SUNY Annual Report 2019

Summer Mission Trip to Vietnam This past July, Dr. Tracy Nguyen, Dr. Andrea Friedman '15, and second-year students Jessica Hoang and Caroline Crisostomo, participated in a medical mission trip to DaNang, Vietnam, with an organization called Vietnam Health Clinic. With the partnership of a local hospital, they were able to provide free cataract surgery and follow-up care for 12 patients. 130+ volunteers dedicated their time and hard work to serve more than 1,600 patients in 4 villages during the two weeks in Vietnam. Jessica Hoang described her life-changing participation:

“It was an amazing experience! We learned a lot, gaining clinical experience and understanding patients. Words cannot really describe what I learned from the experience. There is a long list of little things that I truly think impacted my life from this trip. I saw how just a short interaction for optometric care can change an individual and even their family’s lives. There were a variety of different health care providers, and I learned how we can work with other providers to provide the best care for an individual.”

Erin Lutley ’20 Leading the Field Before Graduation Many optometrists come to the field because of positive memories of a childhood spent at the eye doctor. But Erin Lutley ‘20 had just one eye exam under her belt when she entered SUNY Optometry in 2016. She found her way to the profession not because of a past experience, but because of the future she envisioned for herself.

Transitions Optical student ambassador, and being the student representative on the College Council. She is also a Special Olympics volunteer. It is all, by anyone’s assessment, a lot. But this is, in Lutley’s view, necessary. “It is so important to me to be active beyond courses and academics, and I believe attending conferences and being a student leader are what have made me who I am,” she says. SUNY Optometry students actively participate in the national SOLutioN organization having held leadership roles on the board of directors for the past four years. Lutley is currently joined on the board by fellow SUNY Optometry student, Emily Shtull ’21.

Last spring, Lutley took on the role as national President for SOLutioN, Student Optometric Leadership Network. This is in addition to the work she does on campus participating in a number of committees, serving as the

102 Degrees awarded in 2019

41 Residency certificates

2019 Annual Report 5