SCO SNAPS H TO
Our President
As we close out another remarkable year at Southern College of Optometry, I’m filled with gratitude for the strides we’ve made in 2024.
This year was a testament to the strength, resilience, and forward-thinking spirit of our community — students, faculty, staff, and alumni alike.
One of our greatest achievements in 2024 saw a major investment in strengthening security measures to benefit our students and the greater campus. We installed new security fences and added SCO-branded patrol vehicles to make the campus more secure.
We also continued to explore ways to offer our students cutting-edge technology and state-of-the-art facilities. Although we’re still in the early planning stages, we believe the ideas under consideration will ensure that our students receive the very best education and training, preparing them to
be leaders in an ever-evolving healthcare landscape.
Academically, we celebrated another year of positive NBEO results, with our students consistently performing above national averages. Our emphasis on clinical training has never been stronger, thanks to an expanded rotation program that provides diverse real-world experiences for our students in underserved communities.
Our entering class was the largest in recent SCO history, and I’m happy to note that we attracted highly qualified students without having to lower our standards to recruit
them. With a mean GPA of 3.68 and a mean OAT of 339, these students continue to demonstrate an aptitude for success. Ninetyone different undergraduate institutions are represented by our first-year class. Our total fall enrollment represents 46 different states and 17 students from Canada.
Looking ahead to 2025, I am excited about the many opportunities on the horizon. We will continue to focus on innovation in optometric education, research, and patient care. We can all be proud that SCO remains at the forefront of the profession as a top school of choice for the best optometry students.
As we reflect on 2024 and eagerly anticipate what’s next, I want to thank you — our alumni — for your continued support. Together, we are shaping the future of optometry and ensuring that SCO remains a leader in the field.
You’re not seeing double. After the 142 new students in SCO’s Class of 2028 took their first official group photo at Orientation seen on the cover, the group then posed for a more relaxed, fun version. This year’s entering class marked the largest in SCO’s history, representing more states than any other optometry college in the nation!
ALUMNI MAGAZINE Winter 2024
PRESIDENT
Lewis Reich, OD, PhD
VICE PRESIDENT FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
George Miller, CFRE
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Jim Hollifield
SENIOR CREATIVE DESIGNER
Susan Doyle
WEBSITE AND SOCIAL
NETWORKING MANAGER
Erin Jaffe
SENIOR CREATIVE PROJECT MANAGER
Philip Tribble
CREATIVE SERVICES COORDINATOR
Melissa Hansbro
BOARD CHAIR
David A. Cockrell, OD ’81
BOARD MEMBERS
Allan L. Barker, OD ’75
Renee Brauns
Betty Harville Brown, OD
Arthur R. Dampier, OD ’97
Anita Davis, PhD
Vicki Farmer
Charles G. Glaser, OD ’74
Mark R. Kapperman, OD ’87
Charles W. Kinnaird, OD
James K . Kirchner, OD
Jennifer E. Lyerly, OD ’11
Stacey J. Meier, OD ’84
Lynn T. Shaw
Stuart R. Tasman, OD ’80
FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE
Carrie Lebowitz, OD, ’06
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE
Kimberly Pham, ’26
Visions is a magazine for alumni, faculty, staff, and other friends of Southern College of Optometry. It is published through the Office of Institutional Advancement. A digital version is available online at sco.edu/visions
Please forward comments, address changes, and contributions to: Institutional Advancement 1245 Madison Avenue Memphis, TN 38104-2222
800-238-0180, ext. 4
sco.edu
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LEWIS REICH, OD, PH.D.
Homecoming Fall CE 2024
Next year’s Fall Homecoming and CE Weekend will be held September 25-28, 2025, so save the date. Look for many more photos from this year’s event on SCO’s website.
REUNION CLASS OF 1994
REUNION CLASS OF 1984
REUNION CLASS OF 2004
REUNION CLASS OF 1999
REUNION CLASS OF 2014
REUNION CLASS OF 2019
SCO+Memphis
ON MEMPHIS:
EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC ENGINE
Southern College of Optometry is not just a renowned educational institution; it’s an economic powerhouse, contributing significantly to the Memphis region and beyond. A recent economic impact report reveals that SCO generates an annual economic impact of $179.1 million and supports 1,136 jobs across the United States. Of this, $108.3 million and 823 jobs directly benefit the regional Memphis economy.
“SCO’s impact extends far beyond simply graduating optometrists,” said George Miller, SCO’s Vice President of Institutional Advancement. “Our presence as an institution, the spending of our students, and the invaluable services we provide all combine to make SCO a vital asset to our community and the nation.”
AN ENTERPRISE: INVESTING IN MEMPHIS
SCO’s operations as a business enterprise contribute significantly to the local economy. This includes capital investments, non-payroll operating expenses, and payroll expenditures.
Recent capital investments, totaling $6.5 million, have fueled economic growth, generating a regional impact of $13.6 million and creating 80 external jobs. These investments encompass clinic renovations, infrastructure upgrades, and equipment purchases, demonstrating SCO’s commitment to providing a cutting-edge learning environment while simultaneously stimulating local businesses.
Beyond capital investments, SCO’s day-today operations inject $20.1 million into the regional economy and support 130 area jobs. This impact stems from non-payroll expenses such as repairs and maintenance, professional services, and supplies, underlining how SCO’s operational needs translate into opportunities for local businesses and workers.
SCO’s most significant contribution comes from its 200 employees, who earn a combined $21.6 million in salaries and benefits. This translates to an impressive $41 million in economic output and sustains 367 jobs, with the vast majority of these benefits ($40.4 million and 362 jobs) staying within the regional economy.
“Our dedicated faculty and staff are the backbone of SCO,” Miller emphasized. “Not only do they provide exceptional education and training, but their local spending power has a ripple effect throughout Memphis, bolstering various industries and supporting local families.”
The economic impact of SCO’s workforce is particularly concentrated in Shelby County, where 81% of its employees reside. Within Shelby County, Downtown and Midtown Memphis are major beneficiaries, with roughly a quarter of SCO’s Shelby County employees living in these vibrant areas.
STUDENTS: A DYNAMIC ECONOMIC FORCE
SCO’s 533 students, hailing from 46 different states, play a crucial role in the Memphis economy. Their annual expenditures on housing, food, supplies, and transportation amount to a substantial $15.3 million. This spending, in turn, generates a regional economic impact of $28.6 million and supports 251 jobs.
“Our students bring a vibrant energy to Memphis,” said Miller. “They contribute not just intellectually but also economically, enriching the cultural fabric of our city while supporting local businesses and creating a thriving atmosphere.”
Significantly, 83.9% of SCO students reside in Downtown and Midtown Memphis, making these areas the primary beneficiaries of student spending. This influx of young professionals contributes to the dynamism and growth of these neighborhoods.
GRADUATES:
A LEGACY OF ECONOMIC GROWTH
SCO graduates approximately 131 new optometrists each year, adding to the national pool of 43,400 practicing OD professionals. These graduates earn a median salary of $131,860, contributing significantly to the nation’s economic output. Over their 40-year careers, a graduating class from SCO will collectively generate $857.8 million in earnings and contribute $230.1 million in taxes.
