2022-Annual-Report

Leveraging five decades of advancing eye and vision care, SUNY College of Optometry sees value in collaboration, diversity, and innovation. Forging a Future of Collaboration & Diversity

To be a leader in optometric education and vision research means that it is not enough to simply train the next generation of eye and vision care professionals; rather one must be the example, setting the standards to which others aspire. Through the development of an innovative curriculum, the establishment of diverse clinical care environments, and the advancement of research and discovery, SUNY College of Optometry is helping set the course for a profession increasingly in demand and providing critical services within the health care delivery system. The College’s recent achievements demonstrate a commitment to embracing the more complex and interdisciplinary focus within healthcare. These efforts position the College at the forefront of the profession, and include, among others, a partnership with SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University School of Public Health, strategic initiatives to enhance the optometric workforce upstate, supporting new faculty as they advance their careers, delivering the training required by the Orals Bill, and expanding the number of NYC H+H sites. Affiliations such as these provide students and residents with invaluable and diverse learning environments, open new avenues for research, promote job opportunities, as well as provide access to much needed care to underserved communities. Improving diversity, equity, and inclusion across the profession is integrated into each goal within the College’s updated Strategic Plan, from enhanced training for faculty and staff and an annual Race in Optometry webinar, to more than a decade of concentrated recruitment

programs through the state-supported CSTEP program and more recently Eye-CARE Camp. Further, the Diversity and Inclusion Masterplan 2.0 brings forward the resolute commitment to ensuring the optometric

profession reflects the diversity of the communities served. This momentum was

set by the collection of business leaders, educators, optometrists, and donors who founded SUNY College of Optometry, establishing a commitment to advancing optometric education and the profession long beyond its 50-year history. Today, more than 3,500 students and residents have graduated from the College’s highly regarded programs, helping thousands of people across the globe each year.

Continuing to advance the optometric workforce, SUNY Forging the Future

Optometry is engaging in a new collaboration with SUNY Upstate Medical University.

2022 ANNUAL REPORT 7