Paths to Graduation PresentDaunting Challenges

A publication for the alumni and friends of the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Optometry

One member of the Class of 2008entered the optometry program a fewweeks after returning from 13 months inIraq; one graduate began the programwith a five month old infant and graduat-ed, on schedule, with a second childexpected in early July; a third graduatelived for her first 21 years in Albania andovercome numerous barriers, includingprolonged separations from her husband(living in Greece) and the birth of theirfirst child during her third year of thisprogram. For Dan Friederich, SaraPyatt, and Eneida Hafezi, May 10th,2008 was the beautiful culmination of ajourney that was anything but calm.

Dan Friederich's motivation towardoptometry first surfaced when he

volunteered for the Gateway DisabledSki Program in St. Louis. “For threeyears, I helped visually impaired childrenlearn to ski. It was a very humbling andrewarding experience, and it made meinterested in pursuing a career thatinvolves enriching the lives of others -

Summer 2008

Don't Forget the Story

Everyone of us is a wonder. Everyoneof us has a story. Kristin Hunter

Greetings Friends and Colleagues--

Quantitative performance measuresare interwoven into the fabric of 21stCentury Optometric Education. Howmany students do you enroll? Where doyour students and graduates rankamong peers? How many prospectivestudents apply to your program? Whatpercent of your students are women?What is the representation of ethnic andracial minorities? What measures doyou track in order to ensure that gradu-ates have acquired the skills, knowl-edge and abilities to be ethical andcompetent optometrists?

Those quantitative measures ofsuccess communicate something veryimportant about our institution, but it isthe stories behind the outcomes thatactually define who we are. Each indi-vidual and collective accomplishmentthat influences those performance mea-sures is associated with a story…ormore accurately, many stories. Like thestories we grew up with, those storiesthat define us are full of real life expe-riences …joy, challenges, opportunities,dedication, heroism, perseverance,cooperation, friendship, exhilarationand occasionally disappointment. Onething for certain is that an importantstory may be told about each visibleaccomplishment, no matter how small.

(Continued on page 3)

and improving people's vision. As timepassed, I found that optometry and Iwere a perfect match.”

Dan's path to a career in optometry,h o w e v e r, took an unexpected detour.“During my sophomore year at Tr u m a nState University in February 2001, Idecided to join the Missouri A r m yNational Guard. I joined the Army notonly to serve and defend our nation, butalso to pay for college tuition and roomand board. …During my graduatingsemester and three days after I foundout the great news that I had beenaccepted into the UMSL College ofO p t o m e t r y, I received my orders fordeployment to Iraq. For the next 13months, I was stationed in Iraq as atruck driver in a transportation companydelivering supplies all around the c o u n t r y. My comfortable, safe life backhome with family and friends wasreplaced by one filled with danger, dis-comfort, and uncertainty. There weremany moments that I thought I wouldnot live to see my loved ones or my‘ r e g u l a r’life again. After informingU M S L about the deployment, theyinformed me that my spot in theCollege would be held until I returned.What a relief! I will always be so grate-ful to the College for this decision - itgave me a feeling of stability in themidst of a lot of uncertainty. I was originally told I would arrive back inthe U.S. in May 2004, but this wasextended to June and then again to July.With less than three weeks remainingbefore the 1st day of school, I finallyarrived back in the U.S.”

(Continued on page 2)Certainly the sudden adjustment

Message Fromthe Dean

Dan Friedrich, O.D., ‘08

2

Paths to Graduation (continued from page 1)

from soldier to student must have beenvery traumatic. Not so according toDan. “I gladly welcomed the necessaryadjustment of soldier to studentThousands of soldiers do not come backfrom Iraq alive and in good health, and Iwas/am so grateful that I made it backOK. …Throughout optometry school, ifI ever felt stressed or discouraged, Ioften thought to myself, it could bemuch, much worse. Don't forget exactlywhere you just were and what you werejust doing compared to what you get todo now. This, in my opinion, definitelyenhanced my academic performance.After an experience like Iraq, nothingseems too tough to handle anymore, andhigh pressure situations are much moreeasily dealt with.” This was evidencedby an excellent academic career, includ-ing the awarding of numerous scholar-ships, as well as the opportunity to join aprestigious private practice. “I am verypleased to be joining Drs. Ghormley,Seibel, and Brawley as an associate intheir successful practice at Vision CareConsultants (VCC), a private practicehere in St. Louis that, among many otherthings, specializes in contact lenses.”

