The Armed Forces Optometric Society
Proudly Serving Federal Service Optometrists Since 1970
 
AFOS Newsletter
  
Welcome 

 

Greetings!

AFOS is striving to serve every member, so we hope you enjoy the new format and delivery of the newsletter. The column to the right allows you to access any article quickly. Our Excecutive Council has some important information to share, so dive in and see what is happening!   


For the last several years your society had been endeavoring to transition this newsletter to a virtual "non printed" format.  Beginning with this issue, that goal is officially implemented.  Now you will always have immediate access through the website, and in your personal email archives.  Electronic transmission of this newsletter may present a variety of technical quirks.  However, every effort has been made to debug them in advance.  The operating systems of PCs, Macs, mobile phones, tablets, netbooks, ect., all use a variety of readers and software displays.  Please report any problems so we can build upon and improve this new format.
 
 
 
June 2012
In This Issue
President's Column
President Elect
Army
Air Force
Navy
Navy Reserve
Public Health
CE Committee
Communication Committee
Awards Committee
Student Liaison
Executive Directors
Register AFOS Phoenix
AFOS Forums, Facebook & Twitter
Sponsors
 
President's Column 
Dr. Mike Sunman

 

 

Greetings once again AFOS members and friends of AFOS. Much has happened since our last newsletter, so I'll get right to it. First, by the time you are reading this, Dr. Anthony and Mrs. Gina Borgognoni will have officially transitioned into the role of Executive Director of AFOS and I am very excited about how the Borgognoni's are managing our Society thus far. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Mike Pattison once more for his dedication to AFOS while serving as the Interim Executive Director for the last year. Dr. Pattison has done many great things for AFOS and I'd like to point out one achievement we can all be proud of.  Recently, the AOA certified our credentials for the upcoming House of Delegates (HOD) and I am pleased to say that AFOS will have 36 votes in the HOD and will be represented by 7 Delegates. This is the largest voice AFOS has ever had in the voting body of the AOA and is a 16% increase in our voting power versus last year's 31 votes. Much of this accomplishment is directly related to Dr. Pattison's efforts to reorganize our membership rosters and encourage members to pay dues on time as well as the continuing efforts of the Membership Committee led by Chair Dr. Megan Hunter, to recruit and retain members. By the way, if all of our active members paid AFOS dues and 1st quarter AOA dues on time, we would have 56 votes. One way we are looking at facilitating better turn out in this regard is by allowing automated bill payments. AFOS is exploring this feature as part of a totally revamped webpage; a huge project that is being very well led by our Communications Committee Chair, Dr. John Kim.  We will keep you apprised of the progress of their efforts once a final product is in view.

 

I'd like to spend a moment to recap an AOA led event that your President-Elect, Dr. Aly Wasik and I attended in early April. The 2012 Congressional Advocacy Conference was held in Washington D.C. and this was the first year AFOS officers attended the Conference representing our Society. Over 700 optometrists and students gathered in our nation's capital to lobby for our profession and it was awe inspiring.  While AFOS itself is not lobbying on the Hill during the event, our presence there was valuable as representation to the Federal Relations Committee and for affiliate support of the event. I have recommended to the AFOS Executive Council that we budget for travel to this event annually from here on out.  More details about the event can be found on the front page of the AFOS website.

 

Next, let us review a topic that has had some AFOS members concerned. The concern is about Unified Membership (UM) and "grandfathering" of members as "AFOS-only" members.  AFOS-only members are those members who were not members of the AOA prior to 2005 and were in good standing with AFOS prior to the 2005 AOA bylaws amendment that created UM. I believe these concerns became a focus when personal opinions were perceived as AFOS policy or initiative to remove AFOS-only members, so I have endeavored to clarify the issue at all levels. Here is the bottom line: AFOS will not pursue the removal of any AFOS-only member who was a member in good standing of AFOS prior to UM and remains in good standing.  I have discussed this issue with Dr. Ron Hopping, President-Elect of the AOA and have been assured that we are abiding by the AOA's bylaws in this decision. With these points made, I would like it to be known that I personally feel that there is great value in being a member of the AOA and it remains one of my primary missions to convince those AFOS-only members that they should also be members of the AOA. My goal will simply stop short of forcing anyone to join the AOA or to leave AFOS. In the interest of full-disclosure, the only caveat will be that the Executive Council will be proposing an AFOS bylaws change this October that focuses on timely dues payments. Part of the proposal will include a clause stating that if an AFOS-only member becomes delinquent enough with dues to qualify for dismissal then if he/she desires to re-apply for membership, they must do so under the provisions of UM. I understand that not all AFOS members understand why this is even an issue and my discussion here in this article is very compact, so I am happy to answer individual questions on the topic via e-mail.

