Optometric Education — Celebrating 50 Years of Scholarship

March 16, 2026

Last year, ASCO’s online Journal, Optometric Education, celebrated 50 years of scholarship after publishing its 50th Volume. 

Optometric Education (OE) is published three times a year and is the only Journal solely dedicated to optometric education. 

In honor of this milestone, ASCO chatted with editors of OE, past and present to learn more about the Journal and how far its come. 

The first editor we spoke with, Dr. Elizabeth Hoppe, reflected back fondly of her years with the Journal.

Dr. Hoppe served as editor from 2001 – 2010.

Stay tuned for a future blog post featuring Dr. Aurora Denial, editor from 2010 – 2023. 

Reflections on the Past by Dr. Elizabeth Hoppe

  1. What do you remember most about your time as editor of Optometric Education?  I remember working with the managing editor, Pat O’Rourke.  I learned a lot from her.  She was incredibly gracious and supportive and a real pleasure to get to know.
  2. What were some of the most memorable challenges or accomplishments during your tenure? We really wanted to get indexed in PubMed and the ERIC databases.   

✍️ Editorial Experience

  1. What was your editorial vision for the journal when you began your term? I wanted the journal to be inclusive and to be a preferred journal for optometric educators to publish.
  2. How did you engage with authors, reviewers, and the broader academic community? That was one of the best parts of serving as editor. I got to communicate with people all over the country and to encourage them to engage with the journal. I would ask people for submissions, help them refine their writing, and assist with the publication process. I learned a lot myself through this experience.
  3. Were there any innovations or changes in journal operations, layout, or focus during your time?  During my time as editor, I introduced the “Think Tank” feature which was described as: “Creative thinkers identify the most important issues [about topic for the issue] and discuss how those issues will change over the next 20 years”. We published short submissions from faculty members, administrators, and even students, all focused on a topic such as important developments (fall 2005), commencement speaker challenges to new graduates (fall 2006), predicting future issues (winter 2006), and optometry students (winter 2007). In preparing my response to this question, it was fun to see the names and ideas from all those years ago!

I launched a guest feature called, “My Best Day in Optometric Education”. The goal of this feature was to serve as an inspiration to others, as well as capturing personal perspectives from different leaders in education. We featured articles about their best days from Charles F. Mullen, Daniel Kurtz, Kenneth E. Brookman, William E. Cochrane, and many other education dignitaries!

I also introduced the concept of “Teaching Case Reports” that still flourishes today. I wanted to create a new format for faculty members who were publishing case reports in other journals, or presenting case reports at conferences, to have a way to turn an interesting case into an educational opportunity for other faculty members. My goal was to have a resource to help educators, especially in the clinical setting, while also creating a way for faculty members to add peer-reviewed publications to their CVs. 

We also received approval from the ASCO Board to institute the Lester Janoff Award for Writing Excellence recognizing authors who were published in the journal.

🌍 Impact on the Profession

  1. How do you think the journal has contributed to the growth of optometric education over the past 50 years? I think that optometric education, and being an optometric educator, is a unique “specialty” within the profession of optometry. I think having a journal dedicated to optometric education is vitally important in distinguishing that crucial, respected role.
  2. In what ways did the journal help connect educators across institutions or countries? I think that the move to an online format makes the journal more accessible on an international basis, which is a great thing!

🔭 Looking Forward

  1. What emerging trends should the journal focus on to remain at the forefront of optometric education? I am going to say the same thing that everyone else is thinking! AI is a game-changer, especially in the areas of communications and publishing.
  2. How can the journal continue to support innovation and equity in optometric education? The journal is a great place for early-career faculty members and residents to publish. It’s also a great vehicle for more experienced educators to share their wisdom! Anyone who is engaged in any level of education, didactic, clinical, residency, post-graduate, can find something relevant to write about.   

🎙️ Personal Perspective

  1. What inspired you to take on the role of editor? My boss at that time, David Heath, was a former editor and he encouraged me to apply. He was a dedicated educator and saw the value that the journal provides in optometric education. I had published some articles in the journal, and I like doing educational research, so it seemed like a great opportunity.
  2. What did you learn personally or professionally from the experience? Wow, so much!  The peer-review process, planning themes, providing constructive feedback, encouraging authors. This was still the print version so there was a lot with layouts, photos, galley proofs, graphic design – the good old days!
  3. How has your perspective on optometric education changed since your editorship? I think that educators need to be celebrated. It’s not an easy job. And yet, every optometrist there has ever been or ever will be, has been shaped by an optometric educator. We have the best jobs in the world! Every day, we have the privilege of shaping lives and building dreams and changing the quality of life for our students, their families, their patients, and our communities. Let’s not lose sight of the tremendous impact optometric educators make on a global scale!