June 19, 2024 — The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) has announced the recipients of the 2024 Special Recognition Awards.
Karla Zadnik, O.D., Ph.D., has received the Lifetime Achievement Award, which honors individuals who have provided exceptional leadership to ASCO and optometric education. Dr. Zadnik is the interim executive vice president and provost of Ohio State University and the interim dean of its College of Public Health, previously serving as dean of Ohio State’s College of Optometry. Dr. Zadnik is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and a prominent researcher in optometry and vision science. She earned her degrees from the University of California Berkeley School of Optometry and was inducted into the school’s hall of fame in 2023. Additionally, she has held leadership positions in several optometric organizations and chaired National Institutes of Health-funded studies.
Jorge Cuadros, O.D., Ph.D., is the third recipient of the Herbert Wertheim Award, which recognizes individuals or organizations with high-impact, innovative programs in eye and vision health. Dr. Cuadros founded EyePACS, a program for detecting retinal and systemic disease used in over 1,000 community health centers that has provided more than 1.3 million telemedicine-based retinal exams. He has conducted several clinical trials on innovative technologies; co-authored three books (“Teleophthalmology,” “Digital Teleretinal Screening,” and “Digital Eye Care and Teleophthalmology”); and serves as assistant clinical professor and director of informatics research at the University of California, Berkeley, Optometric Eye Center.
Carl Hubbell Spear, O.D., MBA, FAAO, has received the Ophthalmic Industry Leadership Award, which recognizes an individual from a corporate contributor partner company for exemplary support of ASCO and its member institutions. Actively involved in the American Academy of Optometry and the Florida Optometric Association, Dr. Spear is chief medical officer and executive vice president of EssilorLuxottica North America and has held various significant positions in the optometric industry in addition to serving in the U.S. Armed Forces for 39 years.
Jennifer Fisher, O.D., FAAO, is the recipient of the Rising Star Award, which honors an outstanding faculty member or administrator with less than seven years of service. Dr. Fisher is an assistant clinical professor at the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry at UC Berkeley and serves as the co-chief of the Binocular Vision Clinic. She has received several awards for her contributions to optometry. Currently serving as the chair of the ASCO Binocular Vision and Perception SIG, Dr. Fisher helps patients with learning-related vision issues, strabismus, amblyopia, and those that have suffered acquired brain injuries.
Sam Wetzel has won the 2024 Student Award in Clinical Ethics, an Alcon-sponsored national award for optometry students at ASCO-affiliated schools in the U.S. and Canada. Wetzel is a student at the University of Houston, College of Optometry, and his winning essay, “Should I Say Something? The Ethics of Reporting Suicide Attempts in Minors,” will be featured in an upcoming journal of Optometric Education.
Award winners were acknowledged during ASCO’s Annual Business Meeting on June 19.