For the typical first year optometrystudent, the increased number of classhours, supplemented by a more competi-tive student body, often results in quite aformidable adjustment to this demand-ing environment. Imagine initiating theoptometric education journey with a fivemonth old infant. That was the chal-lenge presented to Sara Pyatt. She hasbeen successful by finding that balancebetween family and school. "Finding awinning balance between being a parentand an optometric student has been themost challenging thing in my life. To besuccessful at each one is a challenge initself! So, the combination is verystressful. My goal from the onset was tobe the best mother I could, and not haveany regrets about the time (or lack oftime) spent with my daughter,while alsostriving to do my very best in optometryschool. This goal proved to be morechallenging than I had anticipated.”

To add to Sara's challenges, she had

to live an hour away from UMSL d u r i n gher entire four years at UMSL. Hermother was her child's primary caregiv-e r, and Sara and her husband decided tolive halfway between UMSL and herm o t h e r. This presented both time man-agement and expense considerations toSara and her family. “For me, this 130mile round trip everyday to UMSLmeant more expenses (~$100/wk ingas), and 2 hours out of my day drivingback and forth. A typical day while in

optometry school extended from 5 a.mto 5 p.m., followed by preparing din-ner/cleaning house/laundry/spendingtime with my daughter until her 7 or 8p.m. bedtime, and then staying up tostudy until 12 or 1 a.m. This was nots u fficient time set aside for studying, somost of my time over the weekend wasspent studying and catching up from theprevious week. I could not have suc-ceeded without the help of my motherand my husband. While my mothercared for my child during the day, myhusband helped me during the eveningsand on the weekends. I owe a lot tothese important people in my life, and Iwill always be grateful for their unend-ing support.”

Sara and her husband planned onhaving a second child soon after hercompletion of optometry school. Herpregnancy during her fourth clinicalrotation presented the expected end-of-the-day backaches and fatigue, butotherwise did not slow her down on herrotations. Baby Pyatt is due July 2, 2008(he came early, see page 7). She planson starting work in mid-August. Her

journey - although not easy - is one thatSara Pyatt traveled very successfully. “I started optometry school with a fivemonth old infant, and ended with a fouryear old pre-schooler! It was quite aj o u r n e y, but I am proud to say through itall, my child has always come first. I did not want her childhood to be

a ffected by my choice to enter such arigorous program. Putting optometryschool second is not optimum, and someof my test scores over the years mayhave reflected that, but all in all I feel Iwas able to balance both motherhoodand optometry school and be successfulin both endeavors.”

Imagine growing up in Albania inthe 1980s. Your parents are well educat-ed and they have high expectations fortheir children. You decide in elementaryschool that you want to become a doctor.You graduate from high school with a4.0 Grade Point Average and - needingto finish in the top 100 of 1000 appli-cants to be admitted to the only medicalschool in Albania - you finish 20th! ForEneida Hafezi, however, her dream wasrapidly turning into a nightmare. “Thatsummer of 1997, when I was preparingfor the MCAT, Albania was a completechaos. There were unpredictable shoot-ings everywhere and all the time; mymother and my sister almost got shotone day in our living room. Young girls,college students were kidnapped anddisappeared in the middle of the day.No one could travel from one city toanother because of frequent gang groupsthat would stop the cars and kill people.I did not get out of my house for at leastthree months because it was not safe. Itwas time for us to make the biggest andthe hardest decision of our lives, to leaveour country and head to the UnitedStates of America where we could makeour dreams come true.”

In the United States, Eneida had torapidly overcome both language and cul-ture barriers; from having many friendsto having no friends at all; from being ina professional program to starting overin an undergraduate program. “I feltmuch stressed out and disappointed at

Sara Pyatt, O.D., ‘08

Paths to Graduation (continued from page 2)

3

first, but I could not go back. My onlychoice was to try to go forward. I grad-uated from Saint Louis University with aB A in Biology Degree and a MagnaCum Laude Honor in January of 2002.”Between her academic advisor and herown research, she realized that optome-try was exactly the profession she waslooking for. Furthermore, “I knew whatschool I wanted to go to. That schoolwas the UMSL College of Optometry.My interview was on December 23,2003 and on the same day, right after thei n t e r v i e w, I received an email off e r i n gme a place for the class of 2008. T h a temail meant the world to me; it was thegreatest reward I could ever get for myhard work and dedication. I printed itout, I bought a frame, and to this day,that email is on my wall, and I guaranteeyou it will always be hanging on thewall, next to my diploma.”

