ASCO Announces 2023 Special Recognition Award Recipients

The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) announces the recipients of the 2023 Special Recognition Awards.

 “I am so pleased, and not at all surprised, with this year’s Special Recognition Awards winners,” says Dr. Melissa Trego, ASCO President. “During the awards presentation at this year’s Annual Business Meeting, it will be evident why each and every recipient is worthy. I’m so pleased we can celebrate and acknowledge each awardees contributions to optometry and I congratulate them all.” 

ASCO Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr. Earl L. Smith III is this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. The ASCO Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an outstanding individual who, over an extended period of time, provided exceptional leadership to ASCO and to optometric education; made outstanding contributions to the optometric community; and displayed exemplary commitment and dedication to the Association.

Professor Smith received his OD (1972) and PhD (1978) from the University of Houston and subsequently joined the faculty of the UH College of Optometry. During his tenure in the College of Optometry, he held the Greeman-Petty Professorship in Vision Development and served as the Chair of the Basic Sciences Department, the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research, the Dean of the College of Optometry, and as the Interim Chief Health Officer of the University of Houston. Dr. Smith currently holds the position of Professor Emeritus.

Smith’s research interests are focused on the optics of the eye. For his research on the role of vision in regulating refractive development, he received the Glenn Fry Award (1996) and the Prentice Medal (2010) from the American Academy of Optometry, the Korb Award for Excellence from the Contact Lens and Cornea Section of the AOA (2011), and was recognized as a Distinguished Scholar by the National Academy of Practice in Optometry (2012). Professor Smith has published over 200 refereed papers and received 38 years of research funding from the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) National Eye Institute (NEI). He is also an accomplished lecturer, having received teaching awards at the department, college, and university levels. In 2021, Professor Smith received the Farfel Award from the University of Houston, the highest honor awarded to a UH faculty member.

Dr. Smith has been an active member of the vision science community. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, a past ARVO Fellow (inaugural class), a past President of the American Optometric Foundation (2002), a past President of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (2010), a past Member and Chair of NIH NEI’s Central Visual Processing Study Section (1998-2003), a past member of NIH’s National Advisory Eye Council (2005-2008), and a past Director on the Boards of the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research and the Alliance for Eye and Vision Research.

For his accomplishments in teaching and his impact on the profession of optometry, the Texas Optometric Association presented Professor Smith with the Educator of the Year (2003) and Optometrist of the Year (2009) awards; the AOA inducted him into National Optometry Hall of Fame (2015); and he was admitted to the Leadership & Legacy Society of the American Academy of Optometry (2022).

“My career benefited greatly because I happened to be in the right place at the right time,” according to Dr. Smith III. “More importantly, throughout my career, I have had the good fortune to work with wonderful colleagues and I have had great role models in the classroom, the research lab, and the administrative realm.” 

Herbert Wertheim Award
Dr. Donald Korb is a renowned clinician, clinical scientist, researcher, inventor, and is the second Dr. Herbert Wertheim Award recipient. This award, affectionately called the “Herbie,” recognizes remarkable individuals or organizations that have accomplished high-impact, ground-breaking, and innovative programs or initiatives, and contributed substantially, or have the potential to sustainably address, eye and vision health and/or the social determinants of eye health and vision care, at the local, national, or global level.

Dr. Korb received his Doctor of Optometry degree from the New England College of Optometry followed by graduate studies at Boston University and Boston College. Early in his career, his exposure to contact fitting and their limitations began a long journey in identifying and naming contact lens complications, determining their causes and finding resolutions.

His first major project was the development of the CSI lens, a novel optical membrane, which improved oxygen supply to the cornea and became the forerunner of the contemporary contact lens. Its success led to a continuing flow of new concepts, rooted in research, which translated to improvements in clinical practice, decreasing complications and increasing patient comfort.

He discovered and named eight conditions related to the anterior segment of the eye, most important of which is Meibomian Gland Dysfunction, acknowledged today to be the leading global cause of dry eye. Other conditions which remain of contemporary significance are Giant Papillary Conjunctivitis, Lid Wiper Epitheliopathy, and Lid Seal.

Once the conditions were identified, along with colleagues, he addressed treatments, resulting in two major dry eye drops, Soothe XP and Systane Balance, and instrumentation for diagnosis and treatment, Lipiview and LipiFlow, the first FDA approved dry eye treatment.

