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.

The mission of the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (NAEVR) is to achieve the best eye and vision care for all Americans through advocacy and public education for eye and vision research sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and its National Eye Institute (NEI), Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and other federal agencies. The Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (AEVR) works to ensure the best eye and vision care for all Americans through the education of congressional legislators, government policymakers, coalition partners, the media and consumers about the value of eye and vision research.

Few optometrists have been tapped to serve as board members. For Nichols, this is an opportunity to represent the UAB School of Optometry and the UAB Vision Science community nationally in advocacy of vision research. 

“It isn’t every day that an opportunity to serve on a national level and represent the excellence in Vision Science research on the UAB campus arises,” Nichols said. “Serving in such a significant manner is an honor. For Vision Science graduate students and optometry students, I want to be an example of how important it is to advocate for vision science research and the creation of knowledge.”