Eneida's future husband in A l b a n i awent to work in Greece while she cameto the U.S. When she revisited A l b a n i ain June, 2003 he proposed to her andthey were married three weeks later. T h etimes with her husband would be toofew and the separation broughtheartache. “It was very, very hard leav-ing my husband back home, but he toldme that I could not give up, that I had tofollow my dream and that he wouldalways be there for me. We were toldthat he would be able to join me shortlya f t e r, but it has now been five years thatwe have been married, and he is still nothere because the Immigration process ofour case is taking too long. It is veryhard emotionally not having your hus-band there with you to celebrate youraccomplishments.”

During her optometric training,Eneida was only able to travel toAlbania two times a year to see her hus-band, whose support gave her thestrength to go on. In a rigorous,demanding professional program in arelatively new country, how couldEneida's life become more challenging?In her third year of optometry school,Eneida became the proud parent of ababy girl, Erena, once again without herhusband there to share the experience oftheir daughter's birth. “It is very diff i-cult to balance being a parent and a

graduate student especially when youare a “single parent” like me. I have toadmit, however, that I could not have

done it without the great help of mywonderful family. My mother takescare of my daughter during the daywhen I am in clinic, and my father, mysister and brother help in the eveningwhenever I am studying. My biggestchallenges have been studying for thelast two Boards Exams. I would comehome from clinic, feed my baby, giveher a bath, put her to bed, and then studyuntil late at night, also waking up duringthe night with the baby. The lack ofsleep made it even harder to study thenext day.” Eneida also learned that herf a t h e r-in-law had passed away justseven days before she was scheduled totake the NBEO Part Three examination.She could not go home to be with herhusband. “Immigration office informedme that if I went back I might not beable to come back to the US. Knowingmy situation, my husband and his familycalled me and told me that I could notput nine years of sacrifice at risk.”

She does not, however, regret herdecision to pursue optometry. “Overall Ienjoyed the time I spent at UMSL. Iloved the opportunity that the schooland Dr. Harris gave me to complete oneclinical rotation in Albania. That wasalso a great opportunity for me to go andspend some time with my husband andother family, and a great opportunity formy husband to see his daughter for thefirst time. I have already accepted a jobo ffer here in St. Louis, MO. I have tothank Dr. Brown for the wonderful job

she does helping students find jobs. A smuch as I would love to stay in the US,if my husband is not able to join me inthe near future, our daughter and I haveto join him, so that we can be one happyf a m i l y.”

Every member of the Class of 2008can be very proud of reaching their goalof becoming a Doctor of Optometry.For Dan Friederich, Sara Pyatt, andEneida Hafezi the hurdles were manyand set very high as they pursued theiroptometric school journey. These threespecial graduates not only reached theirdestination, they reached it with academ-ic excellence, with great pride, and witha sense of tremendous achievement.

Eneida Hafezi, O.D., ‘08

Everyone, every institution,every organization, every practicehas a story. Those stories are critical-ly important to recognize and appre-ciate who we are and to rememberthe experiences that influenced usalong the way. When we concentratesolely on the typical measures ofsuccess we risk losing the story andthe ability to fully recognize the sig-nificance of our achievements.Stories are not only more interestingbut they also serve as importantpoints of connection: the past withthe present; the familiar with theunknown; the potential with theproven; the possible with the impos-sible. We would welcome the oppor-tunity to share the stories that havehelped to define your success. Yourstories may be forwarded to our edi-tor, Dr. Edward Bennettebennett@umsl.edu or myselfljdavis@umsl.edu . Thank you for con-tributing to our story.

