ANNUAL REPORT CREATING A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP 2 1 7
2 C O N T E N T S Message from the President.............................................................................................................................3 Reflections............................................................................................................................................................ 4 Education............................................................................................................................................................. 6 Students..............................................................................................................................................................12 Patient Care........................................................................................................................................................14 Research. ............................................................................................................................................................20 Community. .......................................................................................................................................................26 People. ................................................................................................................................................................32 Alumni.................................................................................................................................................................36 Contributors.......................................................................................................................................................40 Financials. ..........................................................................................................................................................46 Leadership..........................................................................................................................................................47
3 MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT DAVID A. HEATH, OD, EDM The State University of New York College of Optometry is once again engaged in a dynamic conversation about our priorities for the next five years as the completion of our Strategic Plan 2013-2018: Creating a Legacy of Leadership draws near. We have made enormous progress towards achieving each of our current strategic goals and are examining the changes occurring in the world around us as we establish a renewed vision for the College. During the past five years, we met our expanded enrollment target while increasing the quality of each incoming class. More critically, we continue to reform our core curriculum to better prepare our optometry graduates for future practice, while expanding our educational offerings to provide them with value-added opportunities that uniquely enhance their professional readiness as they begin their careers. We expanded elective coursework, developed new externship opportunities, implemented the OD/MBA option in addition to the existing OD/MS and OD/PhD and increased the number of residency training slots from 35 to 41. Members of the graduating class of 2017 expressed immense satisfaction with their SUNY Optometry education (98%), 83% were positive about the College’s non-curricular opportunities – an increase from 50% five years ago – and 40% are participating in residency education to gain advanced competency in special areas of interest. This percentage is well beyond the national average of approximately 25%. Our students and graduates have never been better prepared to assume leadership roles within their profession and their communities than they are today. Creating such an innovative and challenging educational, research and patient care environment requires the commitment and support of the broader College community, including our faculty, staff, alumni, friends and community partners. We would not have been nearly as successful in meeting the goals of the Strategic Plan 20132018: Creating a Legacy of Leadership without everyone’s participation. This year’s Annual Report includes reflections from members of the College’s senior management team on our accomplishments of the last five years. You will hear more about our emerging 2018-2023 Strategic Plan in the coming months and I invite you to participate in that conversation as we work for SUNY Optometry’s future. CREATING A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP 2 0 1 3 STATE OF THE COLLEGE t he of Col l ege Creating a legaCy of leadership 2 1 4 s tat e CREATING A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP STATE OF THE COLLEGE 2 O 1 5 CREATING A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP ANNUAL REPORT 2 16
4 GUILHERME ALBIERI, PHD Vice President for Student Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer The Office of Student Affairs worked to create a vibrant sense of community; enroll a highly qualified and diverse student body; and provide students, residents and alumni with services to succeed in their careers. We have worked closely with the student council, Academic Affairs, Clinical Administration and other departments to establish a supportive environment and promote personal growth and development. The College now offers many services to ensure students’ success that were not previously available. We have successfully increased the class size from 75 to 100—a 33% increase—while maintaining the quality of the student body. Our office also LIDUVINA MARTINEZ-GONZALEZ, MS Vice President for Clinical Administration and Executive Director, University Eye Center The changing health care environment continues to challenge us to expand access, lower costs and enhance the quality of our services. But we focus on what we can do instead of focusing on what we cannot do. The integration of new technologies, implementation of an electronic health record integrated with our diagnostic and testing capabilities, integration of evidenced based care and research—along with the capital projects underway and planned replacement of aging clinical equipment—highlight just a few of the improvements and enhancements we have made over the course of this strategic plan. Visits to our Center steadily increased to 70,000, and the referral service contributed more than 13,000 visits to our total annual volume. Our community outreach services evidenced a 30% increase in the last year, including activities for the homebound, vision screenings and health-related fairs and events. The addition of a community outreach coordinator allowed us to expand our services and enhance public health awareness in general. We also prioritized programs directed at promoting and supporting values centered on patient satisfaction and focused on the continued professional development of faculty and staff. DAVID TROILO, PHD Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs We sought to enhance our educational and research programs while offering faculty opportunities to develop their interests. We created and delivered a customizable professional degree experience, including value-added options like the OD/MS and MBA certificate programs, to ensure active integrated learning, deliver core competency clinical training, teach on evidence-based practice, and establish effective academic support systems for our students. These programs all came from our faculty, who created them and make them work, reflecting how much we care about making our students the best optometrists they can be. In research, we enhanced the College’s intellectual impact by developing new areas of research and strengthened and expanded our programs that train vision and clinician scientists. The Clinical Vision Research Center brings all parts of the College’s mission together – research, education and patient care. We increased external funding for clinical research and implemented various patient recruitment strategies to create a sustainable facility that will elevate the College’s reputation and drive the profession and eye care forward. REFLECTIONS 2008 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13 ‘14 ‘15 ‘16 ‘17 500 400 300 200 100 0 ENROLLMENT IN PROFESSIONAL AND GRADUATE PROGRAMS 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 0 00 00 00 00 00 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 COMMUNITY Student Community Service Hours RESEARCH Grant Activity PATIENT CARE Total Encounters PATIENT CARE Referral Visits PATIENT CARE Public Service Participants PATIENT CARE Charitable Care EDUCATION Applications, Acceptances and First Year Enrollment (OD Program) EDUCATION Geographical Distribution of First Year Entering Students EDUCATION Under-Represented Minority Students EDUCATION Yield per Year 0 100 200 300 400 500 EDUCATION Enrollment in Professional and Graduate Programs EDUCATION Residency Certi cates Awarded collaborated with Academic Affairs to create an advanced standing program for internationally trained physicians. There are currently seven students in the program and we will graduate our first cohort next spring. I am also very proud of the implementation of the Academic, Clinical and Professional Excellence Initiative and our increased international reach and reputation through our collaborations in China, on the African continent and in the Middle East.
