KYCO Earns Full Accreditation

Elevating Optometry Care in Appalachia

The University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) reached a milestone this year by earning full accreditation from the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE), advancing the college to a new level of success.

KYCO began the process of achieving accreditation in 2015 with the submission of a comprehensive self-study. The acceptance of this study allowed KYCO to begin admitting students in the fall of 2016. Then, for each subsequent year, a self-study was submitted and followed by an on-site evaluation by a team from the ACOE.

Each evaluation provided guidance for KYCO regarding ways to enhance its program. The final site visit was conducted virtually in April due to COVID-19 and KYCO received their final approval during the summer.

KYCO Dean Michael Bacigalupi O.D., M.S., FAAO, said that receiving accreditation was crucial because students must graduate from an accredited optometry school in order to be licensed to practice optometry.

“Since I began at KYCO in 2018, earning accreditation with the ACOE was a top priority,” said Bacigalupi. “For new graduates to be licensed to practice optometry, they must prove that they graduated from an accredited school, so this was imperative for the first graduating class.”

The Class of 2020 earned their Doctor of Optometry degrees after completion of the four-year professional study, which included classroom, laboratory and clinical training.

Bacigalupi credits the KYCO faculty, the joint faculty shared with the Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine, staff and students in reaching this landmark. “It was a team effort,” he said.

Since earning the accredited status, KYCO has begun the process of creating new residency programs and continuing education programs for optometrists. These new initiatives will help continue to grow the college and provide more care for people in the region.

KYCO serves the needs of Central Appalachia through outreach by offering vision screenings and regional clinics open to the public including the Dr. Jerald F. Combs Eye Clinic on the UPIKE campus.

“KYCO’s accreditation provides us with equal standing amongst all the other optometry schools in the country,” said Bacigalupi. “It really helps us with continuing to recruit high-quality faculty and students to our part of Eastern Kentucky.”