“SCO graduates are highly sought-after professionals,” Miller noted. “Their expertise
in eye care not only improves the health and well-being of individuals but also translates into significant economic activity and job creation throughout their careers.”
Each graduating class from SCO also indirectly creates 308 new jobs annually, highlighting the ripple effect of their employment. This demonstrates the far-reaching impact of SCO’s educational mission, as its graduates become catalysts for economic growth in their respective communities.
COMMITMENT TO SERVICE: INVESTING IN COMMUNITY WELL-BEING
SCO’s dedication to community service is a defining aspect of its mission. Through its three clinics and community outreach programs, SCO provides eye care to more than 45,000 individuals annually at SCO’s clinics and an additional 20,000 in external programs.
“Our commitment to service is woven into the fabric of SCO,” Miller explained. “We believe in providing quality eye care to all, regardless of their circumstances, and our
clinics and outreach programs play a vital role in fulfilling this commitment.”
SCO’s national service contributions are substantial, reaching a value of $35.6 million annually. This includes uncompensated and discounted clinical services, revenue generated by student externs, and the service value provided by non-local residents in SCO’s residency programs. Notably, at least $5.6 million of this service value benefits Shelby County directly.
IN CONCLUSION
SCO’s impact on the Memphis region goes beyond its role as a leading optometry school.
It is a significant economic engine, fueling growth through its business operations, student spending, graduate earnings, and commitment to community service.
“This report clearly illustrates the value SCO brings to Memphis and the nation,” Miller concluded. “We are proud to be an institution that not only educates future leaders in optometry but also serves as a catalyst for economic prosperity and community well-being.”
Nashville Area Practice Thrives with Four Alumni
Though the Nashville suburb of Spring Hill, Tennessee, sits some 200 miles from Memphis, it has become something of a satellite location for Southern College of Optometry. That’s because, at the practice Spring Hill Eyecare, all four optometrists are proud SCO graduates.
“We know what we’re getting when we hire somebody from SCO,” says ROB SZELIGA, OD ’05, who started the practice immediately after graduation. “I trust the rigorous education, the extensive clinical training, and the patient-centric focus at the school.”
Dr. Szeliga’s trust is rooted in his own experience at SCO. He gained confidence by being the first SCO student at one of the school’s new externship sites. “They just let me have at it and said, ‘Here are your patients,’” he recalls. “It gave me the confidence that if I could do this there, I could do it on my own.”
Kristopher May, OD ’01, who was serving on faculty at the time, sat down with Szeliga during his last semester at SCO — after his post-graduation job offer fell through — to come up with a game plan to open his coldstart practice. Gerald Eisenstatt, OD ’84, who taught courses on practice management, also ignited Szeliga’s love for managing his office’s procedures. “We want to offer the best experience for the patient,” Dr. Szeliga says. “Everything we do, we look at from the patient’s point of view.”
ALUMNI FOCUS
CELESTE BRYANT OD ’23
SHIVAM PATEL OD ’24
ROB SZELIGA OD ’05
VIRGILIO GOZUM OD ’15
Dr. Szeliga’s work-study job at SCO was in the security department, where he met Joyce Smith, who was then just beginning her tenure as the campus’s beloved security officer. The two became fast friends, and Szeliga claims to have started the “Joyce Selfie” trend.
“Through school there are a lot of rough days of studying and tests,” Szeliga remembers. “Joyce is the one that’s going to cheer you up and promote you and give you a hug if you need it.”
Szeliga and Smith have stayed in touch through social media and annual Christmas cards. Whenever Szeliga and his family — he is married with a son and two daughters — are in Memphis, they take Smith to dinner at Huey’s or Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken.
“It’s important to appreciate everybody from the president of the college to the campus security officers,” Dr. Szeliga says. “They’re the ones making the school safe and taking care of it. They’re just as important.”
When it came time to start a practice, Dr. Szeliga zeroed in on the Spring Hill area, where he’d lived since high school, because of its rapid growth. Newcomers were attracted to the region’s good quality of life, strong school system, and temperate climate. “I knew that if I didn’t do it, somebody else would open here and beat me to it,” he says, “and I would be mad, because it’s my backyard.”
Although Dr. Szeliga started his practice with just his mother and youngest sister, it grew enough to add a full-time associate doctor in 2015. Szeliga posted a listing on Optometry’s Practice Connection, which is overseen by SCO’s Hayes Center for Practice Management. VIRGILIO GOZUM, OD ’15, spotted the ad. “Dr. Rob and I met the weekend before my graduation and had a great, easy conversation,” says Dr. Gozum, who is from Jackson, Tennessee. “Not only do we have a shared education, but shared history.”
Within a few years, the two-doctor practice needed more space. Spring Hill Eyecare
moved to its current location, an 8,300-squarefoot custom-built office, in 2018 and added another associate a month later. “We’ve got a big office, so we’ve got to keep it full and busy,” Szeliga says. “We offer vision therapy and sports vision. We’ve had a dry eye suite for about six years. We have a large, highend optical gallery and continue to be early adapters with new technology.”
The practice added CELESTE BRYANT, OD ’23, five years later. “I heard about the job opening from Dr. Jennifer Jones (’06) at SCO and was eager to see the office and Spring Hill area based on her recommendation,” Dr. Bryant says. (Dr. Jones was Szeliga’s organic chemistry lab partner during their undergraduate days at Tennessee Technological University.) “I knew there would be many opportunities to grow as a new practitioner, especially in terms of new technology and a diverse patient population.”
SHIVAM PATEL , OD ’24, who is from Knoxville, joined Spring Hill Eyecare a year later to replace an associate who had left.
“Being on a team with all SCO alumni makes patient care seamless,” Dr. Patel says. “There has been a natural sense of camaraderie and familiarity since the day I joined the practice. We often reminisce about times at SCO or our favorite places to visit in Memphis.”
Dr. Szeliga, who is also a trustee of the Tennessee Association of Optometric Physicians, says hiring SCO alumni has made his practice feel even more like a family. In 2024, the entire staff went on a four-day cruise to Cozumel, complete with a continuing education program led by their team and unlimited ice cream.
“It’s fun to see everybody outside of the office, and for the other employees to see doctors not being doctors,” Dr. Szeliga says. “It’s good for our team to see Dr. Gozum and Dr. Bryant cut loose and dance like no one’s watching while doing karaoke.”
Southern Roots Can Grow in Canada
JANELLE DRIEDGER, OD ’13, would be glad to never smell a 7-Eleven Slurpee again.
In November 2019, just three months after opening her long-awaited solo practice in Winnipeg, the capital of Canada’s Manitoba province, Dr. Driedger noticed bubbling on the optical floor. The piping for the neighboring convenience store’s Slurpee machine had burst, sending sweet, colorful syrup through the floor and walls of View Pointe Vision + Style.
The office closed for three weeks for mold remediation.
Bella serves as a cute mascot at Dr. Driedger’s practice.
The practice’s obstacles weren’t over. Four months later, the coronavirus pandemic forced another closure — this one for a full two months. “That threw a wrench into things,” Dr. Driedger says.
Yet Dr. Driedger persevered, and last August her practice celebrated its five-year anniversary.