All the best,

Larry J. Davis, Dean

Message From the Dean(Continued from page 1)

4

On May 10, 2008, in a magnifi-cent setting, the crown jewel ofUMSL's campus, the Blanche TouhillCenter, the UMSL College ofOptometry held its graduation cere-mony in front of a nearly full theatre.The exceptional soundsof vocalist ElizabethSmith and the UMSLSymphonic Band, led byconductor Gary Brandes,set the tone for whatwould be a very excitingand fulfilling evening as37 members of the Classof 2008 received theirDoctor of Optometrydegree from ChancellorTom George and DeanLarry Davis. Althoughseveral graduates distin-guished themselves viareceiving scholarships and other hon-ors during this spectacular ceremony,without a doubt, the most significantmoment for each of our featuredguests, was the calling of their name,the symbolic hooding process and theconfirming of their degree, all in frontof loved ones, many of whom hadtraveled long distances to share in thisspecial moment. This was a happyending which represented the culmi-nation of a lengthy, rigorous andsometimes stressful journey.

The commencement speaker isone of the most influential optometricleaders in the world, Dr. Linda Casser.Dr. Casser is currently AssociateExecutive Director of ClinicalExaminations for the National Boardof Examiners in Optometry and is thepast Associate Dean for AcademicPrograms at the Pacific UniversityCollege of Optometry. Author ofnumerous texts, she is also a pastrecipient of the Indiana OptometricAssociation “OD of the Year” awardas well as 1997 American OptometricAssociation “Optometrist of theYear.” Her address inspired the Class

of 2008 to demonstrate excellence inpatient care, to be a leader to bothpatients and in the community and,finally, to seek happiness in their per-sonal life. Her comments were verypoignant. “It is my sincere pleasure to

welcome you to thisvibrant profession asDoctors of Optometry.Today is also a celebra-tion of your dedicationand commitment. Yourlives have been enrichedforever; you now havethe opportunity to con-tinue to enrich the livesof others in very specialand unique ways. Yourpatients will be countingon you to be the bestDoctor of Optometryyou can be. Please do all

that you can to deserve the stature inwhich they will hold you, both person-ally and professionally. In my view,excellence in patient care is the mini-mum standard. I interpret the wordleadership very broadly---it is not aposition or title; it is how we live ourlives---communicating, decision-mak-ing, role modeling, demonstratingsound judgment, being appropriatelyproactive, living a life of integrity andcaring, possessing character, doing theright thing. We need leadership in allwalks of life and in all of our relation-ships. I advocate for excellence, con-tinued dedication, and hard work inyour professional lives, and I am con-fident that this approach will providean enormous source of satisfaction andfulfillment to each of you. At thesame time, I encourage you not tomiss the moments of happiness in yourpersonal lives. I offer my sincerestcongratulations to the profession'snewest Doctors of Optometry, themembers of the Class of 2008. Youare in an enviable position today---formost, this is the endpoint of your for-mal academic career yet boundless

Class of 2008 Graduation: A BeautifulCelebration for a Very Deserving Class

additional opportunities lie ahead toprovide excellence in patient care, todemonstrate leadership in all that youdo, and to experience life's countlessmoments of happiness. I applaud youfor everything that you have accom-plished; I look forward to all that youwill do, and all that you will become.”

Dr. Rex Newcomb, a graduate ofthe UMSL College of OptometryClass of 1984, and a past president ofthe Missouri Optometric Association,encouraged the graduates to representtheir profession well and give back totheir profession, including the UMSLCollege of Optometry. “You and yourcolleagues have embarked in one ofthe best, if not the best health careprofession. As a practicingoptometrist in Missouri, I welcomeyou to OPTOMETRY “The PrimaryEye Care Profession.” The best yearsof your life lay ahead of you.Optometry is a profession that givesback to you each day. It's not a job.It's not even work. It's a profession.You might be asking yourself, “Whatis the difference?” A job is somethingyou go to do for money, go home, andleave it behind you. A profession issomething that you live out. It's away of life. You have now chosen tobecome leaders of your communities,civic organizations, your churches orsynagogues, and who knows, theremay even be a few political leaderssitting behind me. You now take onthe duty of giving back to that whichwill give so dearly to you. It's esti-mated the income that you willachieve because of your educationhere at the University of Missouri - St. Louis College of Optometry willallow you to make more than 95% ofthe entire population of the world.Being a professional means you willstrive to make everything youencounter, better than when youfound it. For you see, you are no

Linda Casser, O.D.

