SCO News

Southern College of Optometry recently announced the addition of three optometrists to its faculty: Dr. Kristin Adams, Dr. Ryan Anderson and Dr. David Hall. The three serve as clinic attending optometrists at The Eye Center at SCO, the largest vision care provider in the Mid-South region.

“Drs. Adams, Anderson and Hall bring quality experience in providing primary vision care,” said SCO President Dr. Lewis Reich. “They possess the leadership and passion to readily prepare our students and shape them into strong, confident optometrists.”

Adams makes her return to SCO, where she completed her residency in 2018. Most recently, she taught pediatrics and vision therapy at the Midwestern University Chicago College of Optometry. Adams earned her Doctor of Optometry degree from Inter American University of Puerto Rico, where she ranked eighth in her graduating class. Upon graduation, she began her residency at SCO concentrating in vision therapy, low vision rehabilitation and neuro-optometric rehabilitation. Adams earned a Bachelor of Arts in pre-optometry studies from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota.

 Prior to joining SCO, Anderson served patients in a private practice in Searcy, Arkansas. He also attended Midwestern University to earn his Doctor of Optometry. Anderson then went on to complete his residency at the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System through the Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B. Ketchum University.

Before moving to Memphis, Hall practiced optometry for more than 20 years and served as a partner at a multi-doctor practice in Oklahoma. He specialized in complete primary eye care with an emphasis on medical management of ocular pathology and trauma, as well as anterior segment lasers. Hall earned his Doctor of Optometry from the Oklahoma College of Optometry at Northeastern State University. He earned a bachelor’s degree in general science with an emphasis in chemistry and biochemistry from Harding University. He is currently a member of the American Optometric Association, the Tennessee Association of Optometric Physicians and the Northwest Tennessee Optometric Society.

At its fall meeting, SCO's Board of Trustees approved the establishment of a $25,000 Dr. C. Clayton Powell Memorial Scholarship in honor of the optometry pioneer who died recently at age 93.

In 1969, Dr. Powell co-founded the National Optometric Association as a nationally recognized organization comprised of Black doctors of optometry.

SCO's new scholarship will provide $1,000 a year to reimburse SCO student travel to the annual NOA meeting, in perpetuity.

“Dr. Powell was a legendary figure in optometry circles, so it was fitting that SCO honor his life’s work through this scholarship,” said SCO President Dr. Lewis Reich. 

“Thanks to the leadership of our Board of Trustees, optometry students will be empowered to travel to the NOA meeting that Dr. Powell worked to nurture over the last half-century,” Dr. Reich said.

Dr. Powell is pictured visiting the SCO campus a few years ago.

The American Academy of Optometry annual meeting previously scheduled to be held in Nashville this year instead has gone virtual. Attendees are viewing lectures and poster presentations that began last week and continue through October 22. Several SCO faculty and residents are participating.

Faculty member Catherine Hogan, OD '17, represented the Tennessee Chapter of AAO at the National Chapter's Committee meeting. She was also nominated and recognized as Vice Chair of the AAO Chapter's Committee, and will begin her term as Vice Chair officially in January 2021. Congratulations, Dr. Hogan!

Congratulations are also in order for a number of alumni who became new Fellows of the American Academy of Optometry, including SCO faculty member Mike Gerstner, OD '97!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Southern College of Optometry hosted a virtual Convocation ceremony in September 2020. The event included a welcome from SCO President Lewis Reich, OD, PhD, and award presentations announced by Awards Committee Chair, Taylor Keys, OD ’12.

A video recording of the event may be watched below, or on our YouTube channel.

Additionally, you may view the program for the ceremony by clicking here or here (for a version for mobile devices.)

