Berkeley Optometry Alumni

November was National Native American Heritage Month. In celebration, we wanted to share the experience of Steven Shepard, one of our Vision Science PhD students. Swipe to read.

You are Invited to Berkeley Practicum 2021! We are pleased to invite you to attend the 32nd Annual Berkeley Practicum, to be held on January 16 - 18, 2021 in an all-new location - online! Topics include Systemic Disease, Glaucoma, Contact Lenses, as well as updates on COVID-19! This high quality and interactive continuing education program will provide 12 total COPE-approved CE hours (counted as LIVE CE!). To learn more about our featured speakers and schedule, please click below. https://optometry.berkeley.edu/continui/berkeley-practicum/

Admissions & Recruitment Survey Dear Alumni, The Office of Admissions and Student Affairs (ASAO) and the Council for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) have created a survey to help improve the admissions and recruitment processes. Specifically, we hope to identify gaps in our admissions outreach, so that we can be more inclusive and intentional in our recruitment of underrepresented groups.... The survey is a collaboration between the school and Chroma Consulting, a firm founded by four of your fellow graduates -- Drs. Joy Harewood, Cristen Adams, Farah Gulaid, and Sheryl Guillory Reaves -- who are working with Berkeley Optometry to identify opportunities to improve diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging at the school. Please use the link below to take the survey. Thank you for participating! https://forms.gle/d8mscisPCQrm5uWM8

Dr. Charlotte Yiyi Wang, OD is this year’s recipient of the Hopkins Comprehensive Eye Care Award. Dr. Wang is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley School of Optometry, and primary care/community health resident at the Meredith W. Morgan University Eye Center. She is currently pursuing her PhD in our Vision Science program. This prestigious award is intended to promote the practice and development of comprehensive eye care by providing incentive and support to talented optometric residents who demonstrate a passion and commitment to further clinical experience, research, and education. Congratulations Dr. Wang!

New Continuing Education Online Course. Having difficulty deciding what to prescribe for myopia control? Come join our Putting Concept Into Action continuing education (CE) course on myopia management, where we provide the most clinically relevant knowledge in myopia management in a way that the clinicians can immediately apply to their daily practice. Attendees will be able to interact with the speaker and ask questions in real-time via Zoom video conference. 4 Total CE H...ours Dates: Nov 17-18 Time: 6:00pm - 7:40pm PST Cost: $60 per session, or $110 for both days Location: Online Via Zoom Learn More and Register: https://optometry.berkeley.edu/c/myopia-management-academy/

We continue to acknowledge, honor, and celebrate the accomplishments of first generation students and faculty in the Vision Science community for their academic, leadership, and professional endeavors. Swipe to read about their stories!

Meet our alumna, Dr. Stephanie Tran, from the class of 2020. Read about her journey to Berkeley Optometry: "Circa 1993, my dad graduated medical school and put this cap on my head. He was an electrical engineer at IBM but decided to go to medical school at the age of 26 while his father was battling colon cancer. My dad attended medical school with TWO CHILDREN and a third during residency (who does that?!) Oh not to mention he came to the US on a boat after escaping his hom...e during the Vietnam War. He was headed to his intern year and then an #ophthalmology residency. By the way he had to learn English at the age of 15. Fast forward 20 something years later, I followed in his footsteps kind of. Got a Masters in Biomedical Engineering and graduated from #optometry school. This diploma is surreal. Now I’m completing a cornea and contact lens/ocular disease residency. Did I know this was my path? No, I went into undergrad as a business economics major. I taught yoga full time for 2 years before deciding to go back to school for optometry, also at the age of 26. I went back and forth with medical school many many times (If you’re close to me you know). But it’s funny how life turns out. I am extremely happy with my decisions and where I’m at today, and I’m also very excited about the future. One impossible task at a time -Dad"

It's not too late to register for our new Continuing Education Online Course on Myopia management, which will be held Nov 17-18. Learn more about the course from co-instructor Dr. Sarah Singh at the video link below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtlIgelRHXE... Attendees will be able to interact with the speaker and ask questions in real-time via Zoom video conference. 4 Total CE Hours Dates: Nov 17-18 Time: 6:00pm - 7:40pm PST Cost: $60 per session, or $110 for both days Location: Online Via Zoom Learn More and Register: https://optometry.berkeley.edu/.../myopia-management.../