5 ANN WARWICK, MA Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Executive Director, Optometric Center of New York We successfully completed the Optometric Center of New York’s first major campaign, The Vision and The Promise, in 2014 with a total $10,150,000 raised—exceeding our $10M goal and raising more funds than any other five-year period in the foundation’s history. There were 1,385 total donors, 614 of whom were new, and an unprecedented 58% participation rate among faculty and staff. We created 18 new scholarships, bringing the total amount awarded annually to students up to $161,050. The campaign also offered donors the opportunity for naming opportunities, such as the Essilor Eyewear Center. We also prioritized creating new pathways for alumni, industry partners and potential donors to engage with the College community. We introduced SUNY Eye Network, a virtual space for alumni to connect, and attracted support from new sources, including the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Hoffman Foundation and George Link Foundation. The 2016 Eyes on New York Gala was the most successful to date, raising more than $338,000. RICHARD SODEN, OD Director of Health Care Development I focused on expanding our community relationships, developing new external partnerships, strengthening existing affiliations and preparing for the changes in health care, from new treatment modalities to Medicare and Medicaid redesign. The College agreed to help run the eye care clinic at the Gouverneur Health Medical Center – we started with one full-time optometrist in 2016 and recently filled two additional positions. We also expanded the clinical extern program for fourthyear students, filled two new positions at Woodhull Medical Center and added a student rotation to our affiliation with the School Health Clinic at New York University. Our collaboration with Community Healthcare Network (CHN) will fund and design a mobile eye care van to serve patients at each of the CHN’s twelve community health centers. Our students also rotate to The Bowery Mission and the College is part of the Medicaid Redesign Project and Performing Provider Systems. DAVID BOWERS, MP, MBA Vice President for Administration and Finance Most notably, I believe, is the completion of several major capital improvement projects, including the Center for Student Life and Learning and the building’s ground floor and lobby. The challenges in completing these capital improvement projects included making steady progress on all fronts with limited resources, while also carrying out major renovations in fully occupied spaces. With the numerous capital improvement projects completed, the physical environment for students and everyone else who enters our building was significantly upgraded. There has also been remarkable progress made in the provision of information technology services for students and campus-wide community. 2013–2018 STRATEGIC PLAN Tenth floor concept study
We develop the highest quality practitioners by providing the most progressive and adaptive education available. 6 E D U C A T I O N OD students attend the 2017 Career Symposium
3.6 350 3.5 3.4 3.3 300 3.2 3.1 3.0 250 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 7 70 65 60 55 50 45 40 SUNY Optometry welcomed its 46th class, the Class of 2021, to the College community. This class and its key indicators are among the top in the nation. AVERAGE GPA: 3.6 AVERAGE SCIENCE GPA: 3.5 OAT ACADEMIC AVERAGE: 345 OAT TOTAL SCIENCE AVG: 350 RESIDENCY: New York State 48 Out of State 47 International 5 (Canada 4; China 1) UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES: 9 Hispanic 5 African American 4 GENDER: 65 Female; 35 Male ADVANCED STANDING: 2 enrolled (3rd year/Class of 2019) FINAL YIELD: 65% accepted students attending Applicants Accepted Enrolled APPLICATIONS, ACCEPTANCES AND FIRST YEAR ENROLLMENT (OD PROGRAM) ENTERING GPA AND SCIENCE GPA 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 EDUCATION Entering GPA and Science GPA EDUCATION Enterting GPA EDUCATION Entering OAT Total Science Scores per Year EDUCATION Under-Represented Minority Students 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 70000 80000 3500 4000 PATIENT CARE Total Encounters PATIENT CARE Public Service Participants EDUCATION Entering GPA and Science GPA EDUCATION Enterting GPAs per Year EDUCATION Entering OAT Total Science Scores per Year EDUCATION Applications, Acceptances and First Year Enrollment (OD Program) EDUCATION Geographical Distribution of First Year Entering Students EDUCATION Under-Represented Minority Students EDUCATION Yield per Year 0 100 200 300 400 500 EDUCATION Enrollment in Professional and Graduate Program EDUCATION Residency Certi cates Awarded 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 GPA Science GPA 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 EDUCATION Entering GPA and Science GPA EDUCATION Enterting GPAs EDUCATION Entering OAT Total Science Scores per Year EDUCATION Under-Represented Minority Students 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 800 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 EDUCATION Entering GPA and Science GPA EDUCATION Entering OAT To EDUCATION Applications, Acceptances and First Year Enrollment (OD Program) EDUCATION Yield per Year EDUCATION Residency Certi 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 ENTERING OAT TOTAL SCIENCE SCORES PER YEAR SUNY National Average YIELD PER YEAR SUNY National
