VA Boston Fellowship Program

VA Boston is looking for their next Optometry Research Fellow. This program is a wonderful opportunity for residency-trained OD’s to engage in clinical research, teaching, advanced clinical care, and master’s level coursework.

There is no requirement for previous research experience.

Please click here for details.

Louis Warshaw, O.D., M.P.H.

NAVAO was recently saddened to hear about the passing of retired VA Optometrist, Louis Warshaw, O.D., M.P.H. Condolences can be sent to Dr. Warshaw's daughter at the following address:

Julie Copeland
303 Culet Drive
Danville, CA 94506

Ms. Copeland is also accepting email condolences at jcopeland2000@yahoo.com.

NAVAO extends their deepest sympathy to the family of Dr. Warshaw.
 

2012 NAVAO Membership Sign-Up/Renewal

Happy New Year! January is our annual membership drive month. Simply login to the members area of the NAVAO website and follow the instructions to renew at the top of the page. Prior members with expired membership should also login to the members area to renew as your membership information will still be in our database. Please click on the Forgot User Name/Password link if you cannot remember your login information. New members (those who have never been a member of NAVAO) should join by visiting the Join Us page and selecting the appropriate membership category. The deadline to renew is January 31, 2012, after which a late fee will apply. We are also pleased to announce that once again this year, one individual who joins or renews before the January 31 deadline will be randomly selected for free membership the following year in 2013! So please join or renew right away to be eligible for a free year of membership in 2013! Please encourage other optometrists at your facility to join NAVAO, too. Thank you!
 

2011 NAVAO Dinner Meeting

NAVAO recently held its annual business meeting and dinner on October 13 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel in conjunction with the AAO meeting. Many thanks to all of our members and distinguished guests in attendance. Our keynote speaker was Dr. Norman Haffner, President Emeritus of the State University of New York College of Optometry and member of Special Medical Advisory Group for the Department of Veterans Affairs for an unprecedented 25 years. His presentation was entitled “The VA’s Contribution to Optometric Exceptionalism.” Business meeting minutes and a summary of the dinner meeting have been posted to the members area of the website under the "Business Meetings" page.

Optometrists Honored at New England College of Optometry Event

VA Optometrists attending the Academy Meeting in Boston were invited to attend the Presidential Awards Reception hosted by the New England College of Optometry on Friday evening, October 14, in honor of the VA Optometry Service’s thirty-five years of excellence in patient care, research, and optometric education. Dr. Clifford Scott, President of the New England College of Optometry, presented medals to Dr. Kenneth Myers (Founding Director of the VA Optometry Service), Dr. Charles Mullen (Former Director of the VA Optometry Service), and Dr. Norman Haffner (President Emeritus of the State University College of Optometry and former 25 year member of Special Medical Advisory Group for the Department of Veterans Affairs). A posthumous medal was also presented to Major Charles R. Soltes, Jr., O.D. for whom the new VA Blind Rehabilitation Center in Long Beach, CA is named after. His wife, Dr. Sally Dang, and her family were present to accept the medal. Dr. Dang is the VA Optometrist at the BRC in Long Beach. Many thanks to Dr. Scott and the New England College of Optometry for hosting this very special and memorable event!

Click here to view a copy of the NECO Presidential Awards Reception Program

Free Online Continuing Education

Please visit the Citizen Soldier Support Program website for a free online continuing education course about "Recognizing the Signs of mTBI during Routine Eye Examinations"

(2.0 COPE Hours, 2.0 Contact Hours, 0.2 CEU)

VA Optometrists Eligible for Discounted Registration for the San Diego Specialty Contact Lens Symposium!

The 2nd Annual San Diego Specialty Contact Lens Symposium is being held Feb 24-26, 2012 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in downtown San Diego. This CE meeting is composed of basic, as well as advanced, lectures and workshops on the fitting and case management of specialty contact lenses. The comprehensive curriculum would greatly benefit VA optometrists involved with specialty lenses; they will also receive a reduced registration fee for being VA personnel (see “military practitioner rate” on the website). Please visit the website for more information about the lecture/workshop schedule, speakers, and registration; http://www.specialtycontactlens.org/ or contact Erin Swift, O.D. at erin.swift@va.gov with any questions.

About the NAVAO

The National Association of VA Optometrists (NAVAO) is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1977. The objectives of the NAVAO are to encourage and promote the best possible primary eye and vision care for our nation's veterans and to promote the education, training, professional growth, and welfare of optometric staff, residents, and students. The NAVAO is also dedicated to fostering camaraderie and professional development among VA optometrists. Any VA staff, attending, consultant, research fellow, resident optometrist, or any other optometrist having an interest in VA optometry is eligible for membership.

Benefits of membership include:

• Professional recognition in a national optometric organization
• Access to FAQ sheets on topics of interest to VA optometrists
• Opportunities to network with other VA optometrists
• Access to information about policies and guidelines that affect VA practice
• Quarterly newsletter
• Invitation to the annual NAVAO business meeting and dinner
• Access to minutes of the monthly VA Optometry Service conference calls

The NAVAO is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(6) non-profit tax-exempt organization.

Please click on the 'Join Us' tab to the left and select your appropriate membership category to join.

Thank you for your support of VA Optometry!

Sincerely,

Brian S. Kawasaki, O.D., M.B.A., FAAO

President, NAVAO