MARCH 27, 1924 - DECEMBER 2, 2022

It is with great sadness that the UAB School of Optometry announces the passing of Lester Caplan, OD, M.Ed, FAAO, professor emeritus, and a pioneer of clinical contact lens research. He died on December 2nd, at the age of 98.

by Satina Richardson

Valencia Wells, OD, class of 2009, is the UAB School of Optometry Alumni Association’s 2022 Young Alumnus of the Year. She sites this honor and receiving the same honor from the Alabama Optometric Association (ALOA) as being highlights of her career thus far.

Brittany Martin, class of 2023, was one of 10 optometry students from across the country invited to participate in the VSP Vision™ Premier Program annual meeting, SHiFT22 held in Scottsdale, AZ, in October.

In its 24^th year, the annual Springer Lecture brings a distinguished vision scientist or clinician to the UAB School of Optometry to share knowledge with students and faculty. Leo Semes, OD, FAAO, was the 2022 guest lecturer.

Semes, a UABSO emeritus professor, and retired clinician scientist, titled his lecture How Discovery Favors the Prepared Mind. He explained the meaning of the title.

Safal Khanal, OD, PhD, FAAO, assistant professor at the UAB School of Optometry, received the 2022 Career Development Award from the American Academy of Optometry (AAO). Khanal is the School’s first faculty member and one of only six faculty members nationwide to receive this honor since its inception in 2015.

Janene Sims, OD, PhD, FAAO, is the state’s 2022 Optometric Educator of the Year. The American Optometric Association (ALOA) granted the associate professor this honor.

by Satina Richardson

For his thought leadership and contributions to the profession of optometry, Howell Findley, OD, is the 2022 UAB School of Optometry Alumni Association Alumnus of the year.

by Satina Richardson

Marina Gorbatyuk, PhD, has been awarded a three-year, $445,500, R01 grant co-funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the National Eye Institute (NEI).

Prior to applying to optometry school, Dustin Scott was a Community Eye Care (CEC) work study student. This experience allowed him to witness firsthand the impact that visits to the Black Belt to provide free eye and vision care had on the communities.

by Satina Richardson

Adam Gordon, OD, MPH, FAAO, has been named the UAB School of Optometry’s first CooperVision Endowed Scholar – Myopia Management and Contact Lenses.

Yuchen Wang, PhD, assistant professor of vision science at the UAB School of Optometry, has been awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Pathway to Independence Award known as an R00 grant. The goal of this award is to further study the molecular mechanisms underlying retinal synapse formation and function which are critical for retinal visual processing and vision.

by Caleb Jones

An adult double vision clinic has launched at UAB Eye Care. Under the leadership of Dr.  Kristine Hopkins, chief of vision therapy, the new specialty clinic will provide relief to those whose lives have been impacted by this sometimes-debilitating condition.   

by Caleb Jones

Lawrence Sincich, PhD, professor of vision science and director of the graduate program at the UAB School of Optometry, has received the 2022 President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. This honor recognizes full-time regular faculty members at the university who have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in teaching.

The UAB School of Optometry’s ground through fifth floor renovations received a 2022 People’s Choice Award from Birmingham’s American Institute of Architecture. Managed by the architecture firm Birchfield Penuel & Associates (BPA), the renovations began in 2018 and the latest phase was completed in December 2021.

The teaching faculty at the UAB School of Optometry (UABSO) was awarded the Dr. Jack Bennett Innovation in Optometric Education Award at the 2022 Optometry’s Meeting held in Chicago, IL. 

Keshia S. Elder, OD, MS, FAAO, professor at the UAB School of Optometry (UABSO), was awarded the Millicent Knight Trailblazer Award at the 2022 National Optometric Association (NOA) Conference.

Yuchen Wang, PhD, has joined the UAB School of Optometry as an assistant professor in research. Wang is fascinated by how neurons communicate with each other, and his long-term career goal is to understand how synapses in sensory systems, particularly visual systems, achieve and maintain fast and reliable signal transmission, which enables a seamless and accurate perception of our environment.

Two UAB School of Optometry students were recognized at the 2022 National Optometric Association (NOA) National Convention.

by Satina Richardson 

Gerald Simon, OD, was named 2022 Optometrist of the Year by the National Optometric Association (NOA).

The World Games represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase UAB on a global stage — and transforming our residence halls and Commons on the Green into the Athletes’ Village or serving as the official medical provider for Games athletes and spectators aren’t the only ways to shine a spotlight on the best of UAB.  Read more on UAB News