The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees approved the establishment of the Drs. James and Robin Marbourg Endowed Optometry Scholarship, the Smith-Hammonds Endowed Optometry Scholarship and the Whitewater Creek Symposia Endowed Optometry Scholarship during its meeting June 14, 2013. The scholarship will provide support for students in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Optometry.
The Marbourgh scholarship will go specifically to students who have indicated that they intend to practice optometry in a rural area. James and Robin Marbourg both earned doctorates in optometry from UAB and have been active with the school’s alumni association. James Marbourg is a clinical associate professor.
Lynn Smith Hammonds, O.D., earned her doctor of optometry from UAB and completed her residency at the Birmingham Veterans Administration Medical Center in geriatric and low vision rehabilitation. She has served as president of the school’s alumni association among numerous other community optometric positions.
The members of the Whitewater Creek Seminar Group gather annually for a seminar and courses on the ocular system. Several members are UAB graduates.