Toland Scholarship Recipient Asef Chowdhury '26OD

Asef Chowdhury ‘26OD was on a Zoom call when he found out he was named the 2024 Joseph C. Toland Memorial Scholarship winner for the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO), Salus at Drexel University. 

He was so excited that he pumped his fist so hard and almost fell out of his bed. “I felt extremely embarrassed because I realized I just did that with my camera on, over a Zoom call that the entire staff of PCO was attending. I hope no one saw that,” said Chowdhury. 

The $2,000 scholarship, Chowdhury said, was affirmation for him that he made the right career decision. 

“Asef is the epitome of what we are looking for in the recipient of the Joseph C. Toland Scholarship,” said Maria L. Parisi, OD ‘85, Resident ‘86, FAAO, associate dean of Optometric Clinical Affairs at PCO. “He is also a stellar PCO optometric student — the perfect recipe for a successful clinician.” 

Dr. Parisi added that Chowdhury is being mentored by The Eye Institute’s Primary Care Suite 3 co-chiefs Andrew Gurwood, OD ‘89, Resident ‘90, FAAO, and Bisant Labib, OD ‘14, Resident ‘15, FAAO, Dipl., CEC, associate dean of Optometric Special Programs at PCO, who both described Chowdhury as “an independent thinker, knowledgeable, dependable, engaged, and someone who always puts forth the maximum effort.” 

Originally from North Brunswick, New Jersey, Chowdhury graduated from Rutgers University with an undergraduate degree in Exercise Science. But he didn’t discover optometry as a profession until after completing his undergraduate studies.

“I was lost and unemployed,” he said. “I had to find a full-time job, so I found an opening as an optometric technician near my house, even though I had never even been to an optometrist or even heard of optometry.” 

That turned out to be groundbreaking. Chowdhury picked up on the tech job pretty quickly and once the optometrists taught him about the profession, he became more interested in it as a career. As a result, after a year of working at the business, the optometrists encouraged him to pursue it. Although at first he declined, feeling like he did not have what it takes to make it as a doctor, his co-workers continued to push him to try.  

“I saw how much my co-workers believed in me,” he said. “So, I spent the next few months studying for the OAT (Optometry Admission Test) and, despite having no faith in my academic ability, somehow did well. With that, I was accepted into the PCO program.” 

Dr. Toland was a beloved teacher, clinical provider and a 1954 graduate of PCO. He selflessly supported the College’s mission through advocacy and leadership and his advocacy was central to the therapeutic profession that is optometry today. His gentle and humble teaching style made him an effective teacher throughout his 45-year tenure at PCO, and his personal characteristics of kindness, compassion and loyalty represent qualities for all to admire and emulate. 

The Toland Scholarship is awarded to a second-year Doctor of Optometry student(s) who has demonstrated exceptional clinical promise during their early patient care assignments (in this case, at The Eye Institute), while also demonstrating kindness and compassion in the delivery of patient care, those personal qualities that epitomized the compassionate care and kindness representative of Dr. Toland himself. 

Chowdhury said he knew the other five nominees for the scholarship were some of the most capable and talented people in the PCO Doctor of Optometry program, so he did not really expect to win.  

“This scholarship means more to me than I can explain. For many years, I honestly thought I was a failure,” he said. “I had graduated college with no prospects for a successful future, while all my friends and family all went on to have great careers. Getting into optometry school was a big first step and succeeding academically here helped me feel more confident. But winning this award is affirmation that my hard work has truly paid off.”