Professor
Director of Residency Programs

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HPB 522

Schedule a UAB Eye Care Appointment: (205) 975-2020

Teaching/research interests: Residency education, anterior segment ocular disease

Office hours: By appointment

Education:  

• BS, Gettysburg College, Biology
• BS, Pennsylvania College of Optometry, Vision Science
• OD, Pennsylvania College of Optometry
• Residency, UAB School of Optometry, Family Practice Optometry

Dr. Caroline Pate is originally from Saint Michaels, Maryland and graduated from Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology.  She received a second Bachelor of Science Degree in vision science from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and her Doctorate of Optometry with high honors from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry in 2004.  Dr. Pate completed her residency training in family practice optometry at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry, and then joined the UAB School of Optometry faculty in July 2005, where she currently is a Professor in the Department of Optometry and Vision Science.  Dr. Pate serves as the Director of Residency Programs at UABSO.

Dr. Pate is the course director for Diseases of the Anterior Segment. In addition, Dr. Pate teaches in the classroom and laboratory in the clinical methods and contact lenses courses series at UABSO. Dr. Pate sees patients in the Ocular Disease and Primary Care clinical services at UAB Eye Care and is a member of the University Optometric Group, the UAB School of Optometry faculty private practice.  She was honored with the AOSA Clinical Science Instructor of the Year Teaching Award in 2007-8 and 2013-14 and was the 2017 recipient of the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching at UAB. She was honored as the Alabama Optometric Association’s Young OD of the Year in 2014, the Alabama Optometric Association’s Educator of the Year in 2019, and the American Optometric Association’s Educator of the Year in 2020.

Dr. Pate has published articles in Optometry and Vision Science, Review of Optometry, Optometric Education, Clinical and Refractive Optometry, and Optometry Today.  She has presented continuing education lectures and workshops nationally in the areas of systemic diseases and the eye, anterior segment disease, and clinical methods and procedures.  Actively involved in organized optometry, Dr. Pate has served as an examiner for the National Board of Optometry and is a consultant for the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education, where she has served on site visit evaluation teams for initial accreditation and re-accreditation of optometric residencies, ophthalmic technician programs, and Doctor of Optometry programs.  She is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and an active member and volunteer for the Alabama Optometric Association, SECO International, Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry, Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry, and the American Optometric Association.