(Continued on page 8)

5

There are three significant eventsin the optometric educational journey:the first is the date on which an offer ofadmission is made; the third and finalis the day of graduation. The interme-diate or second significant event is theday clinical privileges are awarded.For 42 members of the Class of 2010,May 8th, 2008 was the day they wereawarded their white coat, symbolic ofhaving the privilege of providing directpatient care. A record number offriends and family attended the ceremo-ny held at the J.C. Penney auditorium.

The introductory remarks, provid-ed eloquently by Dr. Linda Casser,reminded the Class of 2010, not only ofthe significance of this occasion, butalso the responsibilities associated withit. “You are now successfully half-waythrough a rigorous and comprehensiveprofessional academic program. Uponthe conferring of your degree in anoth-er two short years, you will be Doctorsof Optometry. Do your best to strivefor excellence in patient care, integrat-ing and applying all that you havelearned to this point and what you willcontinue to learn over the course ofyour academic and professional

careers. I encourage you to work con-fidently and proactively with yourattending faculty and preceptors tolearn from and interact with them asmuch as you can---before you know ityou will be providing care indepen-dently as licensed practitioners andwill have fewer individuals to callupon for guidance and input. I wishyou the very best continued success inwhat lies ahead. You are in an enviable position today---you havecompleted a substantial component ofyour program, yet boundless additionalopportunities lie ahead to provideexcellence in patient care and todemonstrate leadership in all that you do.”

For these 42 clinicians, the pasttwo years of the stresses associatedwith a rigorous academic programaccompanied by the performance ofcountless practice examinations ulti-mately resulted in demonstrating suffi-cient proficiency to provide directpatient care. Congratulations to themembers of the Class of 2010 for theirsuccessful attainment of this veryimportant privilege.

Class of 2010 Honored at the 9THAnnual White Coat Ceremony

NEWS & NOTESD r. William “Bill” Scoggin (’86),of Camdenton, Missouri, passedaway on Friday, May 23, 2008after a long and courageous battlewith cancer. To the best of ourknowledge, Bill’s passing, sorrow-f u l l y, is the College of Optometry’sfirst loss among our alumni. Hewill be missed as a caring friendand a compassionate clinician. Ourthoughts are with Dr. Diana (neeMeade) Scoggin (’86) and Bill’sfamily at this sad and difficult time.There will be forthcoming opportu-nities to contribute to an award inhis memory in the coming months. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

W. Gary Bachman, O.D., M.S., W. Howard McAlister, O.D., M.A.,M . P.H., Jeffrey L. We a v e r, O.D.,M.S. and Timothy A. Wi n g e r t ,O.D. made several presentations atthe World Council of Optometrymeeting in London, England inApril: “Flattening the OptometricWorld through the Use of We b -Based Education” (Drs. Wi n g e r t ,Bachman); “Optometric ClinicalPractice Guidelines: DefiningOptometric Care in the UnitedStates” (Drs. We a v e r, McAlister,Wingert poster); “BoardCertification, CompetenceAssessment and Specialization inOptometry: A History of the Issuesin the United States” (Dr. We a v e rposter); and “The Use of Inter-Country Exchanges to BroadenOptometric Education” ( D r. Wingert poster with BogdanMiskowiak, M.D., Ph.D., Univ. ofMedical Sciences, Poznan, Polandand Joseph Pizzimenti, O.D., NovaSoutheastern University College ofO p t o m e t r y ) .

Upcoming Continuing Education Events . . . .

Illinois Ocular Therapeutic Agents - Aug 16 & 17, 2008Acadame - Oral Agents Update - Aug 17 , 2008

http://optometry.umsl.edu

It seems as though every time youopen a leading optometric journal, hisname appears. Whether it's authoringan article on trends in the ophthalmicindustry for Optometric Managementor his annual reporton contact lens company growth andfuture predictions forContact LensSpectrum, it is quiteevident that the opin-ions of Dr. JeffJohnson are highlycoveted and, in fact,he is the leading ophthalmic financialanalyst in the coun-try. What may be awell kept secret,however, is that the UMSL College ofOptometry played a role in paving theway for his very successful - albeitnontraditional - optometric career path.