A native of Manitoba, Dr. Driedger was excited to venture south for optometry school. She relished her time at SCO, enjoying the winterless weather, the fried chicken and barbecue, and the southern hospitality. “I feel like SCO picked me,” she says. “I loved every minute of it.” (Since graduation, Dr. Driedger has returned to campus for her five- and 10-year reunions to converge on Memphis with her widespread group of SCO friends.)
Dr. Driedger, who calls herself “a southern belle at heart,” picked up the habit of calling her patients by their first names — that is, Miss Sarah or Mr. Tom — at SCO and continues it in her practice today. As a student, she was involved with the Fellowship of Christian Optometrists, taking mission trips with associate professor Dr. Richard Savoy, or “Travel Dad.”
DR. DRIEDGER APPRECIATES THE BREADTH OF HER SCO EDUCATION, WHICH PREPARED HER WELL FOR THE HIGH NUMBER OF PATIENTS WITH DISEASE THAT SHE TREATS TODAY. “THE PATIENT BASE WE GOT IN MEMPHIS WAS SO WIDE SCOPE THAT I HAD THE ABILITY TO SEE MORE THAN JUST REFRACTIVE CARE,” SHE SAYS. “WHAT WE WERE GIVEN IN MEMPHIS COVERED EVERYTHING THAT I SEE NOW.”
After graduation, Dr. Driedger returned to Canada, where she worked as an associate optometrist for a practice for several years. She decided to open her own practice in Winnipeg, a city of 750,000 in an otherwise rural province. Home to a large university student population, the neighborhood hadn’t had a full scope optometry practice in at least three decades, Dr. Driedger says.
It took Dr. Driedger a year to find the space she wanted, a centrallylocated office on the neighborhood’s main street. “I stuck to my guns,” she says, “and found this space off the market.” Dr. Driedger, who was voted by her SCO classmates as “most likely to have a pink office,” was delighted to make that prediction come true.
Dr. Driedger has been slowly building her practice. One week a month for the first year, she flew north to a small northern Manitoba town to see patients. “I worked out of the practice to make ends meet,” she says. Dr. Driedger now employs two full-time optical technicians, as well as
two part-time staff. She’s the only doctor, but hopes to add an associate soon — another process she doesn’t expect to be easy. “There’s a major shortage of doctors up here,” she says.
Dr. Driedger’s patient population is diverse, including a large new-toCanada cohort, many of whom have never had a comprehensive eye exam before. “Overseas, you don’t really get an eye health check unless you’re having a specific problem,” she says.
Medicine is socialized in Canada, and optometrists in Manitoba have been without a contract for five years, Dr. Driedger says. Because the Manitoba Association of Optometrists only has about 150 members, progress with the government is slow. “We just don’t make waves here as fast, unfortunately,” she says.
Yet while, as an optometrist, Dr. Driedger is not permitted to perform laser procedures, she doesn’t have to worry about competition from ophthalmologists when it comes to refraction eye exams. “There’s not an ophthalmologist in the province that will touch a phoropter,” she says.
Along with hiring an associate doctor, Dr. Driedger is continuing to think about how to expand her practice. She’s counting down the four years until her cold-start loan is paid off. “I’m really looking forward to that being done,” she says, “and the freedom that gives me to expand and buy some new equipment and offer services to the area that aren’t currently offered.”
Youngest OD of the Year Works to Expand Optometry’s Reach
As MATT JONES, OD ’09, drove from his home in northeastern Arkansas to Nashville for Optometry’s Meeting last June, he rewrote his entire OD of the Year acceptance speech in his head.
Dr. Jones, who, at 40, was to become the youngest-ever recipient of the American Optometric Association award, was being lauded for his optometry advocacy and leadership. He was instrumental in the passage of Arkansas’ sweeping scope expansion bill in 2019, serves as legislative chair for the Arkansas Optometric Association, and is active in the AOA.
But as Dr. Jones sped toward this latest accolade — he had won Young OD of the Year in 2018 — he realized he couldn’t deliver a “traditional” acceptance speech. Instead, Dr. Jones decided to open up to his fellow optometrists about his significant struggle with work-life balance. “In the public eye, I was this person running four offices and helping pass legislation,” Dr. Jones says.
“But you have to be on point at home for your family as well. I got lost there for a little bit.”
The speech, which detailed Dr. Jones’ experience seeking online therapy to help him become the husband and father he wanted to be, was well received by his wife, Allison, two young daughters, and even his grandmother, all of whom were in attendance. It also resonated with other doctors in the audience, several of whom reached out to Dr. Jones later to share their own experiences with therapy.
“I’m still a work in progress,” Dr. Jones says. “It’s not a weakness. It’s a human issue.”
Since graduating from SCO 15 years ago, Dr. Jones has thrown himself into not only running the six-doctor practice Family Eye Care, which he dubs “the eye care providers of Mississippi County.” Dr. Jones has also championed organized eye care as a leader in the AOA and SECO.
A significant portion of that time — some seven years — was spent on a mission to ensure Arkansas patients received the best and most advanced eye care possible. “Optometrists are the primary eye care providers across the country,” Dr.Jones says, “especially in rural America, like northeastern Arkansas.”
In 2014, Dr. Jones and a small group of other Arkansas optometrists, known as the Scope Team, began their effort to bring an optometry scope expansion bill to the state house. It took five years for the proposal to be introduced in 2019, when, Jones says, it became perhaps
the most hotly-debated item on the docket for months. “There were plenty of times we thought we had hit a wall, that we were going backward while still trying to move forward,” he says. “It was a roller coaster.”
During that time, Dr. Jones became well acquainted with his state senators (“They’re all patients of mine”), including Sen. Dave Wallace, who was later included in Dr. Jones’ OD of the Year award video. “He’s successful in advocating for optometry because he lives it,” Wallace said of Dr. Jones. “He has given so much to the people of our community.”
Dr. Jones says the success with scope expansion was built on trust.
“If we can educate our elected officials on what we can do for the good of our patients,” he says, “then they put that trust in us and vote yes on scope expansion.”
The bill passed, and was signed into law in April 2019. But the fight wasn’t over.
Dr. Jones, his wife, Allison, and daughters, Sutton and Elliott.
A group opposing the law sought to put the issue to a referendum in the next general election. The Scope Team, fresh from an exhilarating victory, spent the next several months battling to secure their win. In September 2020, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled against the opponents.
Six months later — and nearly two years after the scope expansion bill was signed into law — optometrists in the state were finally able to use lasers in their practices. “We immediately, as a practice, knew we were going to purchase the equipment,” Dr. Jones says. And, he
adds, he knew exactly who the first patient to benefit from it would be.
The long-time patient of Family Eye Care, a man with glaucoma, would walk to the practice for visits. Because he struggled with transportation, the man couldn’t easily get to the pharmacy and wasn’t taking glaucoma medication.
“I made sure he was the first patient we did the glaucoma laser on,” Jones says. “That’s the reason we passed this, for people like him.”
Practice staff picked up the patient and brought him to the office so Dr. Jones could perform the laser procedure. Afterwards, the office
bought the patient lunch and gave him a ride home. “That’s the wonderful thing about a small town,” Dr. Jones says.