Congratulations to all of this year’s recipients, including:

Basic Science and Clinical Science

1ST YEAR CLINICAL SCIENCE AWARDS (Plaque)

• Lane Brown ’23
• Gabrielle Crockett ’23
• Seth Jones ’23
• Mary Beth Jones ’23
• Yu “Jamie” Kao ’23
• Will Kreuser ’23
• Kendra Raths ’23
• Karrie Sestak ’23
• Ashley Shannon ’23
• Caroline Sutton ’23

1ST YEAR BASIC SCIENCE AWARDS (Plaque)

Christopher Frampton ’23

• Ethan Gerstein ’23
• Laurel Heskett ’23
• Seth Jones ’23
• Will Kreuser ’23
• Tanner LaFont ’23
• Molly McNally ’23
• Adam Reichert ’23
• Ashley Shannon ’23
• Caroline Sutton ’23

2ND YEAR CLINICAL SCIENCE AWARDS (Plaque)

• Andrew Barrows ’22
• Shane Benally ’22
• Jessica Crum ’22
• Andrew Dahl ’22
• Serene Darwish ’22
• Abigail Klick ’22
• Jessica Kongelf ’22
• Holly Pederson ’22
• Christopher Pope ’22
• Macy Sparks ’22

2ND YEAR BASIC SCIENCE AWARDS (Plaque)

• Stephania Carreno ’22
• Alexandria Cloud ’22
• Andrew Dahl ’22
• Nathan DeClue ’22
• Kalina Harrell ’22
• Ann McLean ’22
• Holly Pederson ’22
• Rachel Steele ’22
• Lindsay Thornton ’22
• Alexandria Turner ’22

3RD YEAR CLINICAL SKILLS AWARDS (Plaque and $1,000)

• Logan Bone ’21
• Samantha Davis ’21
• Hannah Fann ’21
• Ishan Gandhi ’21
• Anna Girsky ’21
• Samantha Harris ’21
• Meade Kendrick ’21
• Anna Katherine Lansdell ’21
• Alexis Williams Smith ’21
• Kelsey Whitcomb ’21
• Valerie Williams ’21

Military Services Scholarships

• U.S. ARMY Karli Boober ’23
• U.S. NAVY Bert Ketchum ’21

Class Scholarships

The following Endowed Class Scholarships recognize outstanding leadership and professionalism by members of the Classes of 2021, 2022 and 2023.

CLASSES OF ’54, ’56, ’59 SCHOLARSHIP ($1,000)

Tessa Lau ’22

CLASSES OF ’60, ’61, ’63 SCHOLARSHIP ($2,000)

Anna Britt ’23

CLASSES OF ’64, ’65, ’66 SCHOLARSHIP ($2,000)

Gabby Magee ’22

CLASSES OF ’68, ’69 SCHOLARSHIP ($1,000)

Marie Huegel ’21

Lauren Watson ’21

CLASSES OF ’70, ’71, ’74 SCHOLARSHIP ($1,500)

Caitlyn Stakeley ’21

Autumn Killop ’21

CLASS OF 1977 SCHOLARSHIP ($4,000)

Casey Krug ’21

CLASS OF 1978 SCHOLARSHIP ($3,000)

Samantha Harris ’21

CLASS OF 1983 SCHOLARSHIP ($1,000)

Lindsay Thornton ’22

CLASS OF 1984 SCHOLARSHIP ($2,000)

Jackie Malish ’23

CLASS OF 1997

JIMMY SHERIDAN MEMORIAL AWARD ($1,000)

Nathan Jackson ’21

CLASS OF 2001

SCOTT WHITAKER MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP ($1,000)

Morgan Mathis ’23

Alumni and Friends

SCO alumni and friends generously support and recognize academic accomplishments and leadership within the student body. As such, the following endowed scholarships and awards have been established in support of SCO students.

