Southern College of Optometry

SCO alumni and friends are invited to enjoy Cocktails with Classmates at the National Optometric Association Conference in Philadelphia, to be held tomorrow night, Friday, July 12, at 6 pm in Room 401 at the Marriott Philadelphia Downtown. We hope to see you there!

Congratulations to Jessica Pearson, OD ’24, on recently joining Family Eye Care to serve patients in Blytheville and Osceola, Arkansas! https://www.facebook.com/AREyeCare/posts/pfbid0uwwXscTAVnH5ZDaDuZeenRTqzyDE5foid87YpppM7fqQsx841DBbaaVkYJ8qorxHl

Check out all the photos from the recent events at Optometry's Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, including SCO's Pizza with the President, Alumni & Friends Reception, Coffee with Classmates, and the EssilorLuxottica AOSA Optometry Student Bowl in our Flickr gallery: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjByTjU

Summer's a great time to start making plans for the St. Jude Marathon later this year. You can join SCO's growing team today by registering using this barcode or visiting: https://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR/Heroes/SJMMW?team_id=305317&pg=team&fr_id=154861 for SCO's team. Look for more exciting details about this year's team in the coming weeks and months!

Congratulations to Kara Detsch, OD ’24, on recently joining Dr. Mary Reed DaCanal to serve patients at office locations in Ridgway and Johnsonburg, Pennsylvania!

Dr. Kara Detsch and Dr. Mary Reed DaCanal Featured Dr. Kara Detsch and Dr. Mary Reed DaCanal Photo by Jake Mercer Jul 4, 2024 Jul 4, 2024 Comments Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save After attending Gannon University for her undergraduate degree and furthering her education at the Southern College of Optometry i...

Hallina Portner, OD '17, was recently featured by Women in Optometry in an article about her ​​​​​​​Morgantown, West Virginia, area practice. Cheat Lake Eye Care opened its doors in May of 2024:

Cold Start Brings Boutique Eye Care Experience to Mountain Town | Women In Optometry Dr. Hallina Portner opened Cheat Lake Eye Care, a cold start featuring green and gold accents, a contact lens room and furry mascot, Berkley.

The Physical Plant's Mike Lawson is retiring after more than 20 years of dedicated service to SCO. Mike was honored by colleagues today (which is also his birthday!) to recognize his years of service to the college. Join us in congratulating Mike and wishing him a healthy and happy retirement!

This morning, members of the Class of 2026 enjoyed coffee and donuts with the Externship Department's Dr. Cheryl Mengelt and Tabatha Dailey, ahead of their Externship Selection Meeting discussing the site selection process.

Join us in congratulating Trent Gaasch, OD ’16, on joining Emory's Department of Ophthalmology, working in Low Vision, Consults, and at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, after 8 years of service in the U.S. Army!

Congratulations to Heather Jones, OD ’13, on the recent ribbon cutting of her new practice, Village Family Eyecare - Dr. Heather Jones in Ada, Michigan!

Join us in welcoming SCO’s new on-campus residents as they begin their residency programs for the 2024-25 academic year: Ashley Peters, OD, Azalia Roach, OD, and Citlalli Rosas Medina, OD! Welcome to SCO!

Join us in congratulating the following faculty members whose promotions became effective this month:

Dr. Mary Hoang ('14) was promoted to Associate Professor and Drs. Jason Duncan ('96) and Kristina Haworth were promoted to Professor. Congratulations to all!

Registration for SCO's Fall Homecoming and CE Weekend is now open at: https://cvent.me/Ymq7rz

Join us September 26-29 for the perfect opportunity to reconnect with classmates while enjoying a variety of events and CE courses!

Visit https://www.sco.edu/homecoming for more details!

After nearly 20 years of service, with the majority of that time serving as Vice President for Clinical Programs, Dr. Jim Venable (’89), is retiring. More than 2,000 graduates have benefited from the clinical education they received at The Eye Center, University Eyecare, and FocalPoint at Crosstown Concourse during his time at SCO.

