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Schedule at a Glance Educational Program
OD Education Program Information
Paraoptometric/Staff Certification Food for Thought Series Lunch & Learn Series Exhibit Hall Speakers California Dreamin' Welcome Reception |
Speakers and BiosThe following is this year's list of conference speakers and their bios. Click on any name to read the bio.
Madhu Agarwal, MD
Madhu Agarwal, MD
Jeffrey R. Anshel, BS, OD, FAAO Click here to listen to Dr. Jeffrey Anshel discuss his OptoWest 2010 courses.
Sharon Carter
Raymond Chu, OD, MS, FAAO
Laurie Guest, CSP
Alan Kabat, OD, FAAO
Rebecca Kammer, OD, FAAO
Anne-Marie Lahr, OD
John Lahr, OD, FAAO
Charissa Lee, OD
Anthony Litwak, OD, FAAO
Clarke Newman, OD, FAAO
Bruce Onofrey, OD, RPh, FAAO
Jim Owen, OD, MBA, FAAO
Phyllis L. Rakow, COMT, NCLE-AC, FCLSA(H)
Rhonda Robinson, OD
Glenda Secor, OD, FAAO
Leo P. Semes, OD, FAAO
Diana Shechtman, OD, FAAO
Paul Tornambe, MD, FACS
Samantha Toth, ABOC
Barry A. Weissman, OD, PhD, FAAO (Dip CL)
Maurice J. Wilson, OD |
Dr. Madhu Agarwal received her undergraduate degree from the
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in biochemistry with honors and her medical degree from the UCLA School of Medicine. She received her post-graduate training in ophthalmology at
Doheny Eye Center at the University of Southern California School of Medicine. She continued at Doheny Eye Center with a clinical fellowship in neuro-ophthalmology and orbital surgery. Dr. Agarwal
specializes in adult strabismus surgery, ocular plastic surgery, and neuro-ophthalmology. She has a special interest in thyroid eye disease and orbital tumors.
Dr. Jeffrey Anshel is a 1975 graduate from the Illinois College of
Optometry. He has written numerous articles and books regarding nutritional influences on vision and computer vision concerns. Dr. Anshel is the principal of Corporate Vision Consulting, where he
addresses the issues surrounding visual demands while working with computers. He also offers on-site consultations and seminars to corporations related to visual stress and productivity in the
workplace. He maintains a private practice in Carlsbad, CA.
With over 16 years of work experience related to the optometric industry,
in 2002 Sharon Carter started her own consulting company, Eye Care Optometric Consulting (ECOC). She has personally worked in over 25 offices with more than 200 staff. Energetic and enthusiastic,
Ms. Carter has spent the last three years speaking and motivating staff at state association meetings, sharing her company’s philosophy to “provide the best patient care and the money will follow.”
Dr. Raymond Chu received his doctor of optometry degree from the State
University of New York, College of Optometry. He then completed a residency in pediatric optometry and vision therapy at the Southern California College of Optometry, and has remained on staff
since that time. Dr. Chu recently completed a master’s degree in instructional design and technology at the California State University, Fullerton. At present, Dr. Chu serves as chief of the
Pediatric Vision Care Center at the Eye Care Center; as an investigator on a number of National Eye Institute (NEI) supported studies; and as an instructor of record in the pediatric optometry
course. His research interests include binocular vision, myopia, amblyopia, pediatric optometry, and learning-related vision problems.
Laurie Guest, CSP, has over 17 years of ophthalmic experience and optometric
relations. She speaks nationwide on customer service and professional development and has been published in Ophthalmology Management, Optometry Today and American Society of Ophthalmic Administrator magazines. Ms. Guest is known for her imaginative ideas and fast-paced, entertaining style. With experience in both health care administration and marketing, she frequently addresses topics that tackle today’s business and professional needs in the industry.
