ASCO President Amos Outlines Priorities
Contact:
Kimberly O’Sullivan
Director, Communications
Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry
(301) 231-5944 ext. 3019
kosullivan@opted.org
ASCO President Amos Outlines Priorities
July 31, 2007 — John F. Amos, O.D., dean of the School of Optometry at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, was elected to a one-year term as president of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry at its annual meeting held June 26-27, 2007 in Boston. He succeeds Hector Santiago, O.D., Ph.D., dean of the Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Optometry.
In his acceptance speech, Dr. Amos outlined the priorities for his year as president: federal funding for optometric education; revitalizing interest in residency education, including increasing the residency applicant pool; sharing resources/sharing best practices; enhancing communication with corporate contributors; increasing the applicant pool in graduate vision science and securing vision science as a national research category; and raising awareness of international optometric education.
These priorities will be in addition to ASCO’s ongoing strategic objectives in faculty promotion and development, cultural competency/diversity and career promotion.
Also elected as ASCO officers were: president-elect – Gerald E. Lowther, O.D., Ph.D., dean of the Indiana University School of Optometry; secretary-treasurer – Melvin D. Shipp, O.D., MPH, Dr. PH, dean of the Ohio State University; and at-large member — Arol Augsburger, O.D., president, Illinois College of Optometry. Dr. Santiago remains on the executive committee as immediate past president.
ASCO’s annual luncheon program featured a presentation, “A Global Perspective of Optometry,” by Dr. Victor J. Connors, immediate past president, World Council of Optometry. Dr. Connors challenged the more than 150 luncheon guests — including representatives from related professional organizations, student leaders from the 19 schools and colleges from the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada and representatives from ophthalmic companies — to broaden their perspective of optometry.
The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry, headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, represents the 17 professional doctor of optometry degree programs in the United States and Puerto Rico. Affiliate membership is available for foreign schools of optometry and for related optometric organizations. A growing number of ophthalmic companies participate in ASCO’s Corporate Contributors Program.