UNDER-REPRESENTED MINORITY STUDENTS 8 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 EDUCATION Enterting GPAs per Year ce Scores per Year EDUCATION Under-Represented Minority Students EDUCATION Enrollment in Professional and Graduate Programs warded Applicants Acceptances Matriculants Yohanna Emun-Rowaan Building a More Diverse Student Population In a culture where the word “diversity” gets bandied about a lot, SUNY Optometry is certain of one thing: Diversity is not enough. Without a sense of inclusion, diversity is simply people of different backgrounds being in the same space, often without an exchange of ideas or interests. “We want to make sure that students, faculty and staff feel that this is a community where they can thrive and succeed,” says vice president for student affairs Dr. Guilherme Albieri about what the College hopes to achieve after it builds a diverse population. The College created the Diversity and Inclusion Master Plan to address the SUNY system’s goal of becoming the most diverse university system in the country. The first section of the two-part study looks at the race and ethnicity of the College’s student body, faculty, staff and administration—comparing the stats to other optometry schools and health professions. While the findings showed that there is a lower percentage of students of color in optometry than other health professions (prompting the College to set a five-year goal to shift enrollment demographics), the Student Climate Survey indicated that there is actually a high degree of inclusion and satisfaction amongst the student body. Says Dr. Albieri, “Maintaining and building upon the vitality of current programs that boost engagement and morale is critical.” There is a four-prong approach underway to increase diversity and inclusion at the College. The components are the Explore Campaign (designed to encourage prospective students to investigate the field of optometry), the IDEA initiative (focused on preparing high school students to become successful applicants to the College), targeted recruitment (focused on schools that serve students of color) and the CSTEP program (aimed at increasing representation of underrepresented groups in STEM fields).
9 SUNY Opt-In Puts Incoming Students on the Digital Fast Track Any student attending SUNY Optometry knows that the College provides innovative approaches to education and learning. Now, thanks to SUNY Opt-In, those who have been admitted can experience the institution’s commitment before even stepping onto campus. Launched in April 2017, SUNY Opt-In is what associate director of admissions Christian Alberto calls a “one-stop shop,” where incoming students can figure out housing, secure financial aid and lay the foundation for their life at the College. “We’ve captured elements of our institutional values—excellence and innovation—while promoting the warm, supportive and exciting community that is SUNY Optometry,” says Mr. Alberto. “We want our newly committed students to have a digital platform that they can refer to for their questions, required steps and overall general interests throughout the year leading up to August enrollment.” SUNY Opt-In is particularly beneficial considering the College’s rolling admissions policy; some incoming students can have as long as a 10-month wait from acceptance to the start of classes. That is nearly a year of unknowns and potential anxiety about their academic future. Incoming students now interact live with the College’s admissions team, current students and future classmates to guarantee a very human outcome: calm and confident students from day one—or sooner. Levy, Radich Receive Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence Derek Radich Karen Levy and Derek Radich received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence on April 5 at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany, N.Y. The award acknowledges students’ distinguished achievements and is the highest honor bestowed upon a student by the University. This year, 256 students from 64 campuses received the recognition. “Students selected for the Chancellor’s Award have demonstrated that not only are they excellent students, but they go above and beyond – developing their talents and skills to contribute the best of themselves to their campuses and communities,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “And their achievements reflect not only their hard work and dedication, but the support of their families and friends and SUNY’s world-class faculty and staff.” Levy, a Beacon, N.Y. native, excelled academically and graduated as valedictorian in May. She was secretary of Beta Sigma Kappa, the optometric honor society, and served as a tutor of class and clinic material. She volunteered annually as a student representative for VisionWalk to fundraise for retinal research. Radich proved his natural leadership abilities as president of Beta Sigma Kappa. The Newburgh, N.Y. native volunteered with Genesco First Response and provided optometric services to Special Olympics athletes. He was on the Dean’s List and attended the Alcon Academy for Eye Care Excellence. Karen Levy
10 Clinical Enhancement Students to Become Confident, Career Optometrists A career as a successful optometrist requires more than executing a battery of tests—it involves patientdoctor communication, high levels of professionalism and, of course, confidence. To that end, the College operates the Clinical Enhancement Program (CEP), an advising system that pairs students with faculty coaches who work with them to craft a customized plan—one that highlights a student’s greatest assets while working to strengthen areas in need of extra attention. New Student Advising Program Seeks Greater Academic Success SUNY Optometry has always prioritized student success. Yet even with dedicated faculty and administrators, there are still some new students whose transition into the College is difficult. To address their needs—and get them on the road to achievement—Academic Affairs launched its new Student Advising Program (SAP). The program aims to enhance the didactic and clinical success of SUNY Optometry students through coaching, mentoring, tutoring and advising from faculty members. “Our goal is to identify students who require additional support early and provide them with educational and psychosocial support throughout their academic and clinical careers,” says Dr. Kimberley Poirier, an academic advising coordinator for the program. Dr. Poirier is joined by fellow academic advising coordinators Dr. Ann Beaton and Ms. Focrun Nahar. While it’s too early to document success stories, the ultimate goal is for the program to actually make itself obsolete. “If successful, we aim to have the number of students requiring remedial services decrease over time,” says Dr. Poirier. A more immediate marker of achievement will be an increased number of students doing well in the College’s new Clinical Enhancement Program. “With the goal of early intervention and mentorship, we hope to create a seamless transition for our students from the classroom to clinic in their third year,” Dr. Poirier explains.
