National Optometric Association Conference Took Over Philadelphia

Jordan Thomas ‘25OD didn’t make the 27-hour drive from Pingree, North Dakota, three years ago to start her graduate training at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO), Salus at Drexel University, for nothing.

She knew PCO/Salus at Drexel got its students hands-on, clinical experience early in their training and that’s what attracted her to the program.

“I remember when I was shadowing that a patient got glasses, put them on and said, ‘Oh my God, I can see!’ The impact on that patient was huge. I told myself that’s what I want to do. And, I love that I’m able to that day-to-day as a student,” said Thomas.

And, she got another chance to do just that on July 11, 2024, at a daylong community outreach event at the Dr. Ala Stanford Center for Health Equity on the grounds of Deliverance Evangelistic Church, 21st Street and Lehigh Avenue in Philadelphia. The site is the original grounds on which Shibe Park (later called Connie Mack Stadium) was built in 1909 and which was the home field of the Phillies (until 1970) and Athletics (until 1954) baseball teams before its razing on July 13, 1976.

The event was hosted by the National Optometric Association (NOA), which was in town for its national convention July 11-14, sponsored by VSP Vision, a vision care health insurance company. PCO/Salus at Drexel was the host institution for a slew of events. Approximately 145 community members were able to receive free vision screenings and glasses, if needed.

The event was a “serve where you go event” in conjunction with the NOA conference, and included nine volunteer NOA member doctors, some of whom are graduates of PCO, who conducted the vision screenings while being shadowed by Doctor of Optometry students.

“It’s fulfilling for me to pay it forward, to give back to the community and the students with the things we learned at PCO,” said Kennard Herring, OD ‘14, one of the volunteer NOA doctors conducting screenings, who owns Nostalgic Eye Care, a private practice in the Mount Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia. “The students get the experience of seeing how to serve. We have the tools and gifts to share with the community and to be able to do that is just great.”

This year’s event featured participation from six third-year Doctor of Optometry PCO/Salus at Drexel students; two fourth-year PCO/Salus at Drexel students; a fourth-year student from a the School of Optometry at Inter American University of Puerto Rico; a student from the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry; and 11 students from the PCO/Salus at Drexel Robert E. Horne Summer Enrichment Program (SEP), which aims to increase underrepresented persons of color (Black, Latino/a/x, and Native/Indigenous Americans) in optometry at PCO/Salus at Drexel.

“The students are getting a great experience,” said Melissa Trego, OD ‘04, Resident ‘09, PhD, dean of PCO/Salus at Drexel.

“They’re getting to work one-on-one with an experienced doctor who has done this in the past,” added Brandy Scombordi-Raghu, OD ‘98, Resident ‘99, assistant professor and director of the PCO/Salus at Drexel Optometric Clinical Outreach.

Joshua Simpo ‘28OD, who is attending the Robert E. Horne Summer Enrichment Program before starting school in the fall, was looking for a community-based experience, and the NOA outreach event fit his purposes perfectly.

“I think that’s really amazing. I just want to help where I can,” said Simpo, originally from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who chose PCO/Salus at Drexel because of its community-based focus from faculty, staff and students. “I’ve had eye issues growing up, which made me look into becoming an eye doctor quite early. As I started working and volunteering from high school to college to now, it strengthened my desire to pursue a profession in optometry. If I can help someone the way I was helped when I was younger, that’s my contribution to the community.”

The NOA is composed primarily of underrepresented minority optometrists and students of optometry (particularly African-American) throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Its mission is to provide assistance to all established organizations of optometry toward the advancement of the art, science, and practice of professional optometry.

During the convention, PCO/Salus at Drexel and the NOA honored Robert E. Horne, Doctor of Humane Letter (Hon), who was dean of Student Affairs at PCO and then Salus and was instrumental in launching SEP before retiring in 2012, multiple times. A reception featuring dean Horne, NOA Board members and alumni, including Anthony Di Stefano, OD ’73, Med, MPH, FAAO, FCOptom, vice president emeritus, and Susan Oleszewski, OD ’76, Resident ’78, professor emerita, was hosted by the PCO/Salus at Drexel the evening of July 10, 2024, at City Winery in Philadelphia. With more than 100 alumni, students, staff and friends in attendance, dean Horne was honored for his contributions to the institution and the impact he made on students. (Click here to donate to the Robert E.Horne Summer Enrichment Program.)

Derrick Artis, OD ‘89, MBA, former Salus University Board of Trustees member, presented dean Horne with the NOA Founders Award for his dedicated contribution to minority optometry on the evening of July 13, 2024 during the NOA’s 55th Annual Dinner and Awards Night.