 

I mentioned the AOA's House of Delegates earlier, so let us spend a moment on that event. During the three-day event from June 28-30, 2012 the affiliates will consider amendments to the AOA bylaws. Each affiliate was notified of the proposed amendments in advance. The AFOS Executive Council has reviewed and discussed each amendment carefully, requested clarification from the AOA on certain points and has come to a tentative stance on support for each amendment as it is currently written. Please keep in mind that proposals can change on the floor at the HOD and our position as an organization could change based on the fluid discussions. I have asked Dr. Wasik to summarize the amendments and the Council's current recommendations in this newsletter.

 

In closing, I'd like to mention that our Annual Meeting in Phoenix is shaping up nicely. After some initial bumps in the road with hotel accommodations, we are looking to have a great event. Thanks for being patient with the leadership as we worked through the kinks and I look forward to seeing many of you in the desert!

 

Dr. Alyon (Aly) Wasik
President Elect  


Hello AFOS membership!

 

 

The focus of this article is to summarize the 18 proposed bylaws amendments that will be reviewed at the 2012 American Optometric Association's House of Delegates (HOD) from June 24-26, 2012. Each amendment has a bulletined summary listed and some have a "summary of benefits" as viewed by the AOA. Each amendment has been reviewed and debated by the AFOS Executive Council (EC) and, in some cases, clarification was sought from the AOA or outside sources. The current feelings of the EC are listed along with each amendment. It is important to remember that the exact wording of the amendment can change during the HOD and these changes can substantively alter the essence of the amendment and thus AFOS's decision on how to vote. During these fluid decisions, AFOS members must rely on its appointed delegates to make decisions about what is in the best interests of our organization.

Click HERE to read more or print...

 

 

Army Emblem 
ARMY
Col. T.J. Lantz
   
 
Currently in Theater 

Afghanistan
Kuwait
Kosovo
CPT John Stehulak 
LTC Ken Wells 
CPT Terry Ellington 
CPT Larry Decker 
SSG John Borsos 
 
SSG Demeteres Files 
SGT David Parylak 
 
SSG Jospeh Hagan 
  

  

Army pic one

 

 

 

LTC Deb McNamara completes her 6 month tour, and relinquishes command to CPT John Stehulak. CPT Stehulak, SSG Files, and SSG Hagan will return to Hawaii soon.

 

 

The Major Charles Robert Soltes, Jr.

Blind Rehabilitation Center

 

COL TJ Lantz and MAJ Jinjong Chung traveled to Long Beach, CA, to attend the dedication ceremony on 25 January 2012 for the VA Blind Rehabilitation Center named after MAJ Rob Soltes.   MAJ Soltes was an Army Optometrist killed in Iraq on 13 October 2004.  He was on active duty from 1994 to 1999.  He deployed and was serving as a public health officer with the 426th Civil Affairs BN (USAR) when he was killed. 

  

  

 

COL Lantz and MAJ Chung with Dr. Sally Dang (MAJ Soltes' widow) in front of the newly dedicated Major Charles R. Soltes, Jr., Blind Rehabilitation Center in Long Beach, California.

  

                        

  

Promotions

 

Donovan Green was promoted to the rank of Colonel on 10 February 2012. BG Nadya West, CDR, ERMC, presided over the ceremony.  COL Green is the first African-American Army Optometry Colonel. COL Green's son, Donovan, Jr., helped celebrate this historic day. 

  

  

 

Ken Shaw was promoted to the rank of Colonel on 13 Jan 2012 at Fort Belvoir.  COL Lantz and members of COL Shaw's family - LTC Janie Shaw, Ashley (15), and Jacob (12) - were on hand and pinned COL Shaw with his new rank. 

 

  

 

      

 

Congratulations to LTC Greg Hutcheson, Commander of the 165th Optometry Team, and family on his recent promotion.   Major General Kenneth W. Dowd, Commander of the 1st Theater Support Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, presided over the official ceremony held on Friday, January 6th at the Headquarters of the 261st MMB located on Fort Bragg.

