National Optometric Student Association Recognized SUNY Optometry For Work To Increase Diversity In The Field Of Optometry
SUNY Optometry Student Awarded Cave Memorial Award For Outstanding Dedication To Community Involvement
New York, NY – In recognition of the school’s ongoing work to diversify the field of optometry and improve eye health in under-served communities, the SUNY Optometry chapter of the National Optometric Student Association (NOSA) won the School of the Year award at the National Optometric Association’s (NOA) annual convention, the first time in the college’s history. SUNY Optometry was recognized for their Black History Month Inspiration Wall created by the College’s NOSA executive board: Monique Mohammed ’20, Ray Farmer ’21, Mariah Marshall ’21, Stephen Dellostritto ’21, and Shaimaa Shwket ’20.
“These awards demonstrate SUNY Optometry’s ongoing commitment to diversity in optometry and to caring for historically underserved communities, and we congratulate the school’s NOSA chapter for their tireless efforts to achieve this mission,” said Dr. David Heath, President of SUNY Optometry. “We are exceptionally proud of the work of our students, and especially congratulate Monique Mohammed for helping to expand access and awareness for underrepresented and often unrecognized doctors in our field.”
At the yearly National Optometric Association convention held from July 10 to 14, each chapter of NOSA presented one major project that was completed during the year. SUNY Optometry students presented the Inspiration Wall, which was installed in the College’s Student Center for the duration of the 2019 Black History Month. The project featured individual biographies of more than 20 doctors of optometry, emphasizing their accomplishments.
Monique Mohammed, the current National NOSA Corresponding Secretary and former President of the SUNY Optometry chapter of NOSA, won the Cave Memorial Award for her exemplary devotion to increasing recognition of the work of minority doctors and to improving access to the field of optometry for underrepresented communities.
NOSA was founded in 1979 to support diversity in the field of optometry among institutions of higher education, working in tandem with the National Optometric Association’s mission to improve eye health and access to care in minority communities. SUNY Optometry’s student members are among the 1,000 students around the country who work to improve the profession by supporting the success of compassionate students who are eager to help underserved communities.
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About SUNY Optometry
Founded in 1971 and located in New York City, the State University of New York College of Optometry is a leader in education, research, and patient care, offering the Doctor of Optometry degree as well as MS and PhD degrees in vision science. The College conducts a robust program of basic, translational and clinical research and has 65 affiliated clinical training sites. SUNY Optometry is regionally accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools; its four-year professional degree program and residency programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education of the American Optometric Association. All classrooms, research facilities and the University Eye Center, which is one of the largest optometric outpatient facilities in the nation, are located on 42nd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in midtown Manhattan. To learn more about SUNY Optometry, visit www.sunyopt.edu.