Today, Dr. Venable was joined by family, friends, and colleagues to officially celebrate his retirement and to recognize his years of service.

Join us in thanking Dr. Venable for his devotion to SCO and the profession of optometry through the years!

Congratulations to Matt Boswell, OD ’16, and Cory Lindenman, OD ’04, on the recent ground-breaking at the site of their new practice location, Andover Family Optometry, in Andover, Kansas!

Drs. Boswell and Lindenman are pictured with their wives, Kirsten and Beth, as construction began earlier this month.

SCO’s Summer Research Program annually selects students interested in working with faculty on research. This year’s group enjoyed talking with Dr. Bart Campbell (’87), Vice President for Academic Affairs, about lifelong learning and optometric education. Congratulations to these outstanding students on their accomplishments!

Happy National Sunglasses Day! Not only are they the best statement accessory, but they also keep your eyes healthy by protecting them from harmful UV rays.

Congratulations to our 2024 co-valedictorians, Drs. Tori Pierce, Jessica Scheid, and Mallory Wright, on being featured in Women In Optometry's overview of 2024's top graduates from the nation’s optometry schools: https://www.womeninoptometry.com/2024-graduation/

https://www.womeninoptometry.com/news/article/class-of-2024-top-graduates-south/

Optometry careers take our alumni to all 50 states, so we’re thrilled that Carolyn Click, OD ‘12, brought her family all the way from Fairbanks, Alaska, to visit her alma mater during a trip to Memphis! It’s always special to see our alumni reconnect with the place where their professional journey began.

You can find our alumni just about everywhere as Dean Swick, SCO’s Vice President for Information Services, shared in this photo from a recent bike race in Bentonville, Arkansas. There he ran into (L-R): Drs. Trent Daiber (‘21), Collin Simmons (‘22), Jake Haberman (‘21), and Kori Allen (‘21)!

Members of the Mississippi Optometric Association gathered in Nashville to congratulate Steve Reed, OD ’95 on being installed as AOA President at Optometry’s Meeting!

As Optometry's Meeting comes to a close, thanks to everyone who has visited with us this week at AOA in Nashville!

More news from Optometry’s Meeting! Join us in congratulating these alumni on being recognized at AOA in Nashville:

Steve Reed, OD ’95—Incoming AOA President
Matt Jones, OD ’09—OD of the Year
Andrew Cook, OD ’81—Distinguished Service Award
Joe Ellis, OD ’86—National Optometry Hall of Fame

SCO is treating alumni and students to Coffee with Classmates in Nashville this morning as Optometry’s Meeting continues!

Thanks to all our alumni and friends who attended SCO’s reception tonight in Nashville! Here are a few highlights with more to be shared soon in our online photo galleries.

Students are enjoying pizza with SCO President Dr. Lewis Reich and alumni before heading to the EssilorLuxottica AOSA Optometry Student Bowl to cheer on Sean McEntee, ‘25, as he represents SCO in Nashville!

SCO’s booth ( #1037) is open at Optometry’s Meeting in Nashville! We hope to see many of our alumni, students, and friends at the AOA over the next few days!

SCO alumni and friends attending Optometry’s Meeting in Nashville this week are invited to visit with us at our reception, to be held Thursday evening from 5:30-7 pm at the Omni Nashville Downtown (Broadway Ballroom E, Level 2.)

See you in Nashville!

Congratulations to Michelle Kelley, Director of Ophthalmic Services and Materials, on being recognized by ClearVision Optical and the Optical Women’s Association as a winner of the inaugural ClearVision-Adira grant program: https://www.visionmonday.com/eyecare/article/clearvision-optical-and-the-optical-womens-association-announce-clearvision-adira-grant-winners/

Our campus is enjoying sweet treats and goodies from SCO’s Spectrum chapter in celebration of Pride! Thanks to Spectrum's members for hosting on the fourth floor today and tomorrow!