 

Medical Education and Training Center

Adopts a New Symbol

 

When the 68WP3 course was solely an Army course taught at the AMEDD Center and School at Fort Sam Houston, TX, it worked under this shield featured to the left. The Ophthalmic Technician Program was challenged to develop a symbol to encompass the spirit of their consolidated Army/Air Force course at the new Medical Education and Training Center (METC). SSG Miguel Mauras, along with input from the staff, rose to the challenge and designed the symbol you see below.

 

The two serpents surround a staff, symbolic of the medical caduceus and our medical profession; however, the serpents are positioned to depict the visual pathway. The intertwined serpents are green and blue to represent the combined Army and Air Force didactic curriculum. The gold five-point star is representative of Texas, where our school resides, and the "all seeing eye" tops our symbol to embody the education and training we provide to our students.

Retirement and the Order of Military Medical Merit (O2M3)

 

 

LTC(Ret) Linda Glisson retired on 31 December 2011. The last day of 2011 coincided with her last day on active duty. Linda had a very successful and diverse career in the Army and her dedication, passion for taking care of Soldiers and patients, and performance are unparalleled.  She was also inducted into the Order of Military Medical Merit (O2M3) that day with an effective date of 17 November 2011.  Please join me in thanking Linda for over 24 years of outstanding and selfless service to our nation. She will be missed.   Thank you Linda and we wish you the best in your future endeavors.

 

Awards

 

 

 

LTC James Carrell was honored to receive the Order of Military Medical Merit (O2M3) medal at Heidelberg MEDDAC on 24 Feb 2012. COL Telita Crosland, HMEDDAC Commander, presented the award before the Soldiers of Heidelberg MEDDAC.

 

 

On 28 March 2012, LTC Judy Driscoll, USAR Optometry Consultant, was recognized for her superior performance in our profession and inducted into the Order of Military Medical Merit (O2M3). In the picture with LTC Driscoll is COL(R) Jay Harmon, former Chief of Staff, AMEDD Center and School. Judy was also selected for Senior Service College in January 2012. Congratulations Judy!

 

The Order of Military Medical Merit is a unique, private organization founded by the Commanding General of U.S. Army Health Services Command in April 1982 to recognize excellence and promote fellowship and esprit de corps among Army Medical Department (AMEDD) personnel.  Membership in the Order denotes distinguished service which is recognized by the senior leadership of the AMEDD. Members are given a certificate and a handsome medallion that signifies to all they meet that they are members of the Order. You will see members proudly display their medallions at formal AMEDD social functions. Membership in the Order recognizes those individuals who have clearly demonstrated the highest standards of integrity and moral character, displayed an outstanding degree of professional competence, served in the Army Medical Department (for a minimum of 10 years) with selflessness, and have made a sustained contribution to the betterment of Army Medicine. 

Air Force EmblemMichelle Aaron 

 

 

   United States Air Force

 

    Lt Col Michelle Aaron
 
 

 

  • Congratulations to Maj Sheridan Martin who was selected as the CRS Co-Manager of the year for 2011 & Maj Nathan Anderson who continues to be recognized by CRS leadership as an outstanding performer!

 

  • Assignments have been matched for our 15 new HPSP doctors joining us this summer: 

 

  • o   Paul Boudreax:  Laughlin AFB, TX
  • o   Mu Zhang:  Randolph AFB, TX
  • o   Benjamin Kolle:  Lackland AFB, TX
  • o   Jacob Plett:  Bolling AFB, DC
  • o   Joshua Hager:  Malstrom AFB, MT
  • o   See Vang:  Kadena AB, Japan
  • o   Shawn Skinner:  Pope Field, NC
  • o   Sean Berensen:  JB Langley, VA
  • o   Patrick Meade:  Andrews AFB, MD
  • o   Brandon reed:  Robins, GA
  • o   Michael Gaydos:  Sheppard AFB, TX
  • o   Nicholas Hardgrave:  Andersen AB, Guam
  • o   Benjamin Lundeen:  Lackland AFB, TX
  • o   Eric Owens:  Scott AFB, IL
  • o   Todd Christensen:  Tyndall AFB, FL

 

Almost everyone was able to have one of their top 5 choices in the matching process!  

  • Capt Marylin Lai (Nellis), Capt Funmilayo Aranmolate (Luke), TSgt Joshua Karash (Guam), & TSgt Crystal Foster (Moody) just returned from a very successful PACANGEL mission in the Philippines.  See excerpts from AAR below.