*projected 11 RESIDENCY CERTIFICATES AWARDED 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018* 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 EDUCATION Entering GPA and Science GPA EDUCAT Entertin EDUCATION Entering OAT Total Science Scores per Year EDUCATION Applications, Acceptances and First Year Enrollment (OD Program) EDUCATION Geographical Distribution of First Year Entering Students EDUCATION Under-Represented Minority Students EDUCATION Yield per Year 0 100 200 300 400 500 EDUCATION Enrollment in P EDUCATION Residency Certi cates Awarded 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 “In the past, attempts at clinical remediation only focused on additional patient care encounters,” associate clinical professor Dr. Julia Appel says about the program, which is tailored for students entering their third year of the optometry curriculum. “While clinical experience is an important aspect of professional growth, it does not specifically address improvement in the areas of clinical reasoning, organization, professionalism and communication. Our aim is to help our interns excel in all aspects of patient care and not simply pass their rotations.” Currently, there are approximately five faculty enhancement coaches working with about 10 students. Faculty use the College’s new grading guidelines to assess students who would benefit from the program. Some students who are able to self-assess have even asked to participate. “I think of the Student Advising Program and Clinical Enhancement Program as complementary,” says Dr. David Troilo, vice president and dean for academic affairs. “The SAP is aimed at assisting students navigate through the didactic parts of the curriculum more effectively…[while] the CEP becomes relevant later in the curriculum, when students move into the clinic, which brings other complex expectations and pressures.” Academic, Clinical and Personal Excellence Initiative Makes Better Doctors In the caffeine-fueled world of academia, SUNY Optometry decided to nurture student success with something gentler: tea and thinking. Those are two of the guiding ideas behind T-Chat sessions, the central component of the Academic, Clinical and Personal Excellence Initiative (ACPEI), a program designed to assist students become the best doctors and community members they can be. Launched in August 2016, ACPEI is a partnership between the offices of Student Affairs and Academic Affairs, as well as Beta Sigma Kappa (BSK). It is funded by a grant from the Optometric Center of New York. All students are welcome to participate, and last academic year, approximately 240 attended T-Chat sessions, which are workshops or informal conversation around specific topics. Past discussions have covered topics such as stress management, test anxiety, debt management, study strategies, sleep hygiene and career planning and are led by faculty, outside speakers, Student Affairs staff and BSK members. ACPEI will launch an assessment tool—the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory—to measure students’ learning strategies and methods. Available for free, it will help predict student success and indicate how the school can enhance its educational interventions.
