Summertime is officially here, and outdoor activities are in full swing. While many people know how important it is to protect their skin while spending time in the sun, experts at UAB Eye Care experts want to remind everyone that protecting their eyes is just as important.

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by Nathan Anderson

Terri Call, OD, was first author of a paper titled Real-Time Ocular Comfort Reporting in Monthly Replacement Contact Lens Wearers. The featured research is the first study to describe real-time contact lens comfort over the life of a monthly replacement contact lens.

by Nathan Anderson

Swetha Ravichandran, a Vision Science Graduate Program (VSGP) student, has been awarded a two-year fellowship by the Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama Lindy Harrell Predoctoral Scholar Program. The award, which totals $50,000, provides a $24,500 stipend and $500 travel grant annually.

by Nathan Anderson

Ellen Antwi-Adjei, OD, MPH, Vision Science Graduate Program (VSGP) student, has been awarded a $25,000 fellowship from the American Association of University Women (AAUW). She is the recipient of an AAUW International Doctoral Degree Fellowship, marking the first time a UAB School of Optometry student has received this honor. 

The Dean’s Distinguished Service Award acknowledges leadership and service to the community and the optometry profession. Two individuals were honored during the 2023 Convocation and Hooding Ceremony: Don McCurdy, MD, and Jim Marbourg, OD.

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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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).