 

Pacific Angel humanitarian mission provided medical, dental and optometry care to the under-privileged patient population in 3 cities of the Albay province in Philippines: Guinobatan, Legazpi and Santo Domingo.  Team 1 treated 1283 patients over 6 patient-care days (2 days in Guinobatan and 4 days in Legazpi) and dispensed over 2200 pairs of spectacles.  Team 2 treated 1032 patients over 5 patient-care days (2 days in Legazpi and 3 days in Santo Domigo) and dispensed over 2000 pair of spectacles.  Majority of diagnoses were refractive including hyperopia, astigmatism and presbyopia.  Myopic patients presented less frequently but were usually in very high range and borderline pathological.  Our most common medical diagnoses were cataract, narrow angle, pterygium, xanthelasma/arcus, dry eyes, and ocular allergy.  Our less common medical diagnoses were infectious orbital tumor, foreign body, chronic angle closure glaucoma, episcleritis, genetic disease (i.e. Coat's and Best), age-related macular degeneration, and corneal abrasion.    

 

All Filipinos that I (Capt Lai writing) had the pleasure of meeting on this mission were, by far, the most hospitable and friendly people.  The young Pulis nurse interpreters working with me were new graduates but what they lacked in experience, they made up for with so much enthusiasm to learn and to help.  Since they are the ones to stay behind and to continue taking care of the people, I did my best to teach them simple diagnostic skills like finger tension, checking angle and cataract with penlight, and external testings.  We also discussed common ocular conditions like pterygium and cataract, and the importance of protective eyewear.  Along the way, I made many new friends.  They made my experience on this mission absolutely delightful. 

 Michelle Aaron mission

I had so much fun on this mission.  I loved brushing my teeth in front of a fresh green meadow, watching the golden sunrise and feeling the gentle breeze every morning.  This makes my home bathroom now a bit boring.  The 3-min cold combat shower took some getting used to but was very refreshing after a hot humid day.  The hard cot helped me spring out of bed the morning.  I didn't have to eat MRE; hot foods were served on ceramic plate and bowl which made I feel a little royal J.  I'm usually a mosquito magnet but I only got a few mosquito bites even without the use of insect repellant.  The Philippines Air Force provided us free wi-fi service so I had communication with friends and family at home.  There were morale trips at night for us to go shopping in the local malls.  The governor of the Albay province was so grateful of our mission that he sent everyone to Misibis beach resort for one free day of pampering.  I really couldn't ask for more.      


NAVY

Penny Walter    



It is almost summer, but here in DC we've already had almost 6 weeks of summer.  This is a busy time of year and I hope everyone is able to take a few moments out of their week to enjoy the warm air and sun.




 


HAILS & FAREWELLS
 
 
WELCOME ABOARD 
NEW HEALTH 
PROFESSIONS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
OPTOMETRISTS
 

Optometrist

School

 

Duty Station

 

LT  Jenine Melko

Pennsylvania  

College of Optometry

NHC PATUXENT RIVER

 

LT Jeremiah Church

Nova Southeastern University  

College of Optometry

NH OAK HARBOR

 

 

LT Jenalyn Jotie

Nova Southeastern College of Optometry

NBHC NAS

 

 

PENSACOLA FAREWELLS
 
There are many farewells this summer.  Thank you for your service and we wish you Fair Winds and Following Seas as you transition to a new chapter in your careers.

 

LT Rebekah Veneziano, LT Gemie Pham, LT Travis Taylor, LT Mary Long, LT Jeffery Burke, LT Ann Dori, LT Nathan Hawkins, LT John Zent, LT Melissa Bersamina,   
LT Crussana & LT Tawny Walrath

 

RETIREMENT
 
We wish CDR Stephen Cooley Fair Winds and Following Seas as he retires on 22 June 2012.  CDR Cooley has been a dynamic advocate of Aviation Optometry and his enthusiastic expertise will be missed.  

 

FIRST NAVY OPTOMETRY SPONSORED DoD/VA TBI VISION REHAB SYMPOSIUM
 
The first Navy Optometry sponsored DoD/VA TBI Vision Rehab Symposium was held at the Navy Medical Center, San Diego 26-27 April 2012.  LCDR Zambrano,  Navy Optometry's community subject matter expert, has worked tirelessly to establish protocols for mil TBI (mTBI) care, a database for baseline exams and liaison with DOD and VA eye care professionals to share information leading to best practice guidelines.  The symposium was aimed at a cross spectrum of continuum of care for various disciplines that to work together to care for our mTBI patients. 

