 |
Join SCO at Optometry's Meeting in Boston!
|
Optometry's Meeting, hosted by the American Optometric Association, will be held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center June 29-July 3. Alumni and friends are invited to interact with SCO at a number of events. SCO's Booth, #619 in the Exhibit Hall, will be open Thursday, June 30, from 4-7 pm, Friday, July 1 from 10 am-6 pm, and on Saturday, July 2 from 10 am-1 pm. SCO's Reception will be held from 6-7:30 pm on Friday evening in the Otis Room at the Westin Boston Waterfront. Alumni in the spotlight include Fred Farias III, OD '87, who will be honored as the AOA's OD of the Year. SCO Board of Trustees Chair Steven Reed, OD '95, is also running for AOA Trustee. We hope to see you in Boston!
|
|
SCO Residents Near Program Completion
|
Group Includes Class of 2015 Alumni
SCO's annual Resident's Day has grown into Resident's Weekend as the college's residents each present a CE lecture attended by faculty and local ODs for COPE-approved credit. This year's group of 2015-16 residents included 48 young ODs, with a sizable number representing SCO's Class of 2015 pictured, including Drs. Heather Atcherson, Carissa Chambers, Kevin Hart, Jessica Haynes, Barbara Jodoin, Michael Lam, Pinto Ng, Amy Puerto, Ashley Stowe, Lisa Vanderpool, and Sherry Wei. SCO is proud to have the most residents of any of the colleges and schools of optometry.
|
|
Two Long-Time Faculty Members Retire
|
June brings the retirement of two of SCO's longer-serving faculty members, Tressa Eubank, OD, and Marlon Utech, OD '78.
Dr. Eubank, Professor, joined SCO's faculty in 1988. A graduate of Indiana University, she spent years in private practice and ten years as adjunct professor and clinical consultant at Western Michigan University. She served as Chief of Low Vision Rehabilitation Services from 1993-2006 and helped establish a low vision endowment fund to assist patients in need of low vision evaluations and devices.
Dr. Utech, Associate Professor, is a 1978 SCO graduate who received a commission as an Optometry Officer in the U.S. Air Force Biomedical Sciences Corps. Upon completing his military career, he joined SCO's faculty in 1998. He is a life member of the Armed Forces Optometric Society.
Each is being honored with a retirement reception on campus this week. Join us in wishing them well on their retirement and thanking them for their combined 46 years of service to optometric education at SCO!
|
News about SCO's Alumni and Faculty
Alumni are encouraged to submit nominations for the college's 21st annual Lifetime Achievement and Young Alumni Awards. Any SCO graduate may nominate fellow alumni by using nomination forms available on SCO's website. Completed forms may also be mailed, emailed or faxed. Nominations must be received by June 30, 2016. The awards will be presented during Fall Homecoming and CE weekend. Contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at (901) 722-3216 for additional information or questions.
SCO student passage rate for first time test takers on the Applied Basic Science (Part I) portion of their National Board examinations was 89.92%, compared to the national rate of 78.12%. Congratulations to our students and faculty for achieving this fantastic result.
The Classes of 2006 and 2011 should be on the lookout in July for a survey conducted by Institutional Advancement about their insight and experiences five and ten years after graduation.
ClassNotes
Several SCO alumni were recently honored by the Arkansas Optometric Association, including Special Service Awards for Eric Robbins, OD '01, Airiell Schwab, OD '06, and Alex Bell, OD '09, and to former SCO Board Chair Howard Flippin, OD '59, who received the Lifetime of Excellence Award. Bryan Armstrong, OD '00, was elected ArOA President, Matt Jones, OD '09, President-Elect, Belinda Starkey, OD '04, as Vice President, and Chevron Ergle, OD '04, as Immediate Past President. Joe Sugg, OD '09, was re-elected to the Board, with Allyson Mertins, OD '97, Jeff Netzel, OD '02, and Melia Robertson, OD '09, remaining as Board Directors. James Hertzog, OD '06, was elected as a new member to the Board. Congratulations to all of these alumni!
SCO President Emeritus Billy Cochran, OD '68, was among the participants in a recent visit by legislators and ODs from Mississippi to learn more about optometry and advances in the profession. The group enjoyed lab demonstrations and a breakfast hosted by The Hayes Center for Practice Excellence. A luncheon included a Q&A with students from Mississippi. Dr. Cochran also recently spoke about his family's history with optometry in Mississippi at the state association's annual summer convention in Florida.
William Harrison, OD '84, has a son at SCO who is a fifth generation optometry student and third generation SCO legacy student. Learn more in this video interview.
Carla Engelke, OD '05, has been named the Armed Forces Optometric Society's-AOA Young OD of the Year.
Megan Kortum, OD '13, recently joined the practice of Mark Kapperman, OD '87, in Chattanooga. Read more in this story.
Lucas Cook, OD '14, has added another practice to the locations where he sees patients in Grundy Center, Iowa.
- Joyce Adema, OD '49, New Orleans, LA; Dr. Adema received SCO's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002 and was a founder of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development.
- Calvin Denney, OD '50; Dothan, AL
- William Hendrix, OD '55, Raleigh, NC; Dr. Hendrix was a 2000 SCO Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and served as SECO President in 1986.
- Jack D. Miller, Sr., OD '59; Eunice, LA
- Russell Palmer, OD '60, Jefferson City, MO
Faculty Updates
Freddy Chang, OD, PhD, is helping organize the Southern Indiana Pharmacology Seminar on July 13 in Evansville, Indiana. He and Dr. Richard Savoy will be lecturing.
Janette Dumas, OD, recently was interviewed by the ABC-TV affiliate in Memphis about SCO's recent Success in Sight program held for high school students interested in optometry. William Edmondson, OD, pictured, was recently recognized by Oklahoma's Northeastern State University as one of their most Outstanding Faculty members in the last 40 years. In an on-campus ceremony, he received a medallion and his name was engraved in a a "Circle of Excellence"structure along with other recognize faculty. He is now a Professor at SCO.
Dan Fuller, OD, published an article about Meibomian Gland function in the May issue of Review of Optometry.
Paul Harris OD, was the guest speaker for Methodist South's Stroke Support Group. He spoke about the effects of strokes on vision.
Whitney Hauser, OD '01, was interviewed for this video story about opening a dry eye center.
Wil McGriff, OD, recently was interviewed by a local TV station's health program for a segment about cataracts to air soon.
James E. Venable, OD '89, was interviewed by the Memphis Daily News for a story about SCO's collaboration with the Church Health Center in the Crosstown Concourse under construction in midtown at the site of the old Sears building that older alumni will remember.
|
UPCOMING EVENTS
Note the Dates for SCO's Events
* June 29-July 3, AOA meeting, Boston
* July 15, Florida Alumni Reception (see invitation details below)
* July 30, Discover Optometry, SCO campus
|
|
Your meaningful gift will support critically needed patient care or student scholarships. Use the "Give a Gift" button to make a gift online, or contact the Office of Institutional Advancement for other ways to support SCO. Your gift is important and appreciated!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
