The Doctor of Optometry Program for International Students (DOPIS) welcomed three internationally trained students to the inaugural cohort in the summer of 2022. The goal is to grow the program over the next few years along with fine-tuning this accelerated program at UABSO.

When it comes to research faculty recruitment and research grants, 2022 was a very good year for the UAB School of Optometry. Four new faculty members joined the School of Optometry, bringing an expansion in areas of expertise. There also was a 4-percent growth in funding through a total of more than 20 grants that were either new or renewed within the vision science department.

Prior to applying to optometry school, Dustin Scott was a Community Eye Care (CEC) work study student. This experience allowed him to witness firsthand the impact that visits to the Black Belt to provide free eye and vision care had on the communities. Now a student at the UAB School of Optometry, Scott planned a clinic in his family’s hometown.

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 Pedi¬atric Aphakia Clinic started by Natalie West, OD.

Paris Mullins, Jr., OD, class of 1985, opened his practice in May of 1986 and was the single doctor until May of 2021 when his son Nic Mullins, OD, class of 2021, joined him as a partner at the practice. In honor of their shared alma mater and new partnership, Magnolia Place Eyecare’s logo is fashioned after the legacy pins they received at Nic’s graduation from the UAB School of Optometry.