Originally from western Kentucky, Dr. Jones now lives and works in Blytheville, Arkansas, a rural town known for steel production. Along with meeting the community’s optometric needs, Dr. Jones works to improve life in his adopted hometown. He helped establish the Great River Charitable Clinic, which provides health care to uninsured residents, and is working with the Chamber of Commerce to bring a Cold War museum to the area.
“I wanted to make sure that I had roots in a place where I owned a practice,” he says, “where I could make a difference.”
With the state scope expansion law settled, Dr. Jones has his sights set on more optometric advocacy. He’s working on a mobile app to help industry provide better, easier access to safety glasses and other protective equipment. He also continues to work on legislative initiatives, including efforts related to vision plan access.
“We want to make sure that, in this economy,” Jones says, “our doctors in private practice can continue to survive and thrive.”
Mentorship Leads to Practice
When HEIDI BELL, OD ’12, got the call every parent dreads — her son was sick at daycare and needed to be picked up immediately — she was loath to leave her Iowa practice with a full slate of patients on the schedule. Instead, her sometime nanny and longtime mentee GABRIELLE MAGEE training and optician at the practice, left to tend to the boy.
It was a moment that cemented the reciprocal relationship between the two women, who are now colleagues at Elite Eye Care, a four-location practice outside Des Moines. Within the practice is Elite Vision Therapy, a busy specialty clinic headed by Drs. Bell and Magee. The thriving practice is the culmination of a partnership that began when Dr. Bell was a young associate and Magee an eager college student.
“I feel like I’ve known her forever,” Dr. Bell says, “and now she’s Dr. Magee.”
After Dr. Bell completed her primary care residency, she was hired by Ethan Huisman, OD, as a part-time associate at Elite Eye Care in 2014. Within six months, Dr. Bell’s schedule was full and she was beginning to add vision therapy services to the practice. (Dr. Bell later earned her fellowship in vision therapy.)
Meanwhile Magee, a patient of Dr. Huisman’s since middle school, was a student at nearby Drake University who wanted to pursue a medical career at the intersection of pediatrics, sports medicine, and rehabilitation care. After an optometrist spoke to one of her science classes, Magee began considering the profession as a potential path to her dream career.
Magee started shadowing Dr. Huisman to learn more about optometry, but soon gravitated into Dr. Bell’s exam rooms to watch her interactions with younger patients. “I realized I could do pediatrics and sports medicine and some rehabilitation all in one,” Dr. Magee says. “Vision therapy is what brought those three together for me.”
Dr. Bell immediately recognized Magee’s penchant for vision therapy. “She has a heart for it,” Dr. Bell says. “You can see when someone has something unique.”
With Magee’s sights set on vision therapy, Dr. Bell strongly encouraged her to attend SCO. “I don’t know if I gave her a choice,” Bell says, laughing. She recalled her own time at SCO as formative for her career. “It planted a seed for the type of culture I knew I had to work in,” Dr. Bell says.
GABRIELLE MAGEE, OD ’22
Partnership
Dr. Magee, who became active in the American Optometric Student Association and other groups at SCO, says she appreciated being able to ask Dr. Bell for guidance on topics such as choosing externship sites. During the summer between her first and second years of optometry school, Magee was nanny to Dr. Bell’s infant son so she could return to the practice.
Ahead of a coffee catch-up with Dr. Bell during her fourth year of optometry school, Magee had prepared an elevator pitch: she wanted to get hired at Elite Eye Care after her upcoming vision therapy residency. “I didn’t even get a chance to give it,” Dr. Magee says.
Dr. Bell had pre-empted her, explaining that Elite Eye Care was breaking ground on a fourth location — in Magee’s hometown — and would have a job waiting for her. “I wanted her to know she had a safe place with us,” says Dr. Bell, who recalls not feeling confident moving to the Des Moines area as a new female optometrist. “I wanted to make sure she felt supported and knew this could be good.”
When the Norwalk, Iowa, location opened in 2024, Dr. Magee officially joined the practice — this time as an optometrist. Everyone at Elite Vision Therapy has a four-day work week, Dr. Bell says, to foster work-life balance. On Mondays, when Dr. Bell’s children have a late start to their school day, she also starts work late.
“On my full time days in clinic, I make up for it,” Dr. Bell says. “We’re very busy. The volume of patients that we see in four days is what I think an average practice sees in five or more days.” The practice achieved this efficiency, she says, by expanding to ensure enough room space and by training support staff at the highest level.
Dr. Magee says she’s inspired by her colleagues, almost all of whom are young mothers with successful careers. “I’m not a mom yet,” says Dr. Magee, who is engaged, “so getting to see them be working moms who can balance the two is really cool. It’s not that it isn’t hard, but they do a masterful job and it’s great to have those role models.”
HEIDI BELL, OD ’12
MEGHAN ELKINS, OD ’10, has been an optometrist for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) since her SCO student rotation at the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center in Mountain Home, Tennessee. It was a path that associate professor Beth Sparrow, OD ’98, had predicted.
“She asked me very early in my career at SCO what I wanted to do,” says Dr. Elkins, who initially thought she’d specialize in pediatric optometry. “Dr. Sparrow said, ‘You’re going to end up being a VA doctor.’”
Fifteen years later, Dr. Elkins is not only a VA doctor, but has taken on a leadership role advocating for military and federal optometrists. As president of the Association of Armed Forces and Federal Optometric Services (AFOS), Dr. Elkins represents optometrists serving in the Armed Forces, as well as those working at federal agencies including the VA, Public Health Service, and Indian Health Service, along with entities such as the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
2010 Graduate Advocates
Dr. Elkins and Lauren Trowbridge, SCO’s Director of Development.
The work life of a military or federal optometrist often looks quite different from those of their civilian counterparts, Dr. Elkins says. They might be running mission readiness, perhaps doing screenings for new Marines on Parris Island. They might be performing pre- and postoperative care for pilots undergoing laser eye procedures. They might even be deployed to combat zones.
“They don’t necessarily practice optometry the way a typical private or corporate practice would,” Dr. Elkins says. “The military is a completely different beast.”
During her one-year term as AFOS president, which ends in February 2025, Dr. Elkins and the organization have helped to secure an increase in military optometry specialty pay. The Department of Defense Health Professions Officer (HPO) Special and Incentive Pay Program got a significant boost starting in October 2024. “It was a huge win,” Dr. Elkins says.
As of last fall, Dr. Elkins was still working to get VA optometrists on the VA physician pay scale, which she says would give doctors of optometry equal status with other medical providers and prevent “brain drain” from the VA system. And, like optometrists in many states, VA optometrists are advocating for their scope of practice rights to perform laser and other procedures.
Dr. Elkins told herself that when her student loans were paid off, it was time to donate to
for Military ODs
her alma mater. And that’s just what she did, joining the President’s Circle in 2023.
“If I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship through SCO,” Dr. Elkins says, “and I wanted to provide for our future doctors of optometry in the small way that I can, why not?”
After being a member of an optometry advocacy organization, Dr. Elkins thinks the next most important thing is to support your school. “The school helped get you where you are,” Dr. Elkins says, “and it’s very important that you continue to provide the way that they provided for you.”
