April 19, 2023 — Prevent Blindness has announced Ohio State University (OSU) associate professor Dean A. VanNasdale Jr., O.D., Ph.D., as the recipient of the 2023 Jenny Pomeroy Award for Excellence in Vision and Public Health and Christina Ambrosino, medical student at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, as the recipient of the fourth annual Rising Visionary Award.
 
Selected by a committee of volunteers consisting of leaders and professionals in the ophthalmology, optometry, advocacy, public health, and scientific communities, both award recipients will host presentations at the 12th annual Focus on Eye Health Summit set to take place as a virtual interactive event Wednesday and Thursday, July 12-13.
 
Presented annually to an individual, team, or organization that has made significant contributions to vision and eye health, the Jenny Pomeroy Award for Excellence in Vision and Public Health serves as a living memorial to Pomeroy, who served as the CEO of Prevent Blindness Georgia from 1996 until 2013.
 
This year, Dr. VanNasdale was selected in recognition of his contributions to vision and public health research, including his efforts developing state profiles related to vision health for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Vision Health Initiative. He is also conducting work that uses multiple surveys and administrative sources to estimate the impact of state policies on improving access to eye care in Ohio. Additionally, he worked with VisionServe Alliance to develop state-level profiles regarding vision and health status among older people. Currently, Dr. VanNasdale works as a mentor to master’s and Ph.D. students working in population health at the OSU College of Optometry, serves on the advisory committee for the Center for Vision and Population Health at Prevent Blindness, and is a member of the Vision and Eye Health Surveillance System expert panel for NORC at the University of Chicago and the CDC.
 
This year, Prevent Blindness asked a question related to the 2023 Focus on Eye Health National Summit theme, “Why the Eye?” According to Prevent Blindness, Ambrosino earned the Rising Visionary Award with her essay that championed the importance and effectiveness of trainee-led vision screening organizations, which can foster trainee interest in eyecare careers.
 
“Congratulations to Dr. Dean VanNasdale and Christina Ambrosino on these incredible achievements and for their outstanding work to help improve vision and eye health,” says Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. “We look forward to their presentations at our Focus on Eye Health Summit and to seeing their important work advancing in the future!”
 
For more information: preventblindness.org.