Dr. Alan Kabat is an honors graduate of Rutgers University and the
Pennsylvania College of Optometry. He completed his residency training at John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Philadelphia. Dr. Kabat currently holds the rank of associate professor at Nova
Southeastern University College of Optometry in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He serves as an attending physician in the clinical program, and also teaches courses in clinical medicine and physical
diagnosis. He serves administratively as director of residency programs and coordinator of the urgent care service. Well known in the literary arena, Dr. Kabat is a contributing editor for Review of Optometry and Review of Cornea and Contact Lenses. He has published extensively in the optometric literature. Dr. Kabat lectures regularly on topics of ocular and oculosystemic disease and has lectured in numerous regions throughout the world.
Dr. Rebecca Kammer received her undergraduate degree in optical
engineering from the University of La Verne, and her doctor of optometry degree from the Southern California College of Optometry in 1999. She is the chief of the Mary Ann Keverline Walls Low
Vision Rehabilitation Center, and the instructor of both the geometric optics and low vision rehabilitation courses at SCCO. Dr. Kammer is a diplomate of the Low Vision Section of the American
Academy of Optometry, and has lectured extensively at optometric and low vision conferences throughout the United States. She is the co-founder of the fourth annual Shared Visions art exhibit
featuring works of art from legally blind artists from all over the world.
Dr. Anne-Marie Lahr earned her optometric degree at the School of Optometry,
The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, in 1991. From 1991 through 1994, Dr. Lahr attained success in various private practice settings. From 1995 to 1996, she completed a primary care residency
at The Eye Institute at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, Philadelphia, as well as an international teaching fellowship at the Hogeschool van Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. Since that
time, Dr. Lahr has dedicated her career to teaching, twice earning the Clinical Science Teacher of the Year Award and, most recently, the Educator of the Year Award for Excellence in Teaching at
the Pennsylvania College of Optometry.
Based in Minneapolis, MN, Dr. Lahr has served in a number of leadership
positions in the American Optometric Association and has served as a member of the Clinical Practice Guidelines Committee to develop practice standards for optometry. He was AOA’s first
representative to the American Medical Association’s CPT coding Health Care Professional’s Advisory Committee. He is a well-known lecturer nationally and internationally. Dr. Lahr is an editorial
board member for Optometric Management and currently serves as the director of primary eye services for STAAR Surgical, Inc. and director for professional services for EyeMed Vision Care.
A graduate of SUNY State College of Optometry, Dr. Charissa Lee has a broad experience working in a wide range of practice modals. Dr. Lee’s zest for individualized vision care led her to start a private practice in Irvine, CA. Dr. Lee is actively involved in her optometric community. She has served as a consultant for various contact lens companies and has helped facilitate contact lens fitting events at the Southern California College of Optometry and SUNY in New York City. Her main area of focus is the Asian American Optometric Society (AAOS), where, for the past five years, Dr. Lee has served as an active board member. This society looks to promote cultural awareness, as well as to forge bonds between new graduates and established doctors. Dr. Lee is also a Professional Affairs Speaker and a Medical Affairs Consultant for VISTAKON, a Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care. Her goal is to extend the reach of the Professional Affairs Department, by working with eyecare practitioners on clinical issues and practice management strategies.
Dr. Anthony Litwak is the residency and student program director at the
Baltimore Veterans Administration Medical Center, and attending doctor at the Loch Raven Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic. He is adjunct clinical professor at the Pennsylvania College of
Optometry, State University of New York College of Optometry, and New England College of Optometry. Dr. Litwak is a founding member of the Optometric Glaucoma Society and National Glaucoma Society.
He is program director for ocular therapeutics in Cancun and a national and international lecturer on ocular disease. Dr. Litwak authored the textbook, The Glaucoma Handbook, and is past
editor-in-chief of Clinical Eye and Vision Care.