Dr. Elkins hasn’t returned to campus since graduating from residency in 2011. Her 10-year reunion, set for 2020, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet Dr. Elkins frequently sees fellow alumni from the SCO Class of 2010 (their nickname: Better than Perfect).
“Every time I go to a meeting, I make sure to swing by the receptions and meet up with old classmates,” she says. “There are enough of us around the country that I usually will be able to catch up with at least one or two classmates at every meeting I go to.” She’s hoping for a 15-year reunion in 2025.
If I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship through SCO…and I wanted to provide for our future doctors of optometry in the small way that I can, why not?
Joyce Smith from SCO’s Security team visited with Dr. Elkins in 2024.
State Day 2025
After winter weather postponed SCO’s annual State Day in January, the event moved to its new annual date in September. Drawing 17 different state associations, this year’s theme focused on the opportunities of rural practice. AOA President Steven Reed, OD ’95, gave the keynote remarks and interacted with students.
Nominations Open for HCPE Awards
In 2024, the Hayes Center for Practice Excellence marked 10 years of bestowing the prestigious Practice of Excellence Award on young alumni in pursuit of excellence in private practice optometry.
Award recipients each receive $5,000 and will be honored at the annual awards program to be held on April 9, 2025. Travel expenses and a plaque will also be provided.
Individuals may nominate themselves or others for one of three awards by sending a message to Lisa R. Wade, OD ’84, MPA, Director of the Hayes Center, lwade@sco. edu, or at 901.722.3365.
To qualify for the 2025 awards, candidates must have graduated from SCO between 2015-2022 and secured an ownership/equity position to be eligible for the New Practice Award, the Partnership Award, or the Practice Acquisition Award.
Learn more at sco.edu/practice-ofexcellence-award Completed applications should be received by February 14, 2025.
Chris Fisher, OD ’13, Kristin Reed, OD ’13, Walter Pang, OD ‘13
Lauren Jackson, ’26, Beatriz Suarez, ’26, Zack Fulton, ’26
Emily Gibson, ’26, Steven Reed, OD ’95
Matt Burns (ArOA Executive Director), Zach Burroughs, OD ’19
Steven Reed, OD ’95, Matt Jones, OD ’09, Mallory Collins, OD ’19, Alex Compton, OD ’16
Amy Puerto, OD ’15, Madison Wall-Hayes, OD ’16
Welcome
1st Time SCO Donors
SCO is pleased to welcome the following first-time contributors to the SCO donor ranks. Listed below are those who gave generously between April 27 and October 31, 2024.
ALUMNI
Richard Clem, OD ’78
James Adams, Jr., OD ‘80
Charles Rosenthal, OD ’80
Philip Bell, OD ’83
Jennifer Eaddy, OD ’87
Audrey House, OD ’87
Charles Thomas, OD ’87
Timothy Tippett, OD ’91
Jeffrey McMillian, OD ’94
Edward McDonald, OD ’00
Quang Tran, OD ’00
Drew Provost, OD ’05
Stefan Young, OD ’06
Terri Steddum, OD ’07
Jarrod Davies, OD ’09
Jonathan Bowman, OD ’10
Karen Ezelle, OD ’20
Darion Horner, OD ’20
Katelyn McGee, OD ’20
Christopher Muegge, OD ’20
Christopher Tollett, OD ’20
Maria Bontrager, OD ’22
FRIENDS
Martin Abroms
Tristan Anthony
Danyelle Bradley
Morgan Bromley, PhD
Beth Chapman
Haley Dixon
Chrissy Glasgow
Veronica Gomez
Kenji Hamada, OD
Desmond Hardy
Jessica Hill
Jimmie Jones
Krysta Koehler
Kelly and Suk Lee
Collin Simmons, OD ’22
Rachel Slater Whitt, OD ’22
Caitlin Millsaps, OD ’23
Mary Taormina, OD ’23
Derek Anderson, OD ’24
Lindsey Buckholz, OD ’24
Grace Dalton, OD ’24
Zach Groves, OD ’24
Linda Luu, OD ’24
Serena McArthur, OD ’24
Emily Moore, OD ’24
Turner Musgrove, OD ’24
Laura Niederbrach, OD ’24
Dillon Pankey, OD ’24
Shivam Patel, OD ’24
Madison Schnell, OD ’24
Ryan Stewart, OD ’24
Kate Stubbs, OD ’24
Mason Taylor, OD ’24
Alexander Vaughn, OD ’24
Katelyn Yates, OD ’24
Dr. O.H. Marquardt
VISION THERAPY RESEARCH GRANT ENDOWMENT
By Terry Marquardt, OD ’74,
ASOS, Diplomate, American Board of Optometry
The inspiration for creating a vision therapy research grant endowment at SCO was twofold. First, was my desire to honor my father for his passion and lifetime commitment to improve the quality of life for his patients through optometric vision therapy. He would work tirelessly, for hours, with a child to improve their visual skills; not only with prescription lenses, but with optometric therapy and clinical techniques to improve their ability to read, to understand what they read, and to remember what they read. You could say he saved lives. He saved them from academic defeat, discouragement and disillusionment. He saved them from the resulting school dropout and all its inherent negative consequences.
My second intention for the research grant endowment was to create a scientific vehicle that would be funded in perpetuity, through which:
1. Optometric expertise and knowledge in neurology and visual science would be expanded,
Raquel Logan
Shawn Lemonds
Misty Massey
Eurinca Mayes
Marcus Mitchell
Tara Pannell
Greta Presley
Taelor Scott
Linda Senter
Daniel Tieu
Amber Tyrus
Debra Watson
Mary Williamson
Please contact Lauren Trowbridge, SCO’s Director of Development, at (901) 722-3339 to start making an impact on the next generation of optometrists. You may also give online today at sco.edu/give
2. Optometric clinical techniques and therapy would be enhanced,
3. Scientific optometric vision therapy research would be published. Published optometric vision therapy research that would benefit optometry and other scientific and medical disciplines outside of optometry, educating them to the value of optometric vision therapy and the expertise of optometry, in the treatment of their patients.
My hope is that through this research grant endowment, more patients will benefit, and more optometrists will receive letters like this one to my dad:
“You found the solution to the problem in my head, and now I just want to say thank you. If it weren’t for you, I’d still be in pain, and not have any idea why. I am so grateful that I found you, and that you have the wisdom you do. Because if it weren’t for you, I don’t know what I’d do. When I was ready to give up, you found out the problem, and now I will no longer be in pain. I appreciate it greatly, more than you will ever know.”
Terry Marquardt, OD ’74, with his late father, Dr. O.H. Marquardt.
SCO alumni were in the spotlight at this year’s AOA meeting in Nashville. STEVEN REED, OD ’95, became the 15th SCO alumnus to become president of the AOA, while MATT JONES, OD ’09, profiled on pages 12-13 in this issue, became the youngest OD of the Year in AOA history.