 

DEPLOYMENTS:
 
CDR Monette, LTs Tarter and Uphoff have embarked on the USNS Mercy for Continuing Promise 2012.  The Hospital ship departed San Diego Naval Station May 3rd for a 41/2 month humanitarian and civic assistance mission to Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia.  This mission includes personnel from all branches of the U.S. military; U.S. departments of State and Justice; the Agency for International Development; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association; 12 partner nations; 11 non governmental organizations and numbers in-country organizations.  

 

CONFERENCES:

 

I will be attending AOA in Chicago this summer and hope to see you there.  Please send me an email if you are attending and would like to set ups a time to talk.

 

FUNDED TRAVEL: 
 
As the military continues to streamline costs, please plan ahead with regards to funded continuing education trips.  Remember to take advantage of local and online CE opportunities as permitted by your state license.  Take a look at theAOA Meeting Schedule website for potential meetings at http://newsfromaoa.org/meetings-calendar/
Also, try eye learn, AOA's online learning resource, which can be found through the search window.  
____________________
Navy Reserve by Jeff Garcia

Dr. Garcia

NAVY RESERVE OPTOMETRY

 

Tropic Care 2012, an IRT (Innovative Readiness Training) on the Island of Kauai just completed its mission on 10MAR.  Yes, you read that correctly, Kauai.  This is an exercise led by the Air National Guard to give members the opportunity to deploy in a joint service, field environment that would be similar to a disaster response/humanitarian assistance scenario.  There were roughly 350 Navy Reserve and Air National Guard members assigned to three different underserved clinic sites (Kapaa, Hanapepe and Lihue).  Each site was equipped with dental, primary care, pharmacy and optometric clinics.

 

The Garden Isle's reputation of being one of the wettest places on the Earth certainly lived up to its reputation during this Exercise.  We had record breaking rain throughout our stay, and even measured a massive 18 inches of rain in one single day.  Needless to say, there was severe flooding and storm damage throughout the Island, which made working conditions very interesting and a great training opportunity.  At one point, we had over a foot of standing water around our Optometry Clinic in Kapaa. 

 

Tropic Care was staffed by four Navy Eye Care Providers: CAPT Mason, CDR Steiner, CDR Yuan and myself, CAPT Garcia.  All of us have extensive IRT/MEDRETE experience which allowed us to get right to work and put out some impressive numbers.  As combined Air National Guard and Navy Optometric Team, we were able to perform over 6,000 optometric patient encounters during the 12 days of clinic.

 

Alabama Care IRT is scheduled for 15APR and will also be led by the Air National Guard.  The Team will be working in two underserved communities of Selma and Hayneville.  CDR Steiner and CDR Lopez will be participating on this Mission.

 

Arctic Care IRT is scheduled begin on 21APRand will be led by the Alaska National Guard.  This Mission will be set up in 15 remote villages throughout the Nome region.  CAPT Hetrick and LCDR Anderson are slated to be a part of the Optometric Team.

 

CAPT Radiou will be a member of the Pacific Partnership Team.

 

These are all unique and wonderful opportunities to not only serve our Country but our fellow Citizens as well.  We look forward to hearing about their experiences once their Missions are completed. These individuals exemplify the Navy Reserve's motto of 

 

"Ready Now.  Anytime, Anywhere."

 

 
PUBLIC HEALTH

PHS/IHS

Michael Candreva OD

 

 

Loan Repayment

Loan Repayment appears to remain key in recruiting optometrists.  Currently all pending applicants are likely to be awarded by the end of FY2012.  Eye Clinic managers, recruiters and new applicants, please make sure applications are submitted in a timely and complete manner; take the time to follow-up. (http://www.ihs.gov/loanrepayment/)

 

IHS Civil Service

Title-38 Special Salary Rate for Civil Service Optometrists is in its final stages within IHS Human Resources.  This rate should be available on or before the beginning of FY 2013.

 

PHS

New PHS Applicants

Changes in reference to new PHS applicants may be occurring over the next several months; please submit applications via the USPHS Website. 

 

Billet/Position Message

Recently, officers received Personnel Orders (P.O.) in their e-OPF with the phrase "Change of Assignment" in the Type of Action field. Please note that all officers are receiving these personnel orders as a step in the process of the billet/position transformation. In addition, the P.O. contains a new individual position number. New position numbers have been assigned to the current position of all officers. This number is called a Direct Access Billet System (DABS) number, which identifies the billet/position number in Direct Access (DA).

