Hefner
VA Medical Center Optometry Service
Salisbury, North Carolina
Supporting the
Veterans Health Administration’s
Training & Education Mission
Optometry Training Program
Hefner VA Medical Center
Salisbury, North Carolina
Clinical Overview
- Primary Care Clinics
- Specialty Contact Lens Clinics
- Advanced Low Vision Clinic
- Geriatric Evaluation and Management Clinics
- Polytrauma/TBI Clinics
- Rotations with Ophthalmology Subspecialties
• Glaucoma
• Retina
• Cornea
Six positions available 2016/2017
2015-16 Optometry Residents
Mary Bowen (UAB)- Kevin Hart (SCO)
- Ashley Stowe (SCO)
- Aynsley Girardeau (UAB)
- Priya Joshi (UAB)
- Becky McLaughlin (NOVA)
Externship Program
Active educational program serving six affiliated schools or colleges of optometry
Academic Affiliations
Residency Program in Primary Eye Care
- Affiliated with Southern College of Optometry
Six Affiliated Externship Programs
- Southern College of Optometry
- Salus University (PCO)
- The Ohio State University
- NOVA Southeastern University
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Illinois College of Optometry
About the Salisbury VA
- One of the top five fastest growing VAMCs
- Third largest optometry program in the VA
- Optometry Service made up of over 40 staff based at four locations – including 19 staff optometrists
- On-Site Retina, Glaucoma, Cornea & Comprehensive Ophthalmology
- Optometry Service (Organized under the hospital’s Chief of Staff):
• Over 44,000 eye examinations
• Over 80,000 patient encounters (including low vision, telehealth, etc.)
Clinical Experience
Work with experienced providers from multiple disciplines
- Residents rotate with retina, glaucoma & cornea specialists
* Weekly case conferences and lecture presentations
Common Clinical Experiences
Emphasis on Ocular Disease
- Diabetic and other vascular diseases
- Age-related macular degeneration
- Glaucoma management
• Almost 3,000 active patients with glaucoma
- Ocular manifestations of systemic diseases
• Extensive experience with posterior segment
• On-site imaging & laboratory
• All medical records, images and reports available on the electronic medical record
Expanded Clinical Experiences
Advanced Low Vision (Residents & Externs)
- Staff doctors with extensive training and experience
- Wide range of low vision devices and equipment
- Multidisciplinary staff including certified staff in Low Vision Therapy, Orientation & Mobility, Vision Rehabilitation Training, and Computer
- Access
Neuro-Vision Rehabilitation (Residents & Externs)
- Experience with Acquired Brain Injury (Trauma, CVA, etc)
Specialty Contact Lenses (Residents)
Medically necessary contact lenses
- Keratoconus
- Post refractive
- Anisometropia
- High refractive error
- Glare protective
- Prosthetic lenses
Geriatric care (Residents & Externs)
- Extensive experience with older patients
- Bedside eye exams (occasional)
- Geriatric Evaluation and Management Clinic
• Separate Multi-disciplinary clinic including optometry
Research (available upon request)
- Opportunity to collaborate with local VA optometry researchers with over $1.8 million in funding for vision related projects
Facilities
Salisbury VA Medical Center
- Main hospital & Eye Clinics
- Optometry & Ophthalmology specialty care
- In-Patient, Long-Term & Most Out-Patient Specialty Care
Kernersville VA Health Care Center
- Optometry & Ophthalmology specialty care
- Advanced Low Vision
- Specialty Contact Lenses
Charlotte VA Health Care Center
- Optometry & Ophthalmology specialty care
- Advanced Low Vision
- Specialty Contact Lenses
Salisbury VA Medical Center
Salisbury Optometry Clinic
- 12 eye exam rooms (additional support rooms)
- Cirrus OCT (Posterior segment)
- Visante OCT (Anterior segment)
- Humphrey field analyzer
- Digital retinal camera
- Digital slit lamp camera
- Micro Perimeter
- Octopus Visual field
- Pentacam
Kernersville VA Health Care Center
Opening February 2016
- 16 Exam Lanes
- 2 Cirrus OCTs
• with OCT angiography
- Ocular Cameras
- Ocular Ultrasound
- Contact Lens Clinic
- Advanced Low Vision
Charlotte VA Health Care Center
Opening April 2016
- 22 Exam Lanes
- 2 Cirrus OCTs
• with OCT angiography
- Pentacam
- Ocular Cameras
- Ocular Ultrasound
- Contact Lens Clinic
- Advanced Low Vision
Faculty
Gary Mancil, OD, FAAO
Optometry Service Chief
SCO Graduate- Birmingham VA/UAB Residency
• Low Vision Rehabilitation
- UAB School of Behavioral Sciences
• Graduate Certificate in Social Gerontology
- Former UAB Faculty Member
- Former Full-Time Private Practice