S T U D E N T S CLASS OF 2018 12 Tristan Barrueco The fourth-year student is passionate about providing eye care services to underserved communities. After completing a degree in biomedical engineering at the University of Rochester in 2010, Tristan Barrueco attended U.S. Navy’s Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as an ensign in the United States Navy. An unexpected medical discharge left him wondering what to do next. “A friend who had recently graduated from optometry school started teaching me about the field,” says the Basking Ridge, New Jersey native. After shadowing an optometrist, Barrueco was all in. “The more I shadowed, the more I became convinced that optometry was the career for me. I loved learning about the medical aspect of optometry. I relished the satisfaction of helping people see.” He especially enjoys working with patients with ocular disease and those who require contact lenses. In fact, his first rotation in his fourth year was in specialty contact lenses. “No two eyes are alike and I really enjoy analyzing each situation and working out a solution to it,” explains Barrueco, who won the National Board of Examiners in Optometry Certificate of Commendation for securing the highest score at SUNY on the national board exam. “And it’s incredibly rewarding when you place a contact lens on the eye of a patient and see their face light up when they are able to read the letters on the chart.” But it’s his work as the treasurer of Student Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity that has perhaps changed Barrueco the most. It took him to San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua in January, where he served at a free clinic that saw more than 4,400 patients who don’t have access to eye care. And in May, he helped see 3,500-plus people at an OneSight Vision Care Clinic in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Kathleen Hoang The second annual Student Innovator Award winner created a diabetes management tool. Kathleen Hoang, a fourth-year OD student at SUNY Optometry, won the second annual Student Innovator Award. The award, which is sponsored by Rick Bay and Essilor, recognizes innovative and creative ideas of current optometry students to support the profession’s next generation of leaders. Hoang’s winning idea, track DM, is a tool for diabetes management to improve health, educate diabetics regarding relevant updates in the field and engage users in a social community. According to Hoang, newly-diagnosed diabetics often find it challenging to keep track of their meals, doctor’s appointments, blood glucose levels and physical activity. “With so many things to keep track of, a lot of people fall into this vicious cycle in which they are not on top of all the things they need to manage,” she says. “Diabetes has the ability to affect multiple systems in your body and it’s really important to realize that the bad things that happen due to diabetes are really bad if they are not kept under control.” Her track DM app’s features include appointment reminders, glucose monitor and fitness tracker integration, engagement with other diabetic app users and the latest information on the disease. Hoang presented her idea during the 2017 Vision Monday Global Leadership Summit in late March and received a grant of $5,000 to further develop her app.
CLASS OF 2018 13 Meredith Stallone From political advocacy to research, the OD/MS candidate aims to carry on the legacy of those who came before her. Meredith Stallone’s academic career has been filled with many triumphs, from her induction into Beta Sigma Kappa Honor Society to winning the Adolph and Ruth Schnurmacher Foundation and Charles and Mildred Schnurmacher Foundation Merit Scholarship for being at the top of her class. But it was her first day of working in the clinic that stands out as her proudest moment. “Towards the end of second year, my mom came to school to sit as my first patient in clinic. That felt like a proud moment for both of us,” says the dual Doctor of Optometry and Master of Vision Science candidate. “It was exciting to finally put into action everything I had worked hard to learn in the classroom and it was a way to honor my mom for her unending support throughout my years of school.” It was also a formative moment for the Sayville, New York-native, one that cemented her commitment to the field. A shadowing experience during her undergraduate tenure at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill pushed her toward optometry. “I shadowed health care practitioners in a multitude of settings, but optometry seemed like the right fit for me,” she says. Stallone chose SUNY Optometry because of its stellar reputation and location. “My favorite part of the SUNY community is the camaraderie within my class. It has been a unique and special experience to go through the trials of a rigorous optometry school program with a small group of about 95 people,” she says. She is working on her master’s thesis with her advisor Dr. Tracy Nguyen. The paper is based on two of her abstracts that were accepted for publication, both of which explore dry eye inflammation. Kirsten Madeline Johnson The president of Student Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity is excited about chipping away at preventable blindness. Even before Kirsten Madeline Johnson decided to attend SUNY Optometry, she knew that she wanted to work with Student Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (SVOSH). Now, as president of the organization—which helps bring eye care to people in developing countries— fourth-year student Johnson assists in identifying locales that need care and works with optometrists and students who donate their time and resources. “As future optometrists, we are in a prime position for humanitarian work that chips away at the immense world problem of preventable blindness. The skills we are honing can benefit millions of people around the world,” she says. “I am lucky to have been in a leadership position where I could directly see the impact of my work and see the lives that were changed for the better.” While Johnson says she has enjoyed all the clinical settings she’s entered, pediatric eye care has her heart. “I will be the first to admit that pediatric eye exams can be difficult. You have to have extreme patience and energy for these exams, but the reward of helping children achieve their best possible vision is absolutely worth the effort,” she says. The El Dorado Hills, California-native is set to graduate in Spring 2018. She plans to pursue a pediatric residency after graduation, and is interested in the new VOSH Corps program, which helps optometrists start optometry schools in countries that don’t have them. We cultivate, engage and nurture the next generation of leadership.