 

Besides the P.O., officers will notice changes to their Promotion Information Report (PIR) in the "Current Assignment" and "Assignment History". Under "Current Assignment" the title of the DA position is listed as well as the associated billet equivalent grade. The information currently contained in this section has not yet been changed to reflect new position grade changes (if any) associated with billet/position transformation. This will not be changed until the conclusion of the 2012 promotions cycle. Changes to an officer's position title, billet grade, eOPF and/or PIR as a result of the billet transformation process were not seen by the 2012 promotion boards. Under the "Assignment History", officers will see "DA Billet System Position Assignment" with an associated title. The stated grade is the pay grade of the officer, not the grade of the position. There will be continued changes to the PIR until approximately September 2012 as the process is completed.

 

There is a two-year period following the transformation of an officer's billet, during which any position (billet) experiencing a grade change shall be reported in the officer's PIR as the higher grade of the old billet or new position. This two-year period will include the 2013 and 2014 promotion boards. All officers should review the Position/Billet Implementation Grade Personnel Operations Memorandum (http://dcp.psc.gov/eccis/documents/POM12_004.pdf ) for more information.

 

Upcoming Meetings

 

The 2012 Biennial Eye Care Meeting will be held on May 14-19 at Southern California College of Optometry, Fullerton, CA.  This meeting will provide up to 34 hours of continuing education geared toward hospital/health center based eye care.

 

The 2012 USPHS Scientific and Training Symposium will be held June 19-21 at the University of Maryland, College Park, in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.  The theme for the conference is "Prevention Strategies for a Healthy Nation: Building on the Basics of Public Health."

  

 

 


Greeting from the Continuing Education Committee  


Dr. Jarecke
The AFOS Continuing Education Committee is hard at work securing speakers for the 44th Annual AFOS Meeting being held in Phoenix, Arizona on October 22nd and 23rd.
We are pleased to announce we will be offering 8 hours of COPE approved continuing education and also continuing the Dave Simpson Memorial Lecture Series.  As you may remember, the Dave Simpson Memorial Lecture Series, not only provides fellow AFOS members an opportunity to lecture on a national stage, but also offers additional continuing education hours to our members. 
 
 
 
CE Committee Table
 

  

The Tribute Lecture Series will be held on Monday afternoon and provide 3 hours of continuing education beginning at 1530 and ending 1830.  Light snacks and drinks will be provided prior to the education so please show up early.  As of now, lecturers will include two of our own, LCDR Chris Cordes from the Indian Health Service and Major Oscar Corredor from the Air Force.  LCDR Cordes will be lecturing on Optometry's role in treating diabetes while Major Corredor will be sharing his experiences treating traumatic eye injuries while deployed.  Both lectures should be very interesting so please support your own and attend.  By the way, there was an overwhelming response to lecture this year so thanks to all of you who volunteered and a special thanks to Chris and Oscar.

  

The final hour of CE during the Dave Simpson Lecture Series will be provided by the Optometric Council on Refractive Technology (OCRT).  In a collaborative effort to improve the communication and education of both Military and Civilian Optometrists, we have arranged to exchange lecturers with them.  Our lecturer will be Dr. Andrew Morgenstern, Director of Optometric Service-Washington Eye Physicians and Surgeons.  He will be speaking to us on New Technologies in Refractive Surgeries.  A trio of Military Optometrist including Dr Charles Coe, Dr. Darren Rhoton and Dr. Tyler Miles will be representing AFOS and their Service's while speaking to the OCRT about their respective Refractive Surgery Policies.  Thanks for stepping up guys!

 

 

              

  

 

On Tuesday October 23, we will be providing 5 more hours of outstanding continuing education.  With the help of an educational grant from MARCO, we have secured the internationally acclaimed author, clinician and educator, Dr. Lou Catania.  He will be lecturing on the Science of Wavefront Technology and its clinical applications.  In addition, we have reserved Dr. Blair Lonsberry, a Professor of Optometry and the Clinic Director of the Portland Vision Center associated with Pacific University in Portland, Oregon.  Based on your overwhelmingly positive reviews, he will once again be joining us for one of his lively and interactive lectures.  He will be discussing and challenging us with a review on pathology of the posterior segment.  Finally, Dr. Marc Bloomenstein, the Director of Optometric Services at the Schwartz Laser Eye Center and Past-President of the Optometric Council on Refractive Technology, will be proving a lecture on pharmacology.  He will be discussing the optometric indication and uses of steroids and controlled substances.  So please join us in Phoenix for some great continuing education!

  

Outlines and handouts will be posted on the AFOS website as they are finalized.  Printed handouts will not be available at the meeting, so please feel free to print a personal copy from the website and bring it to the lectures. 