Dr. Clarke Newman is a University of Houston College of Optometry (UHCO)
graduate, for which he is currently an adjunct professor. He is in practice in Dallas, specializing in cornea and contact lenses. Dr. Newman is a Fellow and Diplomate in the American Academy of
Optometry. He is past president of the Texas Optometric Association (TOA), as well as a past “Optometrist of the Year.” Dr. Newman is also a past Southwest Council of Optometry Trustee, a Gas
Permeable Lens Institute board member, and serves on several AOA committees. He also contributes to Contact Lens Spectrum, and writes and lectures frequently.
Dr. Bruce E. Onofrey is a 1982 graduate of the Illinois College of
Optometry and completed his residency at the Albuquerque Veterans Administration Medical Center. He also has degrees in chemistry and pharmacy. He recently retired from the Lovelace Medical Center
Eye Department after 25 years where he served as the chief of optometry and vice-chairman of eye services. His most current position is as a clinical professor at the University of Houston and the
executive director of continuing education programs. His special interests include lectures in general and ocular pharmacology and clinical drug research. Dr. Onofrey is a frequent contributor to
ophthalmic literature. He is the current editor of Clinical Optometric Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and the author of The Ocular Therapeutics Handbook – A Clinical Manual.
Dr. Jim Owen is a graduate of the Illinois College of Optometry and has a
masters in business administration from San Diego State University. He has a private practice in Encinitas, CA. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, and a member of the American
Optometric Association, California Optometric Association and the San Diego County Optometric Society. As a member of AOA, Dr. Owen serves on its Refractive Surgery Committee. He is experienced in
developing and maintaining a network of referring doctors, as well as pre and post-operative care of ophthalmic surgery patients. Dr. Owen is uniquely trained in refractive surgery and eye disease.
He participates in clinical research for refractive surgery, dry eye and keratoconus. Frequently, he lectures at local and national optometric meetings on refractive surgery, and anterior segment
disease.
Phyllis Rakow is director of Contact Lens Services for The Princeton
Eye Group — a multi-specialty eye care practice with three offices in central New Jersey. She is a JCAHPO-certified ophthalmic medical technologist, an NCLE advanced-level contact lens technician,
and an honored Fellow of the Contact Lens Society of America. She has lectured throughout the United States and Canada, writes for numerous trade and professional publications, served a three-year
term on the board of directors of the Contact Lens Society of America, is serving her third term on the board of directors of the National Contact Lens Examiners, and is on the RGPLI Advisory
Committee. She wrote a chapter, “Art and the Eye,” that was published in the 8th edition of The Ophthalmic Assistant.
Dr. Rhonda Robinson received her doctorate from Indiana University School of Optometry. She is in private group practice in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dr. Robinson is an education consultant for Bausch & Lomb and travels extensively to all the optometry schools in North America, where she teaches the ins and outs of contact lenses to optometry students. She currently serves as president of Women of Vision — a mentoring, networking and educating professional organization for women optometrists. She is a frequent lecturer and her articles on contact lenses have been published in a number of periodicals, including Contact Lens Spectrum, Optometric Management, Refractive Eyecare, and Primary Care Optometry News. Dr. Robinson currently serves as a contributing editor to Optometric Management.
Dr. Glenda Secor is currently in private practice in Huntington Beach, CA. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, a Diplomate of the Cornea and Contact Lens Section, and is a past chair of the Section on Cornea, Contact Lenses and Refractive Technology. Dr. Secor is an active member of the American Optometric Association and currently serves as a council member of the Contact Lens and Cornea Section. In recent years, she served as the New Practitioner Practice Management Project Team chair. Her honors include being named California Optometrist of the Year in 2006 by the California Optometric Association; being named one of the “50 Most Influential Women in Optical” by Vision Monday in 2004; and being selected as Distinguished Practitioner in Optometry for the National Academies of Practice in 2003. Dr. Secor received her doctor of optometry degree from Indiana University.
