News
by Satina Richardson
The University of Alabama at Birmingham is one of the first, if not the first, academic centers in the United States to acquire a new, state-of-the-art microscope that will advance vision science discoveries at the university. This microscope is the only one of its kind in the southeast region and one of few available in the United States due to the newness of the technology.
Read more: Microscope to advance vision science discoveries at UAB
Dr. Rick Weisbarth, the UAB School of Optometry’s first Cornea and Contact Lens resident (1980-81), discusses how UABSO shaped his career path, his hopes for the future of the optometric profession, and gives insight to current students on how to be successful. Weisbarth currently serves as the Vice President of Professional Affairs-US Vision Care for Alcon.
Read more: Q&A: Rick Weisbarth, UABSO’s first Cornea and Contact Lens resident
by Caleb Jones
Two UAB School of Optometry class of 2012 alumni, Dr. Thomas Pinkston and Dr. Aimée McBride, are celebrating the completed renovation of their North Carolina optometry practice, Haywood Family Eye Care.
“For more than 60 years our office has been located on Main Street in historic downtown Waynesville,” Pinkston said. “It served us great for many decades, but we were running into two major problems: office space and parking. Our new facility will allow us to improve our patient experience and serve more patients.”
Read more: Alumni complete renovation and relocation of historic practice
by Satina Richardson
For the eighth consecutive year, Community Eye Care (CEC), the community service arm of UAB Eye Care, celebrated the holiday season by hosting Gift of Sight. From November 29 to December 10, CEC provided free comprehensive eye exams and glasses to people in need.
by Caleb Jones
UAB School of Optometry student Emily Platt, class of 2024, won the National Optometric Student Association (NOSA) Logo Contest. The former art student’s design is now the official logo for the organization.
by Rick Lewis
Adam Gordon, OD, MPH, FAAO, attributes his nearly four-decades-long career as an optometrist and professor in the UAB School of Optometry (UABSO) to his failing to find fame as a musician. As a fresh biology major graduate out of Washington University in St. Louis, Gordon had a guitar and his sights on the stage, but when “it became obvious [he] wasn’t going to pay rent,” he moved back to Baltimore and landed an entry-level job at The Johns Hopkins Hospital instead.
Howard Day, OD, class of 1987, was named Optometrist of the Year by the 2021 Alabama Optometric Association (ALOA).
by Satina Richardson
Jeffrey Walline, OD, PhD, delivered the 2021 Springer Lecture. This was the 23rd year for this esteemed event, which is supported by the Nathaniel E. Springer Memorial Fund established in 1999 by the Springer family and Donald Springer, OD, in memory of his father. Springer was instrumental in founding the School of Optometry.
by Caleb Jones
Former UAB School of Optometry (UABSO) resident Chandra Mickles, OD, MS, FAAO, FSLS, has been appointed to the newly created role of North America Professional Education Lead, Myopia, at Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Vision.
Mickles will work to further strengthen J&J Vision’s education efforts to empower and train professionals about myopia, as well as create new ways of engaging customers through leadership and science. Mickles will be joining a motivated team of innovators and advocates who are all working to better understand myopia while partnering to find solutions. In this role, she will work closely with eye care professionals (ECPs)
Read more: Former Cornea and Contact Lens resident appointed to new Johnson & Johnson Vision role
Minh Duong, OD, of Primary Eyecare and Optical of Meridian, has been named the 2021 James Brownlee Optometrist of the Year by the Mississippi Optometric Association (MOA). The association presents the award annually to recognize significant contributions to the profession of optometry and to the public. He was also named a finalist for the 2021 Optometrist Community Service Award.
Gussie Branch, OD, class of 2016, was named the 2021 Young Optometrist of the Year by the Alabama Optometric Association (ALOA).
by Caleb Jones
The UAB School of Optometry Alumni Association named Rob Pate, OD, class of 2007, 2021 Alumnus of the Year.
“UABSO has produced and is home to a myriad of exceptional graduates that are doing and have done some incredible things,” Pate said. “To be recognized alongside them is a tremendous blessing.”
by Satina Richardson
Natalie Vines has had a storied military career that includes multiple combat deployments that led to mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs). UAB Eye Care’s clinic that is dedicated to treating patients with brain injuries provided relief to Natalie’s vision issues that have long affected her quality of life.
by Caleb Jones
The UAB School of Optometry Alumni Association named Brandon Runyon, OD, class of 2013, the 2021 Young Alumnus of the Year.
“I'm very shocked and honored to have been nominated and selected for this award,” Runyon said. “It's humbling to know that my colleagues felt my achievements to be worthy of this kind of recognition. I've always had a desire to push myself to the limits of my knowledge, embrace and effect change, and accept new challenges when the opportunities are presented in the interest of personal and professional growth.
Jillian F. Ziemanski, OD, PhD, FAAO, is the 2021 recipient of the Korb-Exford Dry Eye Career Development Grant by the American Academy of Optometry Foundation. The grant is designed to support an individual to further their knowledge in the broad area of dry eye disease.
Read more: Assistant professor awarded dry eye career development grant
by Caleb Jones
Seth D. Fortmann, a dual degree MD/PhD student enrolled in the Vision Science Graduate Program (VSGP), has been awarded an F30 research grant from the National Institute of Health’s National Eye Institute (NIH/NEI). The total grant amount is $208,840 and marks the first time in UAB School of Optometry (UABSO) history that a VSGP student has been awarded an F30 grant.
by Lieutenant Matt Schaffner, OD
UAB School of Optometry Class of 2019
Each year, the UAB School of Optometry has several graduates who choose to serve as military optometrists. Lieutenant Matt Schaffner, OD, was kind enough to share his journey to becoming a military optometrist and provide a glimpse into a day in his life as an optometrist in the United States Navy. His wife and classmate, Ginny Carroll Schaffner, OD, is an optometrist in San Diego, CA.
by Satina Richardson
A professor dedicated to treating young patients and training future optometrists, Kristine Hopkins, OD, MSPH, FAAO, was named the 2021 Alabama Optometric Association (ALOA) Educator of the Year.
Hopkins joined the UAB School of Optometry faculty in the summer of 1998 working in pediatric clinical services and founded UAB Eye Care’s Vision Therapy Clinic. UAB Eye Care is the clinical arm of the school. She left to work in an Atlanta-area private practice in 2012. However, her love for teaching influenced a return to UAB in 2015.
Safal Khanal, OD, PhD, FAAO, has joined the UAB School of Optometry as a tenure-track assistant professor. In his new role, Khanal will lead an independent research program, in addition to teaching professional and graduate courses and contributing to professional service.
By Caleb Jones
The UAB School of Optometry (UABSO) recently kicked off its new Faculty-Student Mentoring and Social Program (FSMS), organized by assistant professor of optometry Andrew Pucker, OD, PhD, FAAO, FSLS. The program is intended to foster student relationships with faculty members and students from other optometry classes.
Read more: New Faculty-Student Mentoring Program kicks off at UABSO