  

To record continuing education attendance, we will continue to use paper sign-in sheets.  The sign-in sheets will be circulated during each lecture so please be sure to sign in.  This will be submitted to ARBO as the official record of attendance.  If you don't sign you will not receive credit!  A hard copy CE attendance certificates will be traded for evaluation certificates near the exit at the end of each lecture. 

  

Please keep checking the AFOS website (www.afos2020.org) for updates.

  

  

COMMUNICATION COMMITTEE


Maj John Kim

Chair, Marketing and Communications Committee

[email protected]   



Communication Committee

Greetings AFOS members!  The 2012 Phoenix Meeting is now open for registration.  As a reminder there is still time to register for this exciting event! You can visit our website now to pay your registration.

 

In addition, take the opportunity to pay your dues if you have not already done so. You do NOT have to have a PaylPal account to pay your dues.  Once you navigate to the PayPal/AFOS webpage, just click the option "Pay with your debit or credit card as a PayPal Guest".  Easy.  Also, some members may have difficulties paying with their credit cards.  We have traced this issue to some web browsers that time out after several minutes.  Ensure that you enter your data quickly and your transaction should go through.

 

Some exciting changes are on the horizon.  We are currently working on a new website and working to transition databases and content.  We are hoping that we will bring a new level of member interaction and due mgmt.  Announcements will be shared in 1-2 months.

 

We ask that all members log onto the AFOS website at http://www.afos2020.org and update your member profile to include your current mailing address, phone number, email address (preferably home email address).  Instructions on how to update you profile is located here. Did you lose your password or login?  Then click here to access your lost password.

Also, remember to "friend" us on Facebook to get you the latest info on AFOS events and activities!  Lastly, we are still looking for enthusiastic and energetic AFOS members to join our Marketing and Communications Committee.  If interested, please contact me or any of our committee members!

 

AFOS AWARDS COMMITTEE  
 
Dr. Read

Air Force

 

Erich Wanagat Peter Carra

 

Army

 

Evelyn Reyes-Cabrera Susan Sloan

 

Navy

 

Matt Behil Emily Sprague

 

Public Health

 

Cliff Brown Ryan Manning

 

VA

 

Gary Vanderzee Joseph Pruitt

 

Chairs

 

Marrie Read (Chair)
Carla Engelke (Vice-Chair)



AFOS Awards Committee: "Award those who deserve!"

 

Awards: The AFOS awards will be presented in October at the AFOS meeting prior to the AAO meeting in Phoenix. Award nominations will be due 01 July 2012. Get started now! These awards are highly recognized within the Optometric Community and they are an excellent way to let our folks know that we are aware of their dedication, talent, and devotion to Federal Service and the optometric profession. Visit the AFOS website and review the simple procedure to submit some of our talented doctors: http://www.afos2020.org/AFOS_Awards.asp , an easier format has been incorporated which is aligned with the AOA Awards.

 

Reminder: Beginning in 2013 there will be a change in the awards process. We will be awarding service specific awards. Each service will nominate candidates for a Junior and Senior award. The deadline for these nominations will be 01 December 2012.

 

The presentation to the winners of the service specific awards will take place at the FSO meeting prior to SECO in the Spring of 2013. The winner of these service specific awards will then compete for the Junior AFOS Optometrist of the Year Award and the AFOS Optometrist of the Year Award which will be presented at the AFOS meeting prior to AAO in the Fall of 2013. The process for the ORION Award, the AFOS Reserve Optometrist of the Year, and the COL Bzdula AFOS Student Award will not change and will continue to be awarded at the AFOS Annual Meeting prior to the AAO.

 

 

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Dr. Marrie Read at [email protected], Dr. Carla Engelke at [email protected] or any of the members of the awards committee. 


Student Liaison  
Jenalyn Jotie 

 

FSO 2012: A Student's Perspective

 

The Annual Federal Service Optometry (FSO)  

Meeting allowed HPSP students and AFOS student members to learn more about their future military career. The service-specific breakout sessions and continuing education courses provided students with an introduction to the clinical and organizational issues specific to uniformed optometrists. Perhaps the most enduring experience for students attending the FSO were the bonds formed with their future colleagues in arms.

 

ENS Matthew Weinheimer, our AFOS National Student  

Liaison-Elect, attended his first FSO conference this past February. Matthew reflected about the professional connections he established: "At the FSO, I was able to meet with a large part of the Naval Optometry leadership including CAPT Walters, the Naval Optometry Specialty leader. During the meet and greet event in the evening, it was nice being able to speak with recent optometry school graduates about their transitions from school to the fleet."

