Mark Swanson, OD, professor at the UAB School of Optometry, has been selected to serve on the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry’s (ASCO) Audit Committee for the 2019-2020 program year. This committee helps with the proactive oversight of the association’s financial and compliance reporting process, the external audit process and financial controls.

Dr. Roberts is a graduate of Nova Southeastern University with a Bachelor’s in Vision Science and a Doctorate of Optometry. Since then, he completed a residency at Nova in Primary Eye Care with an emphasis in Pediatrics and Binocular Vision. He is one of our newest assistant professors and also sees patients and works with students in Pediatrics, Specialty Clinic Peds-Neuro, Primary Care, and serves on the admissions committee.

By AJ Stephens

 Keshia Elder, OD, MS, FAAO, associate professor at the UAB School of Optometry, has been appointed as an associate editor for the journal Optometric Education by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO).

By AJ Stephens

Kelly Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, FAAO, dean of the UAB School of Optometry, was named the 2019 Donald R. Korb Award recipient. This award is given by the American Optometric Association (AOA) Contact Lens and Cornea Section in recognition of an individual who has been a true innovator and leader in the field of contact lenses and anterior segment disease.

Andrew Pucker, O.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry, has been recognized with the Irvin M. and Beatrice Borish Award as an outstanding young scientist from the American Academy of Optometry.

By Tyra Rocker

After 42 years of service, James Marbourg, O.D., announced his retirement from the UAB School of Optometry.

Dr. Tim Kraft is a graduate of MIT, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, and Stanford University with degrees in Biology, Physiology, and Post Doc Neurobiology. He joined the Ophthalmology department in 1993 as an Assistant Professor. Today, he is the Interim Associate Dean for Research and the Chair of the Department of Optometry and Vision Science. His areas of specialty are photoreceptor physiology and retinal degeneration.

Following nearly five years of service to the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry, Michael Twa, O.D., Ph.D., FAAO, received the Dean’s Distinguished Service Award in 2019. This award is given only when an individual rises to the occasion in an exceptional way.

By AJ Stephens

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) Platinum Certificate program provides UAB teachers with more advanced professional development opportunities in teaching. To receive the certificate, participants must earn at least 100,000 additional points beyond the 100,000 points required for the CTL’s Gold Certificate. These points must include at least 70,000 “Platinum” points which are earned by attending specially designated Platinum-level workshops, through teacher observations, and by completion of a capstone project and presentation. The remaining 30k points may be either Gold, Green, or Platinum. Only six educators total have earned this special designation at UAB since the start of the program in 2018.

Here is a Q&A with Dr. Pucker regarding the benefits of earning the prestigious certificate and challenges along the way:

By Satina Richardson

Dr. Kathy Weise received the 6th annual Hall W. Thompson Hero for Sight Award from Sight Savers America. Weise was selected for the award because of her longtime dedication to improving children’s eye care in Alabama.

Call is a graduate of UABSO who completed her residency in Geriatric and Low Vision Rehabilitative Optometry at the Birmingham Veterans Affairs. Upon the completion of her residency, she returned to the school as an assistant professor in the summer of 2016 and has continued as full-time faculty and a clinical attending in the Primary Care and Ocular Disease clinics.

By AJ Stephens

The UAB Service Awards proudly honors employees who have made a significant career commitment to the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the School of Optometry.

By AJ Stephens

Dr. Andrew Pucker has been named a Fellow of the Scleral Lens Education Society (SLS). Fellows of the Scleral Lens Education Society are comprised of optometrists, ophthalmologists, and Fellows of the Contact Lens Society of America who have proven themselves in the field of scleral lens fitting.

By AJ Stephens

Dean Kelly Nichols elected as a Distinguished Fellow of the National Academies of Practice (NAP) in Optometry. A Distinguished Practitioner, Scholar or Policy Fellow within NAP is a very high honor that acknowledges her outstanding achievements. This honor also identifies Dean Nichols as a recognized leader in the optometry profession and indicates that colleagues in other Academies of NAP recognize her ability to help establish and lead her new Academy in the days to come.

