Centennial
Already engaged when they started at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO), Leonard Messner, OD ’84, Resident ’85, FAAO and Stephanie Messner, OD ’84, Resident ’85, FAAO set their sights on achieving greatness as a power-couple early-on.
When they started the application process to PCO, and were both granted interviews, they decided to schedule them independently as Dr. Stephanie Messner didn’t want to appear as though she was following her future husband to optometry school. “As it turned out, we independently scheduled on the same day,” she said.
For the most part, being students together was easy – each had different strengths and was able to help each other with their studies. They even had a bit of a friendly competition when it came to exam scores and grades. Even in the same residency class, they spent a lot of time discussing cases and working on presentations – and they still bounce ideas off of each other nearly daily.
“Being in the same career, and working at the same location as your spouse can be challenging,” she said. And, it took a conscious effort to keep both career and home-life separate.
Both have made careers at the Illinois College of Optometry (ICO) – Dr. Leonard Messner is the vice president for Patient Care Services and Dr. Stephanie Messner is vice president and dean for Academic Affairs.
While they have done almost everything together, they will again take a huge step for both of their careers by accepting the Pennsylvania College of Optometry Presidential Medal of Honor on Friday, April 26 as part of PCO’s Centennial Anniversary celebration.
Drs. Messner and Messner continue to make PCO proud and were selected along with 33 other awardees for the Presidential Medals of Honor because of their contributions to optometric education.
“I am most humbled to be one of the Presidential Medal of Honor recipients at this momentous occasion,” said Dr. Leonard Messner. “As I reflect on the past medal awardees and those being recognized at the Centennial Anniversary, words cannot express my gratitude. I am also delighted that both Stephanie and I are receiving this most prestigious award.”
Looking back at his education at PCO, Dr. Messner believes the clinical training and mentorship he received has been incalculable in his career trajectory. “My professors not only furnished me with the requisite skills to succeed, but also instilled in me a special culture and philosophy that I have carried forward,” he said. He also considers himself blessed to still consider many of the professors he had during his time at PCO among his best friends.
Dr. Messner recalls something his great uncle Pete told him years ago: “Boy, develop your intellect.” And, it is with similar advice that he provides current PCO students: “PCO/Salus has given you the building blocks necessary for a successful career – it is your obligation to make the most of it,” he said.
Dr. Stephanie Messner was “surprised” when she received the call from PCO Dean, Melissa Trego, OD ’04, Resident ’09, PhD. “To be included in the same group with many of my mentors is an incredible honor,” she said. “I hold each of them in such high esteem. And, of course sharing the honor with others from my era at PCO, including Len, is very rewarding.”
She feels fortunate to be a PCO alumna and believes that when she chose the program that really embraced the medical model of optometry, it set her on a path that enabled her to bring that model of eye care to another institution. After completing her residency at The Eye Institute, it made her realize she wanted a career in academia as a direct result of the many teaching opportunities she received during her year-long residency.
“Always keep the patient first – if you choose to do what is best for your patients, you will thrive,” said Dr. Messner for her advice to current PCO students. “And, embrace change – change in our profession is a given, so find a way to make it work for you.”
Receiving the medals will be among the highlight of their shared careers. “It has been very rewarding to share a profession that we both love so much and that has provided us with many wonderful opportunities,” said Dr. Stephanie Messner.
Biographies
Dr. Leonard Messner is the immediate past chair of the Neuro-Ophthalmic Disorders Special Interest Group of the AAO and a member of the advisory board of the Concussion Legacy Foundation and serves on the Concussion Research Committee of the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society. Dr. Messner’s predominant research interests include vision, ocular structure and visual motor abnormalities with concussion, the eye movements associated with the physical act of reading, idiopathic intracranial hypertension, optic neuritis and diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. He is the author of numerous peer-reviewed publications and textbook chapters in the areas of neuro-ophthalmic disorders and vitreoretinal disease. He is a two-time recipient of the AAO’s Service Appreciation award, the 2012 recipient of ICO’s Alumni Council Educator of the Year Award and was recognized as the Optometrist of the Year in Illinois in 2013. He is also a 23-time recipient of the “Teacher of the Year” award at ICO.
Dr. Stephanie Messner is an active participant in the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO), currently serving as chair of the Leadership and Professional Development Implementation Task Force and member of the Optometry Admission Test (OAT) committee. She is the past chair of the Chief Academic Officers group and member of the Residency Affairs Committee. She is in her second term as a member of the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) where she chaired both the Residency and Professional Development Committees. She also served as a member of the Illinois State Optometry Licensing and Disciplinary Board for eight years. Dr. Messner is a Fellow of the AAO and a diplomate of the American Board of Optometry.