P A T I E N T C A R E We deliver effective and compassionate eye and vision care in an innovative and accessible way. 14 Dr. Jennifer Hue
15 EyeConnect Patient Portal Helps Patients Become Active Partners in Their Care The internationally recognized optometrists, ophthalmologists and ophthalmic dispensers who work at the University Eye Center (UEC) have added a new tool to their kit: the EyeConnect Patient Portal. The free, secure online platform makes patients active partners in their care, letting them message their doctors, schedule appointments, request refills, pay bills and access their health records. Liduvina Martinez-Gonzalez, vice president for clinical administration and executive director of the UEC, says the portal was an inevitable addition to center’s offerings. “The increase in consumerism and patient adoption of technology solutions in health care has made patient portals a natural extension of the services we provide to our patients,” says Ms. Martinez-Gonzalez. “We expect EyeConnect to provide patients with a convenient and user-friendly method to have access to their health care information and communicate with their doctor—anytime, anywhere.“ Talks about the portal began in earnest in 2015, but it couldn’t go live until additional technology was in place. “We did not implement our patient portal until the first quarter of 2017 to ensure that several other technology driven solutions were implemented, such as our e-prescribing capability and picture archiving system, which provides access to diagnostic images from all examination rooms and facilitates the care process with advanced analytics,” says Ms. Martinez-Gonzalez. The portal is available to all registered UEC patients, and they can enroll at reception desks through the facility or ask for an enrollment key that can be used to enroll at home. “We are looking forward to providing parental access to children’s records, proxy access for caregivers and interactive forms that can be completed online prior to visits,” Ms. Martinez-Gonzalez says. “The use of this technology supports the UEC’s endeavor to enhance its clinical information systems, promote research studies and improve our patients’ health care outcomes and experiences.” In addition, Ms. Martinez-Gonzalez says the launch of EyeConnect provided lessons that will inform development moving forward. “The implementation process highlighted how important it is to continually engage our community and patients in the development of programs and technology solutions,” she says. “We can’t forget that these solutions are intended to provide a convenient and secure mechanism to facilitate communication and access to information for patients. If it doesn’t work for them, they won’t use it.” Your doctor is online at UniversityEyeCenter.org/EyeConnect Sign up today! EyeConnect is a free, secure, confidential, and easy-to-use health management tool that gives patients 24/7 access to our practice. EyeConnect is available on your desktop, laptop, tablet, and smartphone. Simply tell the receptionist you would like to enroll and you are on your way! Email your doctor Book an appointment Refill a prescription Pay your bill View your medical records
16 Inside University Eye Center’s Myopia Control Clinic In the 1970s, one in four children had myopia, the medical term for nearsightedness. Fast forward to today and that number has jumped to 40 percent of kids—nearly one in two. Studies estimate that by 2050, half of the world’s population will have myopia. SUNY Optometry believes that while there may not be a cure for the condition, there are ways to minimize the likelihood of it getting worse. So the College opened the Myopia Control Clinic to give children immediate help and provide their parents with information they can use to make the best long-term decisions for their kids’ vision. “The clinic was established to treat children who either developed myopia at an early age, or whose prescription is increasing at a faster rate,” says Dr. Xiaoying Zhu, the assistant clinical professor who leads the clinic. Conventional thinking often attributes the rise in myopia to children spending an increasing amount of time looking at screens. While doctors at the clinic know this is one factor, they stress that there is actually a more complicated set of reasons for nearsightedness. “While prolonged near work (including using various electronic devices) has been shown to be associated with the increasing prevalence of myopia, there are certainly other factors involved, such as genetic factors (e.g., family history of myopia), and lack of time outdoors,” says Dr. Zhu. Children who visit the clinic may be fit with contact lenses, prescription glasses, atropine eye drops and even orthokeratology – contact lenses worn overnight – to help the condition. In an effort to help even more young people, the clinic recently launched an outreach effort, contacting local schools and newspapers. The clinic also provides internship opportunities for students at the College. “[Students] play a crucial role in the clinic: They are very much involved in every aspect of patient care, from history taking, examination, contact lens fitting, to formulating assessments and plans under the supervision of the doctor.”