Jeff graduated from the IllinoisCollege of Optometry with honors in1997. He had a definite plan in mindupon graduation. “I feel it is importantto build relationships that will providea path to my future success. I wantedto associate with someone successfulin the cornea and contact lens industrywith the hope that this would opendoors for me down the road. TheUMSL College of Optometry had aninternational reputation in the area ofcontact lenses and I felt that by accept-ing the Cornea and Contact LensResidency position, I would lay thefoundation for a future career. In fact,it was while I was attending theAnnual Meeting of the AmericanAcademy of Optometry - a benefit ofmy residency program - that I had theopportunity to interact with theDirector of the Contact Lens Clinic atthe Massachusetts Eye and EarInfirmary. The dialogue initiated atthis meeting resulted in my selectionfor a prestigious position in theirrefractive department. This allowed

me to develop a positive relationshipwith the department and ultimatelyresulted in a faculty position at HarvardUniversity. I also felt prepared to associate in a research capacity and

ultimately was lead author onseveral articles published inpeer-reviewed journals.”

After three years atHarvard, Jeff was looking fora new opportunity where hisbackground could be utilizedto meet new challenges.This resulted in his accep-tance into the NorthwesternUniversity Kellogg School ofManagement, currently thenumber one ranked businessschool in the country. Whilehe was completing his

M.B.A. degree at Kellogg, he spent asummer interning at Robert W. Baird &Associates, a prestigious Wall Streetfirm, located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.This resulted in a job offer and Jeff hasnow been associated with this firm forover six years and currently holds theposition of Vice-President and SeniorResearch Analyst - MedicalTechnology. It was evident that theywere pleased with his work ethic, dedication and knowledge level and hewas equally impressed with his decision to be associated with this com-pany. “This was the only Wall Streetfirm of note that covered eye care/ophthalmic stocks at that time and afterfour years as an associate at Baird, Iassumed the senior leadership positioncovering medical devices. My cover-age universe includes ophthalmic,orthopedic implant, dental, and radia-tion therapy stocks and it is my job tomake buy, sell or hold recommenda-tions regarding these stocks to largeinstitutional money managers through-out the world. Basically, it is my job toknow everything about these compa-nies, including their strengths, weak-nesses, and earnings potential.”

UMSL Residency GraduateDistinguishes Himself on Wall Street

NEWS & NOTESDrs. Ed Bennett and Vinita Henry(‘85) were on the faculty of the47th Annual Heart of AmericaContact Lens and Primary CareCongress, February, 2008 inKansas City, MO.

At the annual meeting of theArmed Forces OptometricSociety, Dr. William H. McAlisterreceived the Reserve ForcesOptometrist of the Year award.

Drs. Tim Wingert and HowardMcAlister have been appointed asFellows in the Center forInternational Studies for the2008-2009 academic year.

Several faculty members will bepresenting posters at the AOAAnnual Meeting in Seattle in June2008: “An Episode of OptometricSupport in Operation IraqiFreedom” – W. HowardMcAlister, O.D, M.A., M.P.H.,Timothy A. Wingert, O.D.,Jeffrey L. Weaver, O.D., M.S.,and Richard C. Schlievert (‘09)and “Successful Management ofTwo Cases of Reduced Stereopsisin Highway Patrol Applicants” –W. Gary Bachman, O.D., M.S. Ed Bennett, O.D., M.S.Ed. willbe presenting two continuing edu-cation courses pertaining to GPcase grand rounds.

More accolades for our 2008alums: The Class of 2008 had a100% pass rate (37/37) on bothNBEO Part II and the TMODexaminations. Congratulations toour graduates for a job well done.

Please join us in congratulatingDan Friederich, Brett Sobieralskiand Mavis Armbruster, who wereselected as 2008 award recipientsby the AOA. Well done everyone!Your UMSL family is very proudof your accomplishments.

6

Jeff Johnson, O.D.

(Continued on page 7)

Jeff and his wife Mary live in Milwaukee with their two children Daisy (3) andLincoln (1). Their third child is due in October. It is evident that Dr. Jeff Johnson'svery successful career is a result of hard work, dedication and intelligence. However,he credits an important part of his success to the time he spent at UMSL. “One ofthe best decisions I have ever made in my life was to accept the Cornea and ContactLens Residency position at the UMSL College of Optometry.”