1 Niketu Patel, ’26, Sang Huynh, ’26, Brian Knight, OD ’14, Francis Arnan, ’26, JR Bantugan, ’26, Deandra Horner, ’26 | 2 Clay Starkey, Belinda Starkey, OD ’04, Horace Deal, OD ’97 | 3 Katie Brown, OD ’12, Zachary Burroughs, OD ’19 | 4 Madison Wall-Hayes, OD ’16, Rob Janot, OD | 5 Beth Fisher, Matt Jones, OD ’09 | 6 Joyce Smith, Hunter Edwards, OD ’21, Taylor Edwards, OD ’22, Steve Edwards, OD ’87 | 7 Cynthia Heard, OD, Chisom Chukwumerije, OD ’21 | 8 Janet Wilson, OD ’08, Gabrielle Magee, OD ’22 | 9 Mark Schaeffer, OD ‘11, Jade Coats, OD ’16 | 10 Andrea Thau, OD, Lewis Reich, OD | 11 Rob Szeliga, OD ’05, Virgilio Gozum, OD ’15 | 12 Christy Alfano, OD ’20, Corey Burr, OD ’20 | 13 Jamison Carr, OD ’16, James Hoover, OD ’16, Kelly Short, OD ’16, Kay Powell, OD ’16, Tram Pham, OD ’16 | 14 Marissa and Wayne Connell, OD ’08 1 2 4 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 13
VISIONS [WINTER 2024]
24 | AAO
SCO alumni were also in the spotlight at this year’s AAO meeting in Indianapolis. Two SCO alumni were among the nine recipients of the 2024 Theia Award of Excellence presented to outstanding woman of distinction: former SCO Board member JARRETT JOHNSON, OD ’90, and BRITTANY TOUNSEL WRIGHT, OD ’15, who serves as Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Colorado.
1 McKenna Scott, OD ’23, Carissa Chambers, OD ’15, Lily Wang, OD, Abigail Klick, OD ’22, Erin Mozingo, OD ’22, Rachel Steele, OD ’22 | 2 Martin Copeland, OD ’03, Tracy Bildstein, OD ’03 | 3 Jillian Jackson, ’26, Kimberly Pham, ’26, Niketu Patel, ’26, Olivia Jacobs, ’26 | 4 Erick Henderson, OD ’17, Erin Keim, OD ’17 | 5 Jade Coats, OD ’16 | 6 Nora Cothran, OD ’13, Carissa Chambers, OD ’15 | 7 George Miller, Hannah Marek, ’25, Lewis Reich, OD | 8 Gregory Wolfe, OD, Tanner Semones, ’25, Warren Treon, ’26, Gabrielle Canant, ’26, Morgan Ollinger, OD, Chris Distin, ’25, Lauren Ivanoski, ’25, Payton Lock, ’25 | 9 Janette Pepper, OD, Brittany Wright, OD ’15 | 10 Jake Boehme, OD ’20, Caitlyn Stakeley-Boehme, OD ’21, Kelly Sieps, OD ’21, Stephanie Martich, OD ’21 |
11 Laura Schwartz, OD ’18, Shelby Rogers, OD ’18, Laila Tawfik, OD ’19, Allie Gottlieb, OD ’18, Liz Perch, OD ’18 | 12 Travis Jensen, ’25, JoAnndria Brown, ’25, Tyler Fisher, ’25 |
13 Aspen Chun, OD ’21, Angela Howell, OD ’90 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 13 11 12
1956 Evelyn Harberg, OD, enjoyed meeting Sean McEntee, ’25, when she visited SCO’s FocalPoint at Crosstown Concourse in Memphis for her eye exam. Dr. Harberg, who was the only woman in her class, celebrated her 90th birthday this year.
1968 Thomas Gulley, OD, retired September 30 and closed his longtime practice in downtown Little Rock.
Jamie Smith, OD, recently retired from his practice in Selmer, Tennessee.
1969 SCO Professor Emeritus Glen (Bubba) Steele, OD, taught a masterclass on Just Look Retinoscopy and Digital Device Use in Children at a November conference in Sydney, Australia. Earlier this year, he traveled to South Africa to represent SECO at the South African Optometric Association’s (SAOA) Centennial Conference.
At the meeting, Dr. Steele lectured and accepted the Friend of SAOA Award on behalf of SECO.
1974 Martha Rosemore Morrow, OD, was inducted in the Hall of Fame for the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association representing graduates of Tennessee’s private colleges.
1977 Gino Carmolli, OD, and his wife, Donna, dropped by SCO during a visit from Arizona. Dr. Carmolli, now retired, enjoyed seeing all the changes since his last visit as he looked up classmates in his yearbook.
1979 Eddie Abernathy, OD, was named the Tennessee Association of Optometric Physicians’ OD of the Year at the TAOP’s fall meeting. He’s pictured with Emily Eisenhower, OD ’17, who was named Young OD of the Year.
Perry Amerine, OD, received the Myron Shofner Award of Excellence from the Arkansas Optometric Association.
1981 David Cockrell, OD, was honored at SCO’s fall Board of Trustees meeting, ahead of his term ending early next year. Dr. Reich presented a Board resolution to him in honor of his service.
1983 Marty Brussels, OD, reports that his son, Aaron Brussels, MD, completed his residency at Mayo Clinic Scottsdale and is finishing his Fellowship in Pediatric Anesthesia at Los Angeles Children’s Hospital.
Rusty Simmons, OD, received the Lifetime of Excellence Award from the Arkansas Optometric Association.
1984 Bryant Ashley, OD, also received the Lifetime of Excellence Award in Arkansas.
Warren Johnson, OD, and his wife, Kay, walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain last fall. Father John Brahill was their religious guide. The Johnsons helped at the senior facility and orphanage. “I’m very grateful to my profession that allowed me the advantages
to experience this ministry,” Dr. Johnson said. “This mission has been humbling and enlightening and apart from our cultural bubble.”
1987 Fred Farias, III, OD, received the Dean’s Medallion at the Fall 2024 University of Texas-Rio Grand Valley’s College of Engineering and Computer Science convocation ceremony.
1990 Former SCO Board member Jarrett Johnson, OD, was one of nine ODs to honored with the 2024 Theia Award of Excellence during the American Academy of Optometry meeting in November. Earlier this year, she received the OD of the Year Award from the Optometry Association of Louisiana.
1993 Brian Battaglia, OD, has joined Value Vision in New York.
Lisa Privett, OD, has been selected as Secretary/ Treasurer of the Tennessee Association of Optometric Physicians.
1995 Scott Henry, OD, joined Marshall Health’s team of eye care specialists in West Virginia.
1999 Patricia Flippin Westfall, OD, was honored as the business woman owner of the year at the annual Chamber of Commerce banquet in Searcy, Arkansas.
2000 Captain Eric Barnes, OD, retired from the United States Navy after 26 years of service.
2003 Blake Tarr, OD, reports that the Tarr Trek Winter Ophthalmic Summit will be held in Vail, Colorado on March 20-22, 2025.
2004 Dora Davis Finney, OD, celebrated 20 years of practice in Kansas. She bought the practice previously owned by Steven Cauble, OD ’78.
2006 Nima MazHari, OD, visited Memphis and enjoyed talking to classmate Carrie Lebowitz, OD, from SCO’s faculty.
Stephanie Price, OD, was elected Board President of the Tennessee Association of Optometric Physicians.