17 How Childhood Curiosity Led to the Career of Dr. Xiaoying Zhu The professor says she has never stopped trying to answer a question she first asked herself in high school. Anyone in the SUNY Optometry community who watched CBS New York “Health Watch” this August may have seen a familiar face: Xiaoying Zhu OD, MD, MS, FAAO. While her position as head of the Myopia Control Clinic is the reason behind the televised appearance, Dr. Zhu’s dedication goes back much further, all the way to her teenage years. Growing up in China, Dr. Zhu noticed something that she found strange. “The majority of my classmates did not wear glasses when we first started high school, and only two students stayed that way when we graduated,” she says. “I was one of those two students.” She wanted to know what had caused the mass loss of perfect vision—and what could be done about it. Dr. Zhu joined the SUNY Optometry community in 2015. In the classroom, she focuses on more than the syllabus, structuring lessons in a way that encourages student engagement. “I try to teach lectures in an integrative fashion, and labs with lots of hands-on experience,” she says. Dr. Zhu is also researching the etiology of axial myopia. “Specifically, I am studying some intrinsic factor within the eyes that might be involved in eye growth and emmetropization,” she explains. While there is no cure for myopia, under Dr. Zhu’s direction, the Myopia Control Clinic strives to curb its progression. It is, she says, work that brings her great fulfillment. And though she may not have fully solved the riddle that first came to her in high school—there is no permanent fix for some vision conditions—her work continues to contribute necessary scholarship to the field, improving the lives of every child who walks through the doors of the clinic. The Myopia Control Center was featured by CBS New York’s “Health Watch” in August 2017. Dr. Xiaoying Zhu
Dr. Jennifer Gould is SUNY Optometry’s Biggest Cheerleader One day, Jennifer Gould got it. Completely. “I was being quizzed by one of my preceptors about a certain disease,” she recalls. “I’d never taken all of the basic science information and the clinical and pulled it together. He asked me a question and suddenly, all the threads came together and it made sense to me.” If she had been Oprah, she would have flung her arms wide and announced operatically, “Ahaaaa!” Instead, being a fourth-year student at the SUNY College of Optometry, Gould filed it away as a moment to return to again and again to help herself and others. That was in 2013. Four years later, Dr. Gould is an assistant clinical professor at the College. Now, she uses that moment in fourth-year clinic to teach her students. “One of the advantages of being a recent alum is that I remember what it was like being a student. I remember what I struggled with and try to teach what I did to understand those things,” she says. The story also symbolizes Dr. Gould’s journey to optometry: various threads that suddenly pulled together into one resonant aha. First, there was her desire to help people—a desire left unfulfilled in her initial career as a mechanical engineer. Thread number two: Dr. Gould believed that if she was going to return to school, it would only be at the very best place. “I wanted to make sure I got a good education and had a great clinical experience,” she says. “And where we are, in New York, means we get to work with an amazing cross-section of people. I knew it would be exceptional.” From nearly day one as a student, Dr. Gould knew she wanted to teach. Today, she teaches Clinical Optometry 1 and 2 and portions of the Ocular Disease 2 course. In addition, she is the interim chief of Advanced Care Services, holding administrative duties to keep the service operating optimally. 18 COMMUNITY SERVICE 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 FY 12-13 FY 13-14 FY 14-15 FY 16-17 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 PATIENT CARE Public Service Participants PATIENT CARE Charitable Care EDUCATION Enterting GPAs per Y EDUCATION Entering OAT Total Science Scores per Year Year Enrollment (OD Program) ar Entering Students EDUCATION Under-Represented Minority Students 0 100 200 300 400 500 EDUCATION Enrollment in Professional a EDUCATION Residency Certi cates Awarded 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 Homebound Visits Screenings Support Groups Events Dr. Jennifer Gould
Community Capital Assistance Program Grant for Vision Rehabilitation The College received a $125,000 grant from the New York State Assembly’s Community Capital Assistance Program. The funding will upgrade diagnostic and therapeutic equipment for examination and therapy rooms in the vision rehabilitation service of the University Eye Center (UEC). Neuro-optometric rehabilitation focuses on eye and vision care and therapies for people who have experienced visual problems as a result of acquired brain injury and other neurological conditions, according to Dr. Allen Cohen, supervisor of the unit’s residency program. “The specialized equipment will enhance the College’s ability to provide more effective care and improve patient outcomes by applying the newest neuroscience research in brain processing to clinical therapy procedures,” says Dr. Cohen. The Community Capital Assistance Program provides grants to promote community improvement within New York State, including education, transportation and economic development projects. “I’m glad that I could help [University Eye Center] sustain and expand its services,” says New York State Assemblymember Aravella Simotas, who secured the grant for the College. “They provide exceptional care to underserved communities and treat patients regardless of their ability to pay and that is a very worthy mission.” Assemblymember Aravella Simotas Dr. Allen Cohen 19 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 CHARITABLE CARE FY 12-13 FY 13-14 FY 14-15 FY 15-16 FY 16-17 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 4000 COMMUNITY Student Community Service Hours ARCH Activity IENT CARE al Encounters T CARE l Visits PATIENT CARE Public Service Participants PATIENT CARE Charitable Care UCATION plications, Acceptances and First Year Enrollment (OD Program) UCATION graphical Distribution of First Year Entering Students EDUCATION Under-Represented Minority UCATION ld per Year EDUCATION Residency Certi cates Awarded Number of Encounters Average ($) 15000 12000 9000 6000 REFERRAL VISITS FY 12-13 FY 13-14 FY 14-15 FY 15-16 FY 16-17 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 0 10000 20000 30000 40000 50000 60000 70000 80000 0 3000 6000 9000 12000 15000 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 4000000 4000 COMMUNITY Student Community Service Hours RESEARCH Grant Activity PATIENT CARE Total Encounters PATIENT CARE Referral Visits PATIENT CARE Public Service Participants PATIENT CARE Charitable Care EDUCATION Applications, Acceptances and First Year Enrollment (OD Program) EDUCATION Geographical Distribution of First Year Entering Students EDUCATION Yield per Year EDUCATION Residency Certi cates Awarded 0 50 100 150 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5