 

VA Optometry: Going the Extra Mile for our Veterans 

Check out my latest blogpost, "VA Optometry: Going the Extra Mile for our Veterans" on http://studentsstarsnstripes.wordpress.com/. In that blogpost, I describe my experiences as an extern at the Orlando VA Medical Center and pick the brains of two "veteran" optometrists of the VA, Dr. Angela Musick, an AFOS councilmember, and Dr. John Spalding, the Clinical Externship Site Director at the Orlando VAMC. I highly recommend that all students consider an externship at a VA to increase the breadth and depth of one's diagnostic skills and knowledge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Dr. John Spalding, Clinical Externship Site Director at the Orlando VAMC, shares an interesting case with ENS Jenalyn Jotie, AFOS National Student Liaison"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

21st Annual NORA Annual Meeting 2012

I was fortunate to receive a student grant to attend my first Neuro-Optometric Rehabilation Association (NORA) Annual Meeting in Memphis, TN this past April. NORA is a unique, multi-disciplinary organization that focuses on vision rehabilitation of the neurologically challenged patient, including individuals with TBI and stroke-survivors. At the NORA meeting, I met optometrists, neuroscientists, occupational and physical therapists from around the world. The highlight of the conference was Dr. Susan Barry, author of Fixing My Gaze, who shared her story of how she regained stereopsis at the age of 48. For students interested in the field of neuro-optometry, check out the NORA website http://nora.cc/index.php and become a NORA student member. Membership is free for students!

 

Parting Thought

It was an honor to serve my fellow HPSP students as AFOS National Student Liaison over the last year. I am very proud of the accomplishments of our hard-working AFOS local liaisons and other uniformed students across the nation. By participating "behind the scenes" at the AFOS meetings, I have witnessed the efforts of our AFOS executive council, who take time out of their busy schedules to influence and propel the decisions that affect our profession.  I thank the executive council and the AFOS membership for their dedication and for being tremendous role models for students.

 

 


E
xecutive Directors
  
Dr. Anthony & Gina Borgognoni
 

HandsomeWe are truly grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this honorable society.  Since the moment Gina and I applied for this position, we have been consumed with goals, ideas, and plans for this organization.  Over the last 10 weeks, we have been diligently plowing through the vast operational components of this society.  Under the watchful eyes of your executive leaders, we are building upon your organizational strengths, while aggressively implementing fresh systems that will hopefully benefit AFOS well into the future.  You are our bosses, and we see our job as doing everything possible to make this society the number one affiliate within the AOA.  In order to accomplish this, we cannot be content with maintaining the status quo.  We were hired because we have a history of effectively reaching goals by making and implementing decisions.  

 

Much of this ongoing progress will be behind the scenes, but we will make noise if that is needed for this society.  Part of this process will be mistakes.  We don't know a great deal of the federal culture.  Our fresh eyes will probably lead us to try things from a new perspective, that may on occasion not work out initially.  Thank you in advance for extending us the grace to make good intentioned mistakes.

 

We have so much to learn and share with you.  Stay tune for a new level of communication.  We want to meet each of you in Phoenix at AFOS's Annual Meeting.  We welcome and need your insight.  Don't delay and register now.

 
 
 I write this first newsletter with a grateful heart.  First, a big Thanks to Mike Pattison for helping us navigate into the new position, and for not throwing us into the deep end without a lifeline to tug on when needed.  We are thankful for everyone's patience, and we hope to adapt quickly in order to meet expectations.  We want this to be a society everyone is excited and proud to be a part.   Our goal is to truly serve all of you.  We have been shown great examples by the way the committees have served us, as well as the association as a whole.  This is a true team effort, and owe countless thanks to all who are helping us make this transition.
 
In particular we want to cheer Dr. John Kim along with Dr. Tyler Miles and their team.  They are working diligently to help make sure that AFOS has an amazing website, and an effective means to communicate to everyone.  Also, Dr. Tony Jarecke and his committee are outstanding.  They  have excelled in obtaining incredible CE courses for this year's annual meeting.  
 
We want your input and want to have open lines of communication.  The current email system for the Association has proven unreliable, but we believe we have worked out most of the kinks.  Therefore we welcome you to contact us anytime at [email protected] or call/text me at 214-533-0227.  Again we look forward to meeting all of you in Phoenix. 
           
 Phoenix 2012    
   

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