We wanted to end #NationalHispanicHeritageMonth by sharing the narrative of class of 2021 student, Rosio Sandoval. She says: Being Hispanic is more than just the color of my skin or the language I speak. It is the many values that are integrated within my culture. It is appreciation, acceptance, and honest offer to help. I made my strive to uphold these values and become an Optometrist that doesn’t see the color of your skin, that doesn’t hear the accent you speak with, but ...rather listens to the concerns you have. Coming from a Hispanic background has taught me to listen beyond what is said. In 1994 my parents left their hometown, El Tejero in Michoacán, México to come to Stockton, California. Their decisions brought many blessings to my family and their courage continues to inspire me. Their hard work in the fields taught me and my 6 other siblings to appreciate all their sacrifices. Our annual trips to México every December, was a continuous reminder of our traditions. The Tamales, the traditional Mole, the Posadas, the family gatherings, and our late-night conversations around the bonfire, strengthened my cultural ties. Volunteering at health fairs in the community, I learned about the large disparity in Healthcare. It made me realize how underserved these communities were. I was able to see how difficult it was for them to communicate their needs. Not only was there a language barrier, there was also a need for more cultural awareness within the healthcare field. It is important to create a bond with your patients, to allow them to express not only their eye health concerns but the overall difficulties they have. Being able to diagnose and offer treatment is not enough when the patient doesn’t have access. I hope that I can bridge this gap for patients. I also hope that we all can become more culturally aware and that we appreciate others for who they are and learn to love the richness of where they came from. Being part of the National Optometric Student Association is a constant reminder of my cultural values. NOSA has always motivated and supported underrepresented communities. I aspire to continue pursuing these goals in the future. When I graduate in 2021, I hope to become someone who can encourage others to pursue a career in the Optometry field and to recognize how beautiful it is to continue increasing the diversity in the field.

Berkeley Optometry’s Dr. Suzanne Fleiszig is the recipient of the Allergan Foundation Grant in the area of the anterior segment. As the principal investigator, Dr. Fleiszig has been awarded a $60,000 grant for her project, Relationship between COVID-19 and the Eye. Congrats Suzi! https://optometry.berkeley.edu/professor-fleiszig-awarded-/

We are celebrating our First Generation American Students. Swipe to read about their experiences and they got to where they are today.

Congratulations Jennifer Doudna! Today, UC Berkeley biochemist Jennifer Doudna won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, sharing it with colleague Emmanuelle Charpentier for the co-development of CRISPR-Cas9, a genome editing breakthrough that has revolutionized biomedicine. Read more at https://news.berkeley.edu//jennifer-doudna-wins-2020-nobe/.

The October online CE series begins with our first lectures on October 4 with our Keynote Speaker, Dr. William Tuten, OD, PhD, Thomas M. Peters Memorial Keynote Lecturer & Grand Rounds by our renowned Berkeley Optometry Faculty. Visit https://optometry.berkeley.edu/continuing-educat/online_ce/ to register and learn more!

Upcoming CE on Managing Acute Cranial Nerve Palsies: CNs III, IV, and VI. This course will review the causes of cranial nerve palsies specific to their intracranial course and origin. An update on when to recommend neuroimaging in patients with acute diplopia will be discussed. Go to https://na.eventscloud.com/ereg/newreg.php?eventid=573896& to register!

See the latest Berkeley News article (link below), where inaugural director Dr. Michael Silver -- a professor of optometry, vision science, and neuroscience -- is interviewed about the new UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics, which will conduct research using psychedelics to investigate cognition, perception and emotion and their biological bases in the human brain. We will be digging a little deeper into Dr. Silver's work with the Center as it pertains to vision science in our upcoming Berkeley Optometry magazine. https://news.berkeley.edu//uc-berkeley-launches-new-cente/

We’re seeing a lot of new masked faces on campus! We are kicking off our second week of school and we want to welcome our new OD and PhD students to Minor

Upcoming CE on Multimodal Imaging & Management of Diabetic Retinopathy! This course will cover the epidemiologic data and growth of diabetic retinopathy, its correlation to obesity, the need for continued screening and the role of the primary eye doctor in diagnosing and treating diabetic retinopathy. It will also discuss the spectrum of multimodal imaging and ultra-widefield imaging modalities. You can register at https://na.eventscloud.com/ereg/newreg.php?eventid=566935.

Thank you ACCCOS for your generous donation of PPE! The Alameda Contra Costa County Optometric Society (ACCCOS) kindly donated PPE to Berkeley Optometry. Special thanks to Berkeley faculty member and ACCCOS trustee, Dr. Melanie Mason, and the rest of the ACCCOS Board Members for making this donation happen! Dr. Mason arranged a storage unit to pick up from EMS and deliver to my house and then she started distribution. So far, she has arranged over 100 appointments for PPE distribution either from her house or from one of her 13 OD volunteers throughout Alameda who took supplies back to their offices to help. Approximately 270 docs and 120 OD students in Alameda County have received PPE from them. Thanks again ACCCOS for helping us stay safe and healthy! You can read more about ACCCOS at www.acccos.org.

Upcoming CE on Low Vision Driving on August 10 at 6 PM. This course will examine the role of various visual functions in driving safety through case discussion and evidence-based medicine. It will outline the vision requirements for driving in California and describe how to discuss driving cessation with a patient. This interactive lecture meets the live-in person CE requirements of the CA State Board of Optometry. Attendees will be able to interact with the speaker and ask q...uestions in real-time via Zoom video conference. Register at na.eventscloud.com/ereg/newreg.php?eventid=563832. P.S. CE on Branch Retinal Artery Occlusion TONIGHT at 6 PM for those who have already registered.

We welcome our recent graduates to our clinical faculty! We are so excited to work with you! Read more about them at https://optometry.berkeley.edu/welcoming-our-new-clinical-/