Dr. Korb’s 110 scientific articles, new instrumentation, and numerous treatment regimens have impacted the care of over 50 million contact lens patients and tens of millions of dry eye patients.

“I am truly honored and grateful to the members of the ASCO Board, and to all those who participated in selecting me as ASCO’s 2023 Herbert Wertheim’s Award recipient,” according to Dr. Korb. “This honor is particularly significant to me because of my experiences in training optometrists at all levels, allowing me to appreciate the critical role that ASCO plays in constantly advancing the profession. The importance of education, training, research, and clinical residency is universally accepted as paramount to the success of graduates and ultimately the quality of patient care. ASCO has successfully assured that the quality of the optometric educational experiences is at the highest level and will continue. 

“Less obvious, but equally important, is ASCO’s enviable atmosphere and culture so essential to maintaining focus on complex goals. Congratulations to ASCO and to all who contributed to ASCO’s fulfillment of their mission,” he continues.

ASCO Ophthalmic Industry Leadership Award
The ASCO Ophthalmic Industry Leadership Award recognizes an individual from a current or past Corporate Contributor partner company that demonstrates exemplary support of ASCO and its member institutions.

The individual serves as an example for his/her colleagues in industry and has made exceptional and meaningful contributions to the advancement of ASCO and optometric education.

The 2023 recipient is Dr. Charissa Lee. As a 2002 graduate of State University of New York College of Optometry, Dr. Lee brought over 12 years of hospital-based and private practice optometry experience to her Johnson & Johnson Vision (JJV) position.

Prior to joining JJV, Dr. Lee opened a private practice in Irvine, California, spoke to doctors across the country as a Professional Affairs Consultant, and served as program director at the Johnson & Johnson Institute. As the leader of the Professional Team, Dr. Lee oversees Johnson & Johnson Vision Care’s support of Professional Advocacy, Education and Relations and is a core member of the Vision Americas Leadership Team. She is a strong supporter of allyship and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within and external to JJV.

Outside her role as a mom and wife, Dr. Lee is also a proud member of the AOA, a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, and recently completed her MBA from USC Marshall School of Business.

“What ASCO does for the future of our profession is unparalleled, and I am honored to be recognized by this prestigious group,” says Dr. Lee. “There is power when we all work together, and I am proud to support and celebrate our ever-evolving community.”

ASCO Rising Star Award
Sponsored by OCULUS, the ASCO Rising Star Award is given to an outstanding faculty member or administrator with less than seven years of service who has made noteworthy contributions to fulfilling the mission, strategic objectives, or programs of ASCO. This year’s Rising Star awardee is Dr. Jaymeni Patel.

Dr. Jaymeni Patel is an Assistant Professor and the Assistant Dean for Community Based Education at the Illinois College of Optometry. She oversees the externship program at the college and precepts students in the Primary Care Clinic, Glaucoma Unit, and Urgent Care Clinic. She teaches the Ocular Disease Seminar course and coordinates the Ocular Disease laboratory.

Dr. Patel received her Doctor of Optometry from the Illinois College of Optometry (ICO) and completed her residency in Ocular Disease and Primary Care at ICO. She is the current co-chair of the ASCO Externship Directors Special Interest Group, a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, and a member of the Illinois Optometric Association and American Optometric Association.

“OCULUS is once again proud to sponsor the Rising Star Award at the ASCO Annual Business Meeting,” says Dr. Bill Tullo, OCULUS Medical Director USA. “Recognizing a faculty member or administrator whose contributions standout and are consistent with ASCO’s mission is an important tradition. Professional development is important for ensuring continuous improvement and coincides with OCULUS’s core values.”

“I am immensely grateful for the honor of being nominated for this award. I wish to convey my sincere appreciation to the ASCO Board of Directors for their recognition and to my mentors for their support and guidance,” says Dr. Patel. “As an educator, there is no greater joy than observing the progress and development of the next generation. I am privileged to be affiliated with an institution that prioritizes education and the advancement of young professionals.”