ALUMNI COUNCIL ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP ($1,000)

Kelsey Whitcomb ’21

CHUCK AND CAROLE ALDRIDGE ENDOWED AWARD

($1,000)

Casey Krug ’21

DR. ALLAN AND MRS. SUSAN BARKER ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP ($2,000)

Riley Laster ’21

Monica Bhula ’21

Anita Nguyen ’21

DRS. BERGER & MOSCOW FAMILY ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP ($1,000)

Nathan Keyes ’22

CHARLES A. CALLAWAY ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP ($1,000)

Ye Ji Kim ’21

Neda Norouzi ’21

Stephania Carreno ’22

DR. FREDDY WILFRED CHANG ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP ($1,000)

Brittany Darnley ’21

JERRY L. CLAY ENDOWED AWARD ($1,000)

Sophia Johnson ’21

DR. STAN DICKERSON LEADERSHIP AWARD ($1,000)

Marie Huegel ’21

DR. FRED FARIAS ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP ($1,000)

Pooja Alloju ’21

DR. JOHN A. GAZAWAY ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP ($2,000)

Jake Haberman ’21

DR. CHARLES L. HAINE HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY ENDOWED AWARD ($1,000)

Laurel Heskett ’23

Student Awards and Recognition

DR. RICHARD L. HOPPING ENDOWED ETHICS AWARD ($2,000)

Chisom Chukwumerije ’21

DR. LES MANNING ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP ($1,000)

Seth Jones ’23

WILLIAM D. MCAFEE, OD ’51 ENDOWED AWARD ($1,000)

Aaliyah Cole ’22

MAULDIN FAMILY MEMORIAL ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP ($1,000)

Jacquelyn Brown ’21

WAYNE W. PYEATT ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP ($2,000)

Braden Sorensen ’22

PEGGY REMKE MEMORIAL ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP ($2,000)

Brooke Spivey ’21

ROSEMORE FAMILY ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP ($2,000)

Samantha Harris ’21

Morgan Mathis ’23

Samantha Lee ’21

Alexandria Cloud ’22

W. DAVID SULLINS ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP FOR LEADERSHIP ($1,000)

Trevor Smith ’21

Matthew Eidom ’23

KANSAS ALUMNI ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP ($1,000)

Ann McLean ’22

State and Professional Associations

AUXILIARY TO THE ARKANSAS OPTOMETRIC ASSOCIATION ($1,000)

Walker Jarrett ’21

KENTUCKY OPTOMETRIC ASSOCIATION SCHOLARSHIPS ($1,000)

Lindsey McCallon ’21

Daniel Bloemer ’21

MISSISSIPPI OPTOMETRIC ASSOCIATION, HONORING DR. WILLIAM E. COCHRAN ($1,000)

Anna Katherine Lansdell ’21

DR. MILTON WEBB OPTOMETRIC LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE SCHOLARSHIP ($1,500)

Andrew Murphy ’23

Corporate Partners and Ophthalmic Industry

COOPER VISION/ASCO STUDENT RELIEF PROGRAM ($1,500)

Nathaniel Jensen ’21

Jacqueline Dang ’23

OCULAR INSTRUMENTS AWARD (Product Certificate)

Adam Reichert ’23

Brittany Darnley ’21

Holly Pederson ’22

REVIEW OF OPTOMETRY AND THE RICK BAY FOUNDATION FOR EXCELLENCE IN EYECARE EDUCATION AWARD ($500)

Hannah Fann ’21

For the 24th consecutive year, Southern College of Optometry has a 0% cohort default rate among its graduates. According to fiscal year 2017 figures released by the Federal Department of Education, the average national cohort default rate is 9.7%, down from 10.1% the year before. The cohort rate is the percentage of a school’s borrowers who default on their student loans.

“At a time when student loan debt is at an all-time high and pandemic-related job insecurity is hitting all sectors, seeing our students continually succeed in their careers via their ability to repay their loans is encouraging,” said Dr. Lewis Reich, president of SCO. “It’s a testament to the value of their optometry degrees, but – more specifically – to the value of that degree from SCO. This being the 24th year without default, it’s also indicative of their professional strength regardless of the national economic landscape.”

SCO was the only Memphis college, one of just two colleges in Tennessee, and one of only a handful of standalone optometry colleges nationwide with a 0% default rate. The other Tennessee college with 0% default is the Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia in Madison.