Dr. Leo Semes is a professor of optometry and the director of continuing
education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.He earned his doctor of optometry degree from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) in Philadelphia and completed his residency at The
Eye Institute of PCO. Dr. Semes has authored or coauthored numerous articles, abstracts and several book chapters, and has authored over 125 scientific articles and posters. He is a Fellow of the
American Academy of Optometry, as well as an active member of the American Optometric Association. He has contributed as principal author and panel member for the AOA’s Clinical Practice Guidelines
for Ocular Surface Disease and Peripheral Retinal Disorders and Retinal Detachment. Dr. Semes is a founding member of the Optometric Glaucoma Society and a founding fellow of the Optometric Retina
Society.
Dr. Diana Shechtman is an associate professor of optometry at Nova
Southeastern University College of Optometry, where she serves as an attending optometric physician at the eye institute and diabetic/macula clinic. Dr. Shechtman is a member of the American
Optometric Association, and a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and the Optometric Retinal Society. Her area of interest has centered on retinal disease. She has participated in various
research projects, and authored numerous posters and publications. Dr. Shechtman is also a member of the editorial board for the Optometry journal, Optometry Times, and Review of
Optometry, where she co-authors the monthly “Research Review” column.
Dr. Paul Tornambe is the immediate past president of the American Society
of Retina Specialists. He is director of the San Diego Retina Research Foundation and is in active private practice with offices in La Jolla and Poway, CA. His practice is limited to medical and
surgical diseases of the retina and vitreous. Dr. Tornambe was director of the Retina Service at Loma Linda Hospital from 1980 to 1984, and has been an associate clinical professor in ophthalmology
at UCSD. He has been the principal clinical investigator for clinical research studies for new therapies for diabetes, macular degeneration and retinal detachment. Dr. Tornambe has published
extensively in the ophthalmology peer-reviewed literature on topics including diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration treatments. He invented several instruments used in vitrectomy surgery
and instruments to deliver laser into the eye.
Ms. Samantha Toth is a marketing consultant for Innereactive Media in
Grand Rapids, MI, and has worked in the optical industry for over 12 years. Her eight years of dispensing experience as an optician, coupled with ABO certification and a BA degree from Michigan
State University, give her a unique perspective on marketing private practices. Ms. Toth’s niche marketing experience has provided the opportunity to work with Transitions Optical, Hoya, Global
Optics and various private ophthalmic practices and laboratories.
Dr. Barry Weissman received his OD, MS and PhD in physiological optics
from the UC Berkeley School of Optometry. He joined UCLA in 1979 and is currently professor of ophthalmology and director of the Contact Lens Service at the Jules Stein Eye Institute. Dr. Weissman
has received numerous distinguished awards in recognition of his work. Dr. Weissman is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and a Diplomate in its Cornea-Contact Lens Section. He is a
member of the International Society for Contact Lens Research. He has served on the Examination Committee of the California State Board of Optometry, the UCLA Academic Senate Committee on
Educational Policy and Program Review and as an advisor to the FDA Ophthalmic Devices Panel.
Dr. Maurice J. Wilson currently practices out of two general eye care clinics &mdash one in north Houston, TX, and his new office in Thousand Oaks, CA. He specializes in contact lenses and is a clinical investigator for CIBA Vision. Dr. Wilson lectures internationally as a member of CIBA Visions’ speakers’ bureau and also serves as their professional development consultant for the Western United States. From 1986 to 2001, Dr. Wilson served as center director for ophthalmic surgery centers in Houston and San Antonio, TX, where he also conducted public and educational PRK/LASIK seminars. He has lectured on PRK and LASIK post-operative management and conducted numerous excimer laser workshops. He was a contributing author to Optometry Today and co-authored the first white paper on Hyperopic LASIK for Summit Technology. He was a clinical coordinator for Summit Technology’s FDA investigational LASIK studies, was a sub-investigator for the WaveLight Allegretto laser trial, and designed one of the first clinical/surgical instruments for hyperopic LASIK.
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