- Funded Researcher and Former Chair of R&D Committee at Salisbury VAMC
- Author & Lecturer
Jeff Joy, OD, FAAO
Salisbury VA Optometry Residency Director- IU graduate
• six month rotation at Bascom-Palmer Institute
- Residency, Baltimore VAMC
- Author & Lecturer
- NBEO examiner
Charles (Jack) Davis, OD, MA, MPH, MHA
UAB graduate- Masters Degrees
• Psychology
• Public Health
• Health Administration
- Residency, Tuscaloosa VAMC
- Former Faculty Member NSU
- Former Full-Time Private Practice
- Assistant Chief Optometry Service
Ania Hamp, OD, FAAO
NSU Graduate- Residency, Memphis VAMC
- Private practice experience in multidisciplinary practice
- Author & Lecturer
- NC state board examiner
- NBEO examiner
- Chief, Charlotte Optometry Section
Robert Morris, OD, FAAO
Ohio State Optometry Graduate- Residency, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
- Private practice experience in a multi-disciplinarypractice
- Author & Lecturer
- NBEO examiner
- Chief, Teleretinal Imaging Section
Diana Mah, OD, FAAO
PCO Graduate- Residency, Salisbury VAMC
- Private practice experience in a solo optometry practice
- Author & Lecturer
- NBEO examiner
- Chief, Winston-Salem Optometry Section
Philip Roels, OD, FAAO
Michigan College of Optometry- Residency, Kansas City VAMC
- Private practice experience in multidisciplinary practice
- Author & Lecturer
Susan Yee, OD, FAAO
UAB graduate- Residency, Salisbury VAMC
- Private optometry practice experience
Joan Sears, OD, FAAO
ICO graduate- Residency, Illinois Eye Institute, Primary Care
- Former ICO Faculty
- Private optometry practice experience
- Author & Lecturer
- NBEO examiner
- Researcher
- Extern Coordinator
Kristin Richwine, OD, FAAO
IU graduate- Residency, Marion, IL VAMC
- Private Practice Experience
Felix M. Barker, II, OD, MS, FAAO
Vision Center of Excellence Staff (VAand DoD)- IU graduate
- Masters in Vision Science (University of Houston)
- Former Professor and Dean of Research, PCO at Salus University
- Active Researcher
Elizabeth Cody, OD
ICO graduate- Residency, Salisbury VA Medical Center
- Private optometry practice experience
- Author & Lecturer
Justin Cole, OD
NECO graduate- Residency, White River Junction VA Medical Center
- AOA Federal Relations Committee
- Private optometry practice experience
Jarett Mazzarella, OD, FAAO
PCO graduate- Residency, Salisbury VA Medical Center
- Private optometry practice experience
- NBEO examiner
Patti Fuhr, OD, FAAO
- OD University of Houston College of Optometry
- Residency in Geriatrics and Low Vision Rehabilitation, Birmingham VAMC
- PhD in Physiological Optics, University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Specialty: Low Vision Rehabilitation
- Research: Low Vision Rehabilitation, Quality of Life, Outcomes
- Position: Chief, Advanced Low Vision Section
Kristine Loo, OD
Staff Optometrist- Primary Care Residency at W.G. (Bill) Hefner VAMC, Salisbury, NC, 2013-14
- Illinois College of Optometry, Chicago, IL, Class of 2013
- Furman University, Greenville, SC, Class of 2007 (BS) and Class of 2008 (MS)
Meredith Leblanc, OD
Staff Optometrist- Charlotte CBOC- Primary Care Residency Salisbury VA Medical Center
- Private Practice Experience
Shradha S. Parikh, OD
- Staff Optometrist-Charlotte CBOC
- U.C. Berkeley School of Optometry
- Residency, Kansas City VAMC
- Experience in vision rehabilitation for Low Vision and TBI
Kathy Halverson, OD, FAAO
- NSU Graduate
- Residency, New Mexico VAMC
- Former Chief, New Mexico VAHCS (1996-2014)
- Research/Author: Glaucoma
- Staff Optometrist, Charlotte Optometry Section
Aaron Tarbett, OD, FAAO
Staff Optometrist- Ohio State Optometry Graduate
- Former White House Optometry Consultant and Chief of Optometry at Walter Reed Army Medical Center
- Researcher, Author & Lecturer
- Private practice experience
Ophthalmology Section Staff
- Chandra Altemare, MD
Ophthalmology Chief
NEI Uveitis Fellowship trained
- Greg Kaufmann, MD
Cornea Fellowship trained
- Rupal Chiniwalla, MD
Glaucoma Fellowship trained
- Bob Green, MD
Comprehensive Ophthalmology
- Thomas Brewington, MD
Comprehensive Ophthalmology
Salisbury VA Residency Program Strengths
- Diverse backgrounds of staff ODs representing multiple optometry training programs
- Large patient volume
- Weekly educational conferences
• Case presentations
• Fluorescein discussion
• OCT discussion
• Lectures by Staff Doctors and Residents
Committed to Veteran Care and Educating Future Generations of Optometrists
Contact:
Jeffrey T. Joy, OD, FAAO
Residency Supervisor
Jeffrey.Joy1@va.gov