News
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Sims receives Dean’s Distinguished Faculty award
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.
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First graduating class celebrates 50 years
The UAB School of Optometry’s first graduating class marked its 50th anniversary. Bernie Scott, OD, Michael Raim, OD, and Ron Dachelet, OD, members of the 1973 class, attended the 2023 Convocation and Hooding Ceremony to recognize this milestone.
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2023-2024 residency class represents nine optometry programs
by Nathan Anderson
Match Day is an exciting time for optometry students, as it is the day future residents find out if they did or did not match with their residencies. Abigail Witmer, OD, a graduate of The Ohio State University, received an email notification on March 27th notifying her that she had been matched with the UAB School of Optometry’s pediatric optometry residency.
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Essinger celebrates practice’s 20th anniversary
by Nathan Anderson
John Essinger, OD, is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his practice, Vestavia Eye Care (VEC). An externship site for almost as long, training future optometrists has been rewarding.
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Nyankerh awarded outstanding poster honor
by Nathan Anderson
Cyril Nyankerh, OD, Vision Science Graduate Program (VSGP) student, was awarded the Members-in-Training (MIT) Outstanding Poster Award for the Visual Neuroscience section at ARVO 2023, the premiere gathering for eye and vision scientists at all career stages.
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Alumnus appointed to Distinguished Teaching Professorship
by Nathan Anderson
Steven H. Schwartz, OD, PhD, has been appointed to the rank of Distinguished Teaching Professorship, the State University of New York’s (SUNY) highest academic rank. He joins a select group of professors who have earned this distinction.
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Vision science student awarded $10,000 fellowship
by Nathan Anderson
The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi has awarded Keyur Savla, Vision Science Program doctoral student at the UAB School of Optometry, a Dissertation Fellowship of $10,000. Not since 2016 has a UAB student received this honor.
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UABSO FIRST: Hernandez selected for prestigious neuro-ophthalmic residency
by Satina Richardson
Heidi Hernandez has earned a highly competitive residency at The Eye Institute of Salus University (TEI). The two-year neuro-ophthalmic disease residency accepts only one resident annually and is the only one of its kind in the nation. It is the first time a UAB optometry student has been chosen for this program.
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Sims and Rothstein become Center Scholars
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.
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Alumnus is National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s Alabama chapter inductee
by Nathan Anderson
David Lee, OD, class of 1988 at the UAB School of Optometry (UABSO), will be inducted into the Alabama Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame this spring.
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Arthur to investigate affordable early detection of Alzheimer's disease
by Satina Richardson
Edmund Arthur, OD, PhD, FAAO, was awarded a National Institute of Health R21 grant from the National Institute on Aging. The $408,375 two-year pilot grant aims to develop a novel, non-invasive, and cost-effective retinal vascular biomarker for early Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) risk detection and disease monitoring.
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Morgan appointed AOSA executive council treasurer
by Nathan Anderson
Robert Morgan, class of 2024 at the UAB School of Optometry (UABSO), has been elected treasurer of the American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) board of directors.
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UABSO First: Students named ASF Fellows
by Satina Richardson
Four UAB School of Optometry (UABSO) students have been selected by the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship of Alabama (ASF) to serve as Alabama Schweitzer Fellows. This marks the first time that optometry students at UAB have been selected to participate in the program.
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Student organizes new volunteer clinical rotation
Clinical learning during optometry school is critical. Over four years, students spend three years developing clinical skills as part of their curriculum. This year, however, a group of students decided to pursue an additional opportunity and now see patients once per month at Equal Access Birmingham (EAB).
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Faculty and grants added to growing field of research
by Cary Estes
When it comes to research faculty recruitment and research grants, 2022 was a very good year for the UAB School of Optometry.
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Student wins Optometry Cares scholarship
Hannah Morrison has been awarded the $10,000 Optometry Cares 2023 Bernard Maitenaz Scholarship. To compete for the scholarship, the UAB School of Optometry student created a social media toolkit about the importance of comprehensive eye exams for children beginning at six months of age.
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International optometry program launched
The Doctor of Optometry Program for International Students (DOPIS) welcomed three internationally trained students to the inaugural cohort in the summer of 2022.
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Infant helped by new Pediatric Aphakia Clinic
After his pediatrician found an abnormal red reflex in his eyes, baby Kash Kennamer was referred to an ophthalmologist who diagnosed the infant with aphakia. Then at four months old, Kash underwent cataract surgery. Following a referral from Callahan Eye Hospital, one week later, his parents brought Kash to UAB Eye Care’s new Pediatric Aphakia Clinic started by Natalie West, OD.
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Eye health resolutions to practice all year
Resolutions can be difficult to keep. However, as the year starts, here are several related to your eyes and vision that are good for your ocular health!
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Researchers find potential therapy to slow progression of nearsightedness
In a preclinical model, School of Optometry researchers Timothy Gawne, Ph.D., and Thomas Norton, Ph.D., studied how adjusting visual cues through chromatically simulated myopic blur could be useful in slowing the progression of myopia, or nearsightedness. Read more on UAB News