2021-Annual-Report

ALUMNI MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Alumna of the Year Finds Inspiration in her Patients

Graduate Boosts Visual Fitness in Amateur and Elite Athletes

Drs. Frank Barnes and Tanya Carter with their daughter, Adrienne, and son, Frank Barnes, III.

The 2021 Alumna of the Year, Neera Kapoor, OD, MS ’94, is a graduate who continues to demonstrate her dedication to the profession and the College through volunteering, publishing, participating in organized practice, and a commitment to community service. Dr. Kapoor credits her parents and professors at SUNY College of Optometry with fostering her future in the optometric field, and her patients with inspiring her to do her very best each day.

Alumna and neuro-optometrist Anne Reuter-Hanna, OD, ’08, says a visit to the eye doctor as a college student-athlete not only improved her performance in the classroom and on the playing field—it opened her eyes to what would become her life’s work. “I was a biochemistry major and a highly competitive soccer player at the University of Wisconsin. In my fourth year, I started to get headaches. Although I had near-perfect sight, it was my mother who suggested that I go to see the eye doctor because “Vision is more than just about 20/20,” recalled Reuter-Hanna, who was diagnosed with convergence excess, a condition where the eyes tend to aim inward during reading and close work. “I went through a vision training program, and the first thing I noticed was that my game got better, then my academics improved, and my headaches went away. That’s when I knew I needed to do this for

With a passion for learning and caring for patients, Dr. Kapoor journeyed from pupil to professional at SUNY Optometry, receiving her MS, OD, and Residency Certificate from the College. She rose to Associate Clinical Professor by 2003 and served as Chief of Vision Rehabilitation Services from 2010 to 2015. In 2016, she transitioned to NYU Grossman School of Medicine, where she currently holds the rank of Clinical Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine and conducts clinical research. She also provides clinical care for outpatients and inpatients in her work as a neuro-optometrist at Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Health. “Receiving the SUNY Optometry Alumna of the Year Award is a very great honor because it comes from my colleagues: my fellow SUNY Optometry grads. We know about our wonderful alma mater and how it changed our lives for the better,” says Dr. Kapoor. “I hope SUNY Optometry continues to inspire, educate, and graduate future alumni for generations to come.” “ Every patient encounter inspires me, as I am sure it does for fellow alums, to do my very best by the patient by applying the optometric educational and clinical foundation instilled in me from SUNY Optometry.” — Dr. Neera Kapoor

Surrounding Himself with the Best and Brightest Many SUNY College of Optometry graduates give back to the school, but few do it with the consistency and dedication of Arkady Selenow, OD, FAAO ‘81. As co-owner of two New York City-based optometry practices, he knows just where to look when it is time to hire: his alma mater. It is a habit that assures him that his practice is staffed by the brightest and best in the industry— and it also means he is always surrounded by those with the knowledge taught at the College. Beyond the practical, it also allows Dr. Selenow to indulge his creative impulses, including in corporate research. “Regarding research, think outside the box and don’t be afraid to suggest and try something that seems impossible,” he believes. “So many of our current research projects would have seemed impossible to me just ten years ago.”

other people.” Inspired by her patient experience,

Dr. Reuter-Hanna began her professional journey by working as a vision therapist for her eye doctor. “After two years, I knew I wanted to become a doctor. I asked what the best school for vision therapy is—and he said SUNY.” Today, Dr. Reuter-Hanna runs her private practice in New York, specializing

Alumna Dr. Reuter- Hanna enhances sports play through visual fitness.

Partnering for Success in Life and Practice Over 35 years ago, two students at SUNY College of Optometry embarked on a journey that not only led to fulfilling careers but also a life spent together. Today, husband and wife team Frank Barnes, Jr., OD, ’86, and Tanya Carter, OD, ’87, are parents of two grown children and partners in a comprehensive optometric practice in Montclair, New Jersey, a venture they began in 1991 that continues

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in neuro-cognitive and athletic vision performance for athletes of all ages and skill levels, with emphasis on helping amateurs become elite players. Her work includes serving as the exclusive sports vision doctor for the John McEnroe Tennis Academy in New York City and Long Island, working primarily with youth, and providing care for patients at the NYC Brain Injury Center. She also devotes time to outreach programs that provide vision services to at-risk women and children. “For a long time, sports performance focused on fitness. Then it was nutrition and sports psychology. Now we’re looking at what else we can change and understand that it all starts in the eye,” explained Dr. Reuter-Hanna. “We see mostly with our brain—an area that can be molded, changed, fortified, and enhanced to increase performance. It’s an obvious connection that is finally catching on.”

to grow in size and reputation. Following a college-supported trip to the NOA convention, Dr. Barnes was inspired, along with peers at SUNY Optometry, to begin a chapter of NOSA (National Optometric Student Association). Dr. Carter joined NOSA that same

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year as a new student to the College. “It is good to see the chapter has grown and is still going strong at SUNY,” said Dr. Barnes, who currently serves as Vice President of NOA.

Dr. Frank Barnes (left) and Dr. Tanya Carter with children Adrienne S. Barnes and Frank Barnes, III

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