Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry Announces Special Recognition Award Recipients
Lifetime Achievement Award Given to Dr. Melvin Shipp
ROCKVILLE, MD, June 1, 2017 – The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2017 Special Recognition Awards.
ASCO Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr. Melvin Shipp, Dean Emeritus of The Ohio State University, College of Optometry and former Assistant Dean for Clinical Services and Director of Clinics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Optometry, is awarded the ASCO Lifetime Achievement Award. This 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.
ASCO Rising Star Award
Generously 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 objections, or programs of ASCO. Dr. Catherine McDaniel, associate professor of clinical optometry at The Ohio State University, is recognized for her outstanding contributions through teaching, scholarship, administration and professional service.
ASCO Ophthalmic Industry Leadership Award
The ASCO Ophthalmic Industry Leadership Award recognizes an individual from a current or past Corporate Contributor partner company who 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.
This year’s Industry Leadership Awardee is Mr. Mike Elton, a recent retiree of Hoya.
Dr. Lester Janoff Award for Writing Excellence
The recipients of the Dr. Lester Janoff Award for Writing Excellence are: Jamie Althoff, OD and Gregory M. Fecho, OD both with NOVA Southeastern University, College of Optometry; and Patrick Hardigan, PhD, of the College of Medicine at NOVA Southeastern University. This award recognizes the outstanding writing of a research article published in the ASCO Journal Optometric Education. Their article was entitled, “Assessing Student Performance in Geometrical Optics Using Two Different Assessment Tools: Tablet and Paper,” and was published in Optometric Education: Volume 42 Number 1, 2016.
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.
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The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) is a non-profit association representing the interests of optometric education. Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Rockville, MD, ASCO is committed to achieving excellence in optometric education and to helping its member institutions prepare well-qualified graduates for entrance into the profession of optometry. Its membership encompasses the schools and colleges of optometry in the United States and Puerto Rico. A number of optometry schools outside the United States are affiliate members.