2021-Annual-Report

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS

Largest Residency Class Begins Training

Despite COVID-19 obstacles, Class of 2025 adapts to the latest healthcare and social challenges College Celebrates 50th Entering Class Orientation activities included small group discussions to foster class comradery.

One of the first residency programs in the country has trained over 1,000 optometric residents

nearly 20 practice areas, including the first established brain injury program in the nation. “The broad scope of residencies offered at SUNY Optometry allow new doctors the opportunity to work with diverse populations and complex cases,” said vision therapy resident Chizoba Heather Ogoke, OD. “While in high school, my family eye doctor, Tanya Carter, OD, ’87, diagnosed me with convergence insufficiency and prescribed vision therapy. Since then, I knew I wanted to specialize in this field and have worked with Dr. Carter and Dr. [Frank] Barnes, ’86, in their practice,” added Dr. Ogoke. “I have a personal connection to my career path and know that a residency at SUNY is top-notch.”

SUNY Optometry welcomed 43 residents hailing from regions close to home and across the nation this academic year, including 22 recent graduates from SUNY Optometry and one candidate in the final leg of a joint residency/ graduate degree in vision science. This year’s residency class represents the largest in the College’s history. “As the site of the first established residency [in optometry] in the country, residents who graduate from our program are well respected and are truly elevated to a different level,” said Director of Residency Programming, Diane Adamczyk, OD. “We set the pace that other colleges and residency programs follow.” Optometric residency at the College began in 1974 with a program in vision therapy. Since that time, residencies affiliated with and at the College have expanded to

The Class of 2025 embarked on their first semester of study this August, marking the College’s 50th entering class since its founding in 1971. The group of aspiring optometrists is made up of 98 new students. Nearly half the entering class is comprised of students from outside the New York region, including 14 states and 6 students from Canada and abroad. Closer to home, the Class of 2025 features College faculty and alumni legacies as well as 16 students who are graduates of other SUNY institutions. The class is also among the College’s most diverse group of optometrists in training, including 9 percent Black and Latinx students and 35 percent first-generation students. “It’s an exciting time for our College community, including more than 3,400 alumni who represent the growth and success of our institution,” said SUNY Optometry President David A. Heath, OD, EdM. “This year’s class embodies our progress not only in optometric education but also in the changing landscape of healthcare.”

“Despite these challenges, the class remained committed to their goal of becoming optometrists, including completion of all enrollment requirements, and are among the most competitive optometry students in the nation.”

“Approximately 80 percent of this class reported being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in their academic pursuits. This includes completing their courses in non- traditional formats (either virtually or hybrid), a shift in their extracurriculars, and/or an impact on their overall livelihood,” explained Director of Admissions Christian Alberto, EdD.

Residents began the next phase of training in August 2021.

ANNUAL REPORT 11

10 SUNY OPTOMETRY ANNUAL REPORT