2007 Erika Cox, OD, talked about her career with undergraduate students as part of SCO’s annual Eye on Success program for first generation or underrepresented college students.
2008 Wayne Connell, OD, was named President-Elect of the Tennessee Association of Optometric Physicians.
2009 Alex Bell, OD, was named President of the Arkansas Optometric Association.
Joe Sugg, OD, was named OD of the Year in Arkansas.
2010 Hon Chung, OD, celebrated the ribbon cutting of his new practice in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
2012 Carolyn Click, OD, recently toured campus to show her husband and children her alma mater during a trip from Alaska.
Cecilia Koetting, OD, was named as a member of the Board for Optometry Advisor.
Jon Reid, OD, and Maya Reid, OD, recently organized a 5k that raised more than $14,000 for SCO’s SVOSH chapter.
2013 Heather Jones, OD, celebrated the ribbon cutting for her new practice in Ada, Michigan.
2014 Micah Juedes, OD, and his family recently stopped by SCO during a visit to Memphis. He enjoyed catching up with classmate Brian Knight, OD, from SCO’s faculty.
2015 Kelly Bain Steele, OD, has joined Mike Broome, OD ’14, at his optometry practice, Broome Family Eye Care in Georgia, along with Dr. Emily Platt.
Brittany Tounsel Wright, OD, was one of nine ODs honored with the 2024 Theia Award of Excellence during the American Academy of Optometry meeting in November. Dr. Wright serves as an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
2016 Katie Brown Bond, OD, was named the 2024 Young Optometrist of the Year by the Colorado Optometric Association.
Matt Boswell, OD, and Cory Lindenman, OD ’04, broke ground on their new practice location, Andover Family Optometry, in Andover, Kansas.
Jade Coats, OD, was among the speakers for the Women’s Leadership Conference 2024 held during the American Academy of Optometry
meeting. She also recently joined the board of the Arkansas Optometric Association.
Trent Gaasch, OD, has joined Emory’s Department of Ophthalmology, working in Low Vision, Consults, and at Grady Memorial Hospital after completing eight years of Army service.
2017 Hallina Portner, OD, opened a new mountainous practice in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Michelle Moscow, OD, and Mark Machen, OD, were married on September 9, 2023 in Highlands, North Carolina. A number of their classmates were in attendance. Dr. Moscow is the daughter of Billy Moscow, OD ’78, and former SCO Board member Sharon Berger Moscow, OD ’80.
2019 Laila Tawfik, OD, has joined Optmetric Physicians of Middle Tennessee, where she will serve patients in Nashville and Hendersonville, Tennessee.
Ben Taylor, OD, joined Edward Paul, OD ’86, PhD, as a partner in their optometry practice, Paul Vision Institute, located in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Taylor Williamson, OD, was appointed to the Board of the Georgia Optometric Association.
2020 Aaron Tollett, OD, was named the 2024 Young OD of the Year in Arkansas.
2021 Drs. Trent Daiber, Collin Simmons, Jake Haberman, and Kory Allen enjoyed seeing Dean Swick, SCO’s Vice President for Information Services, at a recent bike race in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Eva Hudson, OD, recently opened a new practice, Capital Eye Care in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Trey Ketchum, OD, reported to duty at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he serves as the new department head for optometry. He manages the clinic and a team of sailors who support the eye health of service members.
2023 Coralis Millien, OD, was among the volunteers at the Louisiana Special Olympics Opening Eyes event at Southeastern Louisiana University, with Adam Paddock, OD ’03, and Edith Ramirez-Vazquez, ’25, also participating.
In Memoriam
Wayne Shearer, OD ’50
Gerald Hoffman, OD ’52
George Pegram, OD ’53
Stanley Jason, OD ’56
Frank Toscano, OD ’56
Wilbur Pelt, OD ’57
Bruce Ackerman, OD ’59
Bernie Mullen, OD ’59
John F. Jones, OD ’60
John Mohr, OD ’61
James Musgraves, OD ’61
Bill Oakley, OD ’61
Kinch Jones, OD ’63
Robert Gardner, OD ’64
Benjamin Popham, OD ’66
Bob Bisanar, OD ’69
Gilbert Cohen, OD ’70
Val Dyches, OD ’71
Stephen Snipes, OD ’78
Charles McKelvey III, OD ’80
Gregory Kane, OD ’83
Philip Rhoads, OD ’89
William Hargrove, OD ’90
Jane Wheeler-Smith, OD ’95
Thomas Woitasczyk, OD ’95
Beth Warren Freeman, OD ’96
Noam Nicholson, OD ’23
NATHAN FORD, OD ’50 , a recipient of SCO’s Lifetime Achievement Award, passed away in July 2024. Dr. Ford served in the
2024 Addy Adkisson, OD, posed with fourth-year externs Calista Trenerry, ’25, and Nabila Dewey, ’25, at their summer externship site at Bennett & Bloom Eye Centers in Louisville, Kentucky.
Julia Bryant, OD, recently joined Northfield Eye Care and Sango Eye Care, where she will serve patients in Clarksville, Tennessee.
Kara Detsch, OD, joined Dr. Mary Reed DaCanal in practice in Pennsylvania.
Mary Lou Puglese, OD, and Dillon Pankey, OD, were married on June 15, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Pankey’s father, Bobby Pankey, OD ’05, was in attendance, as well as Dr. Puglese’s parents,
Tennessee General Assembly and started an East Tennessee practice that continues today.
LONNIE RANDOLPH , OD ’77, died in October 2024. Dr. Randolph had served as president of his state association in South Carolina and received numerous honors in recognition of his leadership as president of the state’s NAACP chapter.
Marion Rosemore, who received an honorary degree from SCO in 2017, passed away on May
Louis Puglese, Jr., OD ’85, and Doiless Walker-Puglese, OD ’86.
Katie Yates, OD, joined Tarr Family Eyecare in Newport, Tennessee.
SCO 2024 graduates completing SCO residencies over 2024-2025 include: Drs. Kristen Black, Jacob Blackman, Charné Ellis, Grace Gallaher, Bailey Kargo, and Alexandra Smith at the Memphis VA. Other SCO program residents across the country include Drs. Sydney Biette, Zach Groves, Donnie Koonce, Katelyn Perez, and Weronika Przepiora
31, 2024. She was the widow of Fredric M. Rosemore, OD ’48, and was the matriarch of one of optometry’s most prominent families. Survivors include her daughter, former SCO Board of Trustees Chair Martha Rosemore Morrow, OD ’74.
Michael Orwasky, OD ’85, and Carol Mendez-Orwasky, OD ’88: grandchild Delanie Elise, February 28.