R E S E A R C H We create the next generation of researchers and continue to be a global leader in vision science and clinical vision research. Dr. Alexandra Benavente-Pérez receives Zeiss Young Investigator Award. Photo Credit: William Bourassa, Jr. 20
21 SUNY Optometry Earns AAHRPP Accreditation The Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP) accredited the College’s human subject research program in March. AAHRPP provides accreditation for organizations that conduct or review human research, demonstrate that they have built extensive safeguards into every level of their research operation and adhere to high standards for research. The National Institutes of Health, the world’s largest public funder of research, has earned accreditation, as has Pfizer, Inc., the largest industry sponsor of clinical research. “The standards set by AAHRPP form the benchmarks that human subject research programs across the world strive for,” says Dr. Stewart Bloomfield, associate dean for graduate studies and research and director of the Graduate Center for Vision Research. “This achievement indicates that faculty and staff at the College offer the highest standard of care and protection for the people who serve as subjects in our clinical research program.” The College is only the fourth campus in the State University of New York system to earn this distinction; the University at Buffalo, Binghamton University and Stony Brook University are also accredited by AAHRPP. GRANT ACTIVITY 4,000,000 3,500,000 3,000,000 2,500,000 2,000,000 1,500,000 1,000,000 500,000 0 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 0 10000 20000 30000 40000 50000 60000 70000 80000 0 3000 6000 9000 12000 15000 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 0 500000 1000000 1500000 2000000 2500000 3000000 3500000 4000000 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 COMMUNIT Student Co RESEARCH Grant Activity PATIENT CARE Total Encounters PATIENT CARE Referral Visits PATIENT CA Public Servi PAT Ch Income ($)
22 Empire Innovation Program Award to Develop Translational Research Center SUNY Optometry was awarded $750,000 through the SUNY Empire Innovation Program (EIP) to recruit an investigator with expertise in molecular genetic vision research focusing on eye disease. EIP is a state-funded competitive grant program dedicated to recruiting and retaining world-class faculty at SUNY. The new position is part of a larger effort at the College to establish a Center for Translational Vision Research. Translational studies, defined as the translation of basic research findings to clinical applications, will form a comprehensive research platform at the College as an incubator for new therapies and technologies that will eventually be tested at the Clinical Vision Research Center. “Translational research fills the gap between our basic and clinical research programs and informs them both,” says Dr. David Troilo, vice president and dean for academic affairs. “This grant will provide an important element to research efforts at the College and will help us advance the profession of optometry as we help more patients.” Current translational research at the College focuses on neurodegenerative diseases of the eye, glaucoma, refractive errors (myopia), amblyopia, corneal disease, angiogenesis, traumatic brain injury and cataract. Dr. Stewart Bloomfield, associate dean for research and graduate studies, led the College’s effort to secure the EIP grant and serves as director of the College’s Graduate Center for Vision Research. “[This award] will significantly increase the College’s competitiveness for federal research and training funding,” he says. “Recruitment of an EIP scholar and creation of the Center for Translational Vision Research will transform the overall experimental program at the College.” Dr. MuEn Yang
23 Clinical Vision Research Center Creates the Future of Eye Care There’s certainly no shortage of ingenuity at the College’s Clinical Vision Research Center (CVRC). Back in 2013, the Graduate Center for Vision Research’s Dr. Stewart Bloomfield joined forces with vice president and dean for academic affairs Dr. David Troilo and faculty member Dr. Kathryn Richdale to create the CVRC, which partners with industries, foundations and the government to conduct research dedicated to advancing eye care. “The ability to collaborate with the various faculty researchers on myriad projects is exciting,” says Kristen Fry, OD, MS, FAAO, director of the CVRC. “The SUNY community, faculty, staff and students are supportive of our research efforts and refer prospective study participants. Many personally get involved in our research studies.” Dr. Fry—who graduated from SUNY Optometry in 1998—took over as director of the Center in 2016 after a two-year stint as associate director. She oversees staff research and manages relationships with faculty researchers and industry sponsors. It’s a position that is tailor-made for her career. “I have always been interested in research, and the opportunity to influence patient care through participation in a clinical trial has seemed an ideal way to utilize my optometry degree,” she says. Before SUNY Optometry, Dr. Fry concentrated her efforts on investigator-initiated, NIH-funded and multicenter device and drug clinical trials. She spent more than a decade as a sub-investigator/coordinator for investigator-initiated and FDA-sponsored clinical investigations at the Cornea and Laser Eye Institute in Teaneck, New Jersey, and served as director of clinical research at Ophthalmic Consultants at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. Dr. Fry’s priority is to use the CVRC to improve patient care. “I would like to take advantage of my human research background to help oversee the research process so it is conducted ethically and within the confines of the regulations and that the results of such research activities may ultimately lead to benefits in patient care,” she says. The CVRC has already conducted more than 40 studies in cornea, contact lenses, lens care products, dry eye medication and ophthalmic devices. And its database includes more than 2,000 people who are game to participate in research. Dr. Kristen Fry
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