June 2014

liberty bell with independence hall in the background

Join SCO in Philadelphia

SCO will host a booth and reception for alumni and friends at next week's Optometry's Meeting in Philadelphia. Visit our booth, #933, in the Exhibit Hall from from 4-7:30 pm on Thursday, 10-5 on Friday, and 9:30-2 on Saturday. SCO's reception for alumni and friends will be held Friday, June 27 from 5:30-7 in the Franklin 7 and 8 Ballrooms at the Marriott Downtown Hotel. A number of faculty and residents will participate by displaying their research posters. Also of note, David Cockrell, OD '81, will become the 12th SCO alumnus to be installed as AOA President. Join us in extending congratulations to Dr. Cockrell on this special achievement. SCO looks forward to seeing alumni and friends, so make plans to join us at the AOA!

Nominations End Soon for Alumni Recognition

Lifetime Achievement and Young Alumni Awards

The deadline is approaching soon as SCO continues to accept nominations for the college's 19th annual Lifetime Achievement Awards. The highest honor presented to alumni, the award recognizes outstanding achievement to the profession, SCO and the graduate's community. Completed forms must be received by June 30. Nominations are also being accepted by the same deadline for the Young Alumni Award. Alumni may nominate any graduate from 2004-2013. Service to the profession, leadership and other criteria are to be provided in the nomination form. The awards will be presented at this fall's Convocation ceremony on Friday, October 10. Contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at (901) 722-3216 for more information.

Registration Opens Soon for Fall Homecoming & CE

Reunions Scheduled for October 9-12

SCO's Fall Homecoming and CE Weekend has been scheduled for October 9-12 in Memphis. Registration will open July 1 on SCO's website, and mailers with more information were printed this week for alumni. Join us for 19 hours of COPE-approved CE. Special events include a Kick-off Party, President's Reception, Alumni and Friends Dinner and After-party. The Alumni Child Admissions Forum will be held on Friday, Oct. 10 for alumni and their children interested in optometry. Reunion classes for alumni whose graduation year ended in '4' or '9' will also be held. Make plans to join us in October!

SCO's New Dry Eye Center to Open July 1

LipiFlow Introduced to Memphis Patients

SCO will soon open a new clinic exclusively for patients with chronic Dry Eye Syndrome. Led by Drs. Chris Lievens, Al Kabat, Whitney Hauser, and Mike Christensen, the TearWell Advanced Dry Eye Center will be the first facility in the Memphis area to offer the LipiFlow Thermal Pulsation system. The clinic is located in the new research suites area on the first floor of SCO's 11-story building. News of TearWell's opening sparked more than a dozen calls the morning that the local newspaper ran an article. Read more in this news release. You may also follow TearWell via social media on Facebook or Twitter.

CLASSNOTES AND UPDATES

News about SCO's Alumni and Faculty

SCO's annual Faculty/Staff campaign was tallied as the most successful in the college's history, with 94% employee participation securing a record high $103,654 in support of college programs. A number of faculty additionally pledged $3,250 to support the Al Fors, OD '69 Memorial Tribute Room, raising total gift amounts to $106,904.

Bryant Ashley, OD '84, was recently appointed by Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe to the State Board of Optometry.

David Shannon, OD '86, recently finished 23 years of service to the Association of Optometrists Council and 10 years (including three as Chair) for the Association's Board.

SCO's Alumni Council Representative to the Board of Trustees, Chris Wroten, OD '02, was recently on hand to witness Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal sign legislation expanding scope of practice in his state.

Emily Sprague, OD '04, has been named the U.S. Navy's Junior Optometrist of the Year. Read more in this news release.

A number of Class of 2013 graduates are among this year's residents completing their residency programs at SCO. This group photo was taken last week during SCO's first Resident's Weekend of lectures and CE.

Keri Cassels, OD '14, recently married Matt Hartsell and has accepted a position at Cairo Eye Care in Georgia.

Faculty Updates

Janette Dumas, OD, recently coordinated SCO's annual Success in Sight program for minority high school students interested in optometry. Erika Cox, OD '07, visited with the students to share her experiences in optometry.

Paul Harris, OD recently published an article about cornea ulcers in Advanced Ocular Care.

Alan Kabat, OD, co-authored an article entitled "GCA: More than a Headache" in an April issue of Review of Optometry. He also was primary author for "NVG: A Titantic Disaster," published in the May 15th issue of Review of Optometry.

Zakiya Nicks, OD, recently was interviewed about her work with SCO's Community Outreach Program for this article in the AOA's new Focus Magazine.

Lewis Reich, OD, PhD, will be promoted from Vice President for Academic Programs to Executive Vice President for Academic Programs, effective July 1. He will also serve as acting CEO when Dr. Phillips is away from campus. A new department, Interprofessional Education, is also being formed and will report directly to Dr. Reich.

Glen Steele OD '69, recently traveled to Burlington, Ontario to lecture at an Optometric Extension Program Foundation seminar attended by 25 ODs and therapists. The topic was "The Importance of Vision in Overall Development." Learn more about his trip in this blog post.

In Memoriam:

Saul Silverman, OD '47, New Orleans, LA
William Dobbs, OD '50, Covington, GA
Troy Lester, OD '51, Ada, OK
Marjorie Ross, OD '51, Battle Creek, MI; Dr. Ross was the first woman to receive SCO's Lifetime Achievement Award. A former AOA Trustee, she was also the first woman to serve as President of the Michigan Optometric Association.
Gregory W. Hunter, OD '69, Jacksonville, FL

UPCOMING EVENTS

Note the Dates for SCO's Events!

June 26-28: AOA, Philadelphia
Oct. 9-12: SCO Homecoming and Fall CE Weekend

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