The College of OptometryCollaborates With the College of

Education in the Pupil Project

NEWS & NOTES

7

Congratulations to all the Collegeof Optometry residents for successfully completing their programs:

•Kimberly Ann Layfield, O.D. •Blaire S. O’Brien, O.D.•Carrie C. Wright, O.D.•Austin C. Krohn, O.D.•Yun-Ping Moore, O.D.•Ashley Rone, O.D.•Breanne Michelle Niebuhr, O.D.•Anthony P. DeWilde, O.D.•Amy L. Langford, O.D.

Congratulations to Dr. BlaireO’Brien, ‘07, and her husbandon the birth of Hannah Elizabeth.She was born on May 3, 2008 at5:15 a.m. She was 7 pounds evenand 20.25 inches long.

Congratulations to Dr. Sara Pyatt,‘08, (see related story on page 2)and her husband on the birth oftheir second child. Carter JosephPyatt was born on on Friday, June13, 2008 at 9:38 p.m. and was 6pounds 11 ounces and 19.75 inlong. Best wishes to you!

There are endless benefits associated with collaboration in any form. A veryimportant such collaboration, positively impacting the lives of many young people isthe Pupil Project. This program, initiated in 2002, combines the expertise andresources of members of the College of Optometry and College of Education facultyin the management of learning-related vision problems. A team of optometrists,school psychologists, special educators and physical therapists provide optometric,psychological and educational clinical evaluation, diagnosis and remediation for children with learning-related vision problems. Over 200 students to date have benefited from the Pupil Project, most of whom had failed with traditional schoolinterventions. According to Dean Larry Davis, this program is invaluable in servingthe needs of children in this area. “The Pupil Project has restored hope for manyfamilies of children throughout the St. Louis region. It serves as an excellent example of the positive impact and synergy that can result from an interdisciplinaryapproach to challenging problems.”

The Pupil Project has also resulted in fostering other collaborative programsbetween these two Colleges. A new cooperative Ph.D. program with a focus area ofLearning Related Vision Problems was initiated this past year. This represents theonly program in the United States that is jointly sponsored between a College ofOptometry and a College of Education.

Standing: Dr. LarryDavis, Dean of theCollege of Optometryand Dr. CharlesSchmitz, Dean of theCollege of Education.Seated: Dr. AaronFranzel, College ofOptometry and Dr.Stephen Viola, Collegeof Education.

UMSL Residency Graduate(Continued from page 6)

The EYEwire is published by the Office of the Dean at the University ofMissouri-St. Louis College of Optometry.

D r. Edward Bennett, EditorE B e n n e t t @ u m s l . e d u

Janice White, Designerj a n i c e . w h i t e @ u m s l . e d u

D r. Larry J. Davis, Deanl j d a v i s @ u m s l . e d u

If you have missed a previous issue of the EyeWire you can locate the archivepage as well as the current issue at: e

http://optometry.umsl.edu/news/EyeWireArchives.html

8

Office of the Dean

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Telephone: 314-516-5606Fax: 314-516-6708

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PAIDSt. Louis, MOPermit No. 3

Commencement (continued from page 4)

longer a user of the system which youare becoming a part of…rather you arenow a mender and a healer. You aregoing to be expected, and I believe,rightfully so, to join your StateOptometric Associations, theAmerican Optometric Association, andeven local Optometric Societies.These are your voices in government,and like it or not, we are a governedprofession. Consider your dues asyour maintenance agreements for yourprofession. Join and be active. Beproud of the profession you havetaken on. Likewise, give as you canto the various scholarships throughorganizations like the MissouriOptometric Foundation, or directlythrough the College of Optometry.It is only through the proliferation ofalumni and their gifts that these scholarships will continue to grow.”

“Remember, as a professional, it's nolonger the obvious question, “How willmy actions impact my life?” You nowhave to ask yourself, “How will myactions impact my profession or eventhe perception of my profession?” Donothing to embarrass yourself or yourpeers. Be active, be generous, and besupportive. Go forward with yourcareers and serve the profession ofoptometry proudly. We have a greatheritage. It is now upon your shoul-ders that the future of optometry willrest, and I charge you to serve it withpride and dignity. Thank you, andGood Luck in your future!”

The UMSL College has been thebeneficiary of the Class of 2008 viatheir academic and clinical perfor-mance, their unity, and their leadership.We wish them all the success in theworld as our future role models and asour future leaders.