Dr. Lester Janoff Award for Writing Excellence
The Dr. Lester Janoff Award for Writing Excellence recognizes the outstanding writing of a research article published in the ASCO Journal Optometric Education. The award is named in honor of Dr. Lester E. Janoff, editor of the journal from 2002-2005, and long-time member of the editorial review board who was known as an exceptional optometric educator, administrator, contact lens clinician and researcher. Dr. Janoff was also a beloved mentor of young writers.

Melissa Zarn, OD, FAAO;  Gregory Wolfe, OD, MPH, FAAO, FNAP; and Janette Pepper, OD, FCOVD, FAAO, all from Southern College of Optometry, are named the recipients of the 2023 Dr. Lester Janoff Award for their research paper, Training Implicit Bias and Awareness of the Impact of Systemic Racism on Health: A Preliminary Study of Second-Year Optometry Students.

“I am honored to receive the Lester Janoff Award for the article on behalf of myself and my co-authors and amazing colleagues Janette Pepper and Gregory Wolfe,” says Dr. Zarn. “We would like to thank Lindsay Elkins and Marc Taub for their guidance as we developed the article. We also thank J Bart Campbell for his support of us as faculty at Southern College of Optometry. 

We are grateful to the reviewers and editors of the Journal Optometric Education for their thoughtful feedback during the review cycle. Thank you to the Journal Optometric Education for this distinguished honor.”

“Being named a co-recipient of the Dr. Lester Janoff Award for Writing Excellence is an unexpected and wonderful honor. I am thankful to have had many mentors in my life who encouraged me to think broadly about the intersection of optometry and public health and to identify synergistic opportunities to close knowledge gaps,” says Dr. Wolfe.

“Thank you to the Editorial Board for recognizing our work in memory of the late Dr. Lester Janoff, who dedicated his life to optometric education and the pursuit of knowledge. I’d also like to thank those who were involved in the peer review process. Their suggestions helped to make our paper clearer and stronger. Finally, I’d like to thank my co-authors, Dr. Zarn and Dr. Pepper. Circumstances allowed us to come together to address and assess critical knowledge gaps in the optometric curriculum. We supported each other through the process, learned from each other, and grew to become better educators.”

Dr. Dumas-Pepper says, “I would like to thank Dr Melissa Zarn for her initiative and Dr. Greg Wolfe for his insight in doing this project.

I would also like to thank the ASCO Awards Committee for selecting our work out of so many wonderful articles to choose from. I do not take this honor lightly and I am grateful for the acknowledgement.”  

A committee of the Journal Editorial Review Board reviews all research articles that have appeared in the journal in the previous two years, selecting a winner from that pool. Publication excellence is judged on significance of the topic chosen, quality of the article, and potential impact.

The award consists of a certificate and a cash award of $2,000, which is divided among the authors.

ASCO Student Award in Clinical Ethics
This annual national award, sponsored by Alcon, is available to optometry students during any point of their professional program at an ASCO-affiliated school or college of optometry in the United States and Canada. The application consists of an essay of up to 1,500 words describing any one of the following scenarios:

1. A patient-based case-study that the student encountered as part of their clinical learning experience.
2. A research-based case scenario that the student has encountered during their clinical or didactic learning experience.
3. A professional ethics-based scenario that the student has encountered during their clinical or didactic learning.

ASCO announces Dr. Zebin Dholasaniya as the winner of the 2023 Student Award in Clinical Ethics. This annual national award provides the winner with a $1,000 award check and an acrylic engraved plaque.

Dr. Dholasaniya is a recent graduate of the University of Houston, College of Optometry. Her winning essay, The Ethical Dilemma: A Pediatric Patient’s Right to Truth vs. Parents’ Nondisclosure Request will be featured in an upcoming journal of Optometric Education.

“We at Alcon are proud to continue our support of the annual Student Ethics Award and highlight the learning experiences of optometric students during their educational journey,” says Chad Zscherny, Alcon’s Director of Academic Development. “Congratulations to this year’s winning national recipient, Dr. Dholasaniya! On behalf of Alcon and through our partnership with ASCO, we are excited to sponsor this award!”

Award winners will be acknowledged during ASCO’s Annual Business Meeting on June 21 in Washington, DC. The Annual Business Meeting is open to all. Please register at: https://web.cvent.com/event/605167f1-b7f0-40eb-82a8-43524445ac08/regProcessStep1