Jianzhong Chen, Ph.D., assistant professor at the University of Alabama at BirminghamSchool of Optometry, along with co-author Kelly Nichols, O.D., MPH, Ph.D., FAAO, dean of the School of Optometry, has published a sensitive method facilitating dry eye disease studies in the Journal of Lipid Research. JLR is the most cited lipid journal in the world and is published by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

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Pate is a graduate of Pennsylvania College of Optometry who completed her residency at UABSO. Upon the completion of her residency, she then joined the UAB School of Optometry faculty in July 2005, where she currently is an Associate Professor in the Department of Optometry and Vision Science.

The Alabama Optometric Association (ALOA) has named Adam Gordon OD, MPH, FAAO, clinical associate professor at the UAB School of Optometry, their Educator of the Year.

Gordon was honored as the recipient of the 2018 award at the ALOA’s fall meeting, held November 2-4 at the Hyatt Regency in Birmingham.

The 20th Springer Award Honoree, Dr. Thomas Norton, professor emeritus, presented a lecture entitled "Toward Myopia Control: from animal models to children—the UAB connection" to students, faculty, and alumni on October 25^th. In the lecture, Dr. Norton described research from his lab that began over three decades ago and is part of the foundation for the myopia treatments used today at the UAB School of Optometry.

Steven Pittler, Ph.D., FAAO, FARVO, director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry Vision Science Research Center, has been awarded an R01 grant to develop mouse model studies of autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa (arRP), a prevalent and progressive blinding disorder that currently has no treatment or preventive means.

Dr. Keshia Elder graduated from UABSO in 1998 with her Doctorate of Optometry and her Master of Science in Vision Science.  After graduation, Dr. Elder served five years in the Medical Service Corps in the United States Navy. She’s held several academic positions prior to rejoining the faculty at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry.  At the UAB School of Optometry, Dr. Elder teaches in the Clinical Management Course.  In addition, she is the Director of the Externship Program and the Primary Care Clinic Service Director.  Her research interests include the effect of various contact lens materials and corneal surgeries on dry eye syndrome and health disparities related to primary eye care.

By Savannah Koplon

For people with perfect vision or those who wear prescription glasses or contacts for everyday corrective use, it can be easy to overlook how essential sight is to a person’s daily life. Even a simple task like opening your eyes and walking forward can be taken for granted.

As Jennifer Kimmett experienced, blurred and distorted vision limited her ability to live a normal life — including the ability to go about her day with her eyes open.

At age 35, Kimmett underwent cataract surgery — the process of removing the clouded lens of the eye and replacing it with an artificial lens — due to iritis complications caused by her lupus diagnosis. When an uncorrectable astigmatism, an irregularly shaped curvature of the lens, developed in her right eye, her vision became debilitating.

After 35 years of service, Dr. Rod Fullard, associate professor, is retiring from the UAB School of Optometry.

“Dr. Fullard has been a leader in the school who has risen to the occasion numerous times,” said Dean Kelly Nichols. “His efforts have exemplified the true meaning of stewardship.”

During his tenure at UABSO, Dr. Fullard successfully led the school through its accreditation process twice. He served as chair of the School of Optometry's Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) Self-Study Committee from 2016 to 2017 and 2007 to 2009. The ACOE is the accrediting body for schools and colleges of optometry. For his leadership with this process, he was awarded the Dean’s Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes exemplary leadership and service at Optometry. This special award is given only when the need arises.

Bailey is a 2016 graduate of UABSO who completed her residency in Binocular Vision and Pediatric Optometry at the Illinois College of Optometry/Illinois Eye Institute. She is one of the newest faculty members and was recently named assistant professor. Dr. Bailey provides care and instruction in both the general and pediatric clinics at UAB Eye Care.

Dr. Narayana Sthanam is retiring from the UAB School of Optometry following 33 years of service. For his longtime commitment to the school, his UABSO family says thank you.

He joined UAB as a junior research associate in Dr. Charles E. Bugg’s lab in 1985 and was appointed as a research assistant professor in the department of biochemistry and molecular genetics in 1990 after receiving an Alabama American Heart Association grant for two years to study Factor D that same year. Dr. Sthanam was appointed Assistant professor in UABSO’s Department of Optometry in 1993 after receiving his first NIH R29 grant to study Factor D. In 1998 he was promoted to associate professor and became a full professor in the school of optometry in 2008.

The Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama approved the appointment of Dr. Leo Semes as Professor Emeritus in the Department of Optometry and Vision Science.