Mark Schaeffer, OD ’11, and wife Sarah: Sadie, August 27; grandfather is Jack Schaeffer, OD ’77
AJ Hickman, OD ’18, and wife Chelsea: Adeline, June 20
Laurel Kelley, OD ’18, SCO faculty, and husband David: Libby, June 1
Sydney Chado, OD ’19, and husband Brian Chado, OD ’19: Emerson Rae, June 27
Haylee Taylor Bennett, OD ’20, and husband, Brooks: Jackson Taylor, June 28
Aaron Tollett, OD ’20, and wife Lisa: Charlotte, July 17
Anna Douglass, OD ’22, and husband Will: Isabella Rose, July 11
Jordan Shell, OD ’22, and husband Adam: Hallie Ann, August 4
Collin Simmons, OD ’22, and wife Anna Grace: Van Ellison, September 13; grandfather is Creighton Simmons, OD ‘90
Alayna Brown, OD ’23, and husband, Trent: Gunner Levi, April 27
Laurel Heskett, OD ’23, and husband Garrit: Pryor Douglas, July 18
PROMOTIONS
(EFFECTIVE 1-1-25)
SCOTT ENSOR, OD ’01, has been named Vice President of Clinical Programs. He served as Interim VP following the retirement of Jim Venable, OD ’89, in the summer of 2024.
Mary Hoang, OD ’14, was promoted to Associate Professor.
AARON KERR, OD ’98, has been named Chair of Clinical Education, overseeing clinical curriculum and the delivery of patient care in partnership with Chiefs of each service area.
Jason Duncan, OD ’96, was promoted to Professor.
Kristina Haworth, OD, PhD, was promoted to Professor.
SCO’s Vision Therapy and Rehabilitation Department was recognized as the recipient of the 2024 Advancement of NeuroOptometric Rehabilitation Award, presented during the annual NORA conference in Florida. Accepting were (L to R) SCO’s students, Leighann Yudin, ’26, and Jessica Perry, ’26, faculty members Patrick Fiddler, OD, and Melissa Zarn, OD, SCO’s Chief of VT and Rehabilitation Services, along with NORA President Charles Shidlofsky, OD ’88.
Marie Bodack, OD was named to the Board for Optometry Advisor.
Drs. Chris Borgman, Michael Dorkowski (’04), Jason Duncan (’96), Scott Ensor (’01), Elyse Rayborn (’20), Jennifer Sanderson and Lisa Wade (’84) were lecturers during Fall Homecoming and CE Weekend on the SCO campus.
David Hall, OD, was interviewed by Forbes Magazine about Lasik aftercare.
Cynthia Heard, OD, and Brian Knight, OD ’14, joined NOSA members in providing vision screenings and eye health education at Black Men’s Wellness Day in Memphis.
Laurel Kelley, OD ’18, was named Corneal/Contact Lens Residency Supervisor.
Aaron Kerr, OD ’98, Jennifer Sanderson, OD, and Chris Lievens wrote about digital eye strain for the September 2024 issue of Clinical Optometry
Carrie Lebowitz, OD ’06, was elected Faculty Chair, with Gregory Wolfe, OD, serving as Vice Chair and Barbie Jodoin, OD ’15, as Secretary.
Chris Lievens, OD, received the Best PgR Publication award from Anglia Ruskin University School of Science and Engineering.
Christina Newman, OD (far left), and Tyler Kitzman, OD ’16 (far right), hosted the Scleral Lens Society for a specialty workshop on SCO’s campus.
Morgan Ollinger, OD, and Gregory Wolfe, OD, were appointed to a Cochrane review writing group.
Shaleen Ragha, OD ’16, Andrew Rixon, OD, and Abbey Kirk, OD ’19, published an article about glaucoma in the July 2024 issue of Review of Optometry
Pam Schnell, OD ’01, and Marc Taub, OD, wrote about the VEP test in the October 2024 issue of Review of Optometry
Karen Squier, OD, gave an invited lecture for the American Academy of Optometry Comprehensive Eye Care Section, Low Vision Review.
Jason Duncan, OD ’96, and Shaleen Ragha, OD ’16, were among the faculty who lectured at last summer’s AOA meeting. Dan Fuller, OD, was named to the newly formed Board of Directors for the Scleral Lens Education Society.
Marc Taub, OD, presented two courses and was a panel member at the International Congress of Behavioral Optometry in Canada.
Jim Venable, OD ’89, retired as Vice President of Clinical Programs in June 2024 after 20 years of service to SCO.
FACULTY AND STAFF HONORED AT SCO FALL CAMPUS ASSEMBLY
BURNETT FACULTY RECOGNITION AWARD
CLASS OF 2025 TEACHER OF THE YEAR
AAO FACULTY POSTERS
Dr. Marie Bodack
Real World Amblyopia Patient Outcomes following Digital Dual-Mechanism Treatment: Initial Outcomes from the PUPiL Registrys
Dr. Patricia Cisarik
GRIT Scores in First Year Optometry Students –Comparison Across Five Years
of Chromatic Filters on Near Point of Convergence in TBI
Lens Blue-Violet Light Filtering on Color Contrast Sensitivity
CLASS OF 2026 TEACHER OF THE YEAR
| INDIANAPOLIS, IN
Drs. Mary Hoang (’14), Reena Lepine (’11), Jacqueline Fiddler
Evaluating SCO’s Class of 2025 Views on Intralesional Injections Following Repeated Instruction in a Laboratory Setting
Dr. Laurel Kelley (’18)
Assessing the Type and Frequency of Social Determinants of Health at The Eye Center at Southern College of Optometry
Suarez (‘26), Drs. Yueren Wang, Chris Lievens, Laurel Kelley (’18), et al
Comparing Normal Corneal Sensitivity Measurements using Cochet-Bonnet Esthesiometer and Cotton Wisp Test
Drs. Reena Lepine (’11), Patricia Cisarik, Lindsay Elkins (’07)
Non-academic Predictors of GPA in First Year Optometry Students
CLASS OF 2027 TEACHER OF THE YEAR
Drs. Chris Lievens, Amy Perkins (’11), Elyse Rayborn (’20), Yueren Wang, et al
Comfort of a Toric Monthly Contact Lens Over a Long Day of Wear
Olivia Jacobs (’26), Drs. Morgan Ollinger, Wilson McGriff, et al,
Evaluating theRelationship Between Signs and Symptoms of Dry Eye in a Pediatric Population
Warren Treon (’26), Drs. Wilson McGriff, Morgan Ollinger
Comparison of Fundus Photography and Dilated Fundus Examination in Detecting Retinal Abnormalities in a Pediatric Population
Drs. Esla Speth (’10), Lindsay Elkins (’07), Carrie Lebowitz (’06)
Optometry Student Preferences Between Two Gonioscopy Lenses, 3- and 4-Mirror with Flange, in the Examination of the Anterior Chamber Angle
Dr. Marc Taub
An Evaluation of Student Use of the SCO Clinical Grading Program as Means of Reflection and Learning
Christina Newman, OD SPIRIT OF SCO AWARD
Melissa Hansbro
DIDACTIC
Wil McGriff, OD
CLINICAL
Abigail Klick, OD ’22
DIDACTIC
Patrick Fiddler, OD
CLINICAL
Esla Speth, OD ’10
DIDACTIC
John Mark Jackson, OD ’99
CLINICAL
Rick Savoy, OD
BSK AWARDS TEACHER OF THE YEAR
DIDACTIC
Wil McGriff, OD
CLINICAL
Chelsea Spalding, OD ’14
Maria Witcher (’25), Dr. Patrick Fiddler Effects
Kimberly Pham (’26), Dr. Kristina Haworth Effects of Contact
Beatriz