“Dr. Semes is one of the most beloved individuals that UABSO has known. I can think of no greater honor to recognize all he’s done in the field as an educator, researcher, mentor and colleague,” said Dean Kelly Nichols.

At the upcoming American Optometric Association conference, to be held June 20-24, in Denver, the UABSO family has a lot to be proud of, as Dr. Sam Pierce (’89) will be sworn in as AOA president, Dr. Mark Swanson (’85) will be given the AOA Educator of the Year award, faculty member Dr. Andrew Pucker will receive the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry Rising Star Award and Dr. Hannah Greenfield (’18) will be recognized as the first American Optometric Student Association Student of the Year.  

Kelly Nichols, O.D., MPH, Ph.D., professor and dean of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry, and Jason Nichols, O.D., MPH, Ph.D., professor and assistant vice president for Industry Research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, have both been internationally recognized in two articles published in the peer-reviewed journal The Ocular Surface for their contributions as authors on multiple publications in the study of dry eye disease research.

A UAB School of Optometry faculty member recently received national recognition for his work in optometric education.

Andrew Pucker, OD, PhD, assistant professor at the School of Optometry, is the 2018 recipient of the Rising Star Award, given by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry, or ASCO.

As the new director of Community Eye Care (CEC), Janene Sims, OD, PhD, is excited about past growth of the UAB School of Optometry’s community outreach arm.

CEC, which provides comprehensive eye care and vision screenings for underinsured residents at locations throughout the Birmingham metro area, increased its presence at Western Health Center in Midfield, Alabama, from three days a week to four in 2017. And at the annual Gift of Sight event in December, free eye care and glasses were provided to 260 patients.

Now, Sims is looking forward to what is to come in 2018. Her work with CEC began when she was a student at the School of Optometry and continued when she joined the School as a part-time faculty member in 1997. Now, Sims is an associate professor at the School of Optometry, supervisor of its Residency in Family Practice Optometry and also serves as an advisor for the UAB chapter of the National Optometric Student Association.

The Alabama Optometric Association has named Mark Swanson, O.D., professor at the UAB School of Optometry, its Educator of the Year.

Swanson was honored as the recipient of the 2017 award at the ALOA’s annual convention, held Nov. 3-5 at the Hyatt Regency in Birmingham.

“It’s an honor to receive this award from my colleagues, former students and friends in the state association,” Swanson says. “I couldn’t have asked for a better group to work with through the years.”

Age-related macular degeneration was the topic at the UAB School of Optometry’s annual Springer Lecture, presented by the 2017 Springer Award Honoree, Christine Curcio, Ph.D., professor at the UAB Department of Ophthalmology.

Curcio gave her lecture, entitled “Age-related macular degeneration discovery through histologically validated multimodal clinical imaging,” to School of Optometry faculty and students on Sept. 28 in Volker Hall on the UAB campus.

A faculty member at the UAB School of Optometry brought the topic of precision medicine to the 2017 American Academy of Optometry meeting, held Oct. 11-14 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

The 2017 Monroe J. Hirsch Symposium, organized by Michael Twa, O.D., Ph.D., associate dean for research and graduate studies at the School of Optometry, was held Thursday, Oct. 12 at the meeting and entitled "Precision Medicine and the Future of Healthcare."

Fourteen UAB School of Optometry faculty, six residents, one postdoctoral fellow and one graduate student are presenting at the 2017 American Academy of Optometry meeting, which is being held Oct. 11-14 in Chicago at McCormick Place. The presentations include research, lectures and workshops on a variety of optometry and vision science topics.

The annual Academy meeting includes nearly 300 hours of lectures and workshops, symposia and scientific lecture and poster presentations. It offers a wide variety of clinically relevant continuing education courses and cutting edge research in the clinical and vision sciences.

Two new faculty members have joined the UAB School of Optometry as clinical assistant professors.

Maggie Bailey, O.D., sees patients and works with students in Pediatrics, Primary Care and Community Eye Care at UAB Eye Care, which is the School of Optometry’s clinical operation.

When Elizabeth Steele, O.D., joined the UAB School of Optometry nearly 13 years ago as a faculty member, she did not know how much she would love teaching.

“It was one of those crazy little choices you make that shapes your entire life,” she said Wednesday, June 21, to attendees of the American Optometric Association’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C.