Prof. Padmaja Sankaridurg was awarded her BOptom degree from the Elite School of Optometry, Chennai, India in 1989 before working for a number of years at the L.V. Prasad Eye Institute, India, as the Chief of Contact Lens Services. She then moved to Australia, completing her Ph.D. in 1999 at the University of New South Wales, Australia (UNSW), then took up a position at the Brien Holden Vision Institute (formerly the Institute for Eye Research) and the Vision Cooperative Research Centre. In 2012, Dr. Sankaridurg completed a Masters in Intellectual Property at the University of Technology, Australia. In 2016, she was appointed a Conjoint Professor at the School of Optometry and Vision Science, UNSW. (University of New South Wales) She is a postgraduate supervisor, has over 70 articles in peer reviewed journals, is a co-inventor on 14 patents/applications, has authored several book chapters, has delivered many podium presentations including key note lectures and also been involved in media presentations in the area of myopia. In 2015 she received the Garland W Clay award from the American Academy of Optometry as the lead author on the most significant paper published in the journal Optometry & Vision Science, over the preceding five years. |
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Eric Ritchey, OD, PhD, FAAO, is a 2001 graduate of The Ohio State University College of Optometry. After graduation, he completed a two-year Advanced Practice Fellowship in Cornea and Contact Lenses at Ohio State, where his research focused on overnight orthokeratology and extended wear contact lenses. Following fellowship, Dr. Ritchey served as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Missouri-Saint Louis College of Optometry before beginning his PhD training at Ohio State. During his PhD training, Dr. Ritchey’s research in the laboratory of Dr. Andy Fischer focused on the mechanisms behind refractive error development. After completing the PhD, Eric joined Johnson and Johnson Vision Care as a Principal Research Optometrist in the Emerging Technologies Group, where he worked on contact lens technologies to control myopia progression. After four years in industry, he decided to return to academia and will teach Ophthalmic Optics to 2nd year optometry students. Dr. Ritchey’s clinical interests are in specialty contact lens fitting, anterior segment disease and ocular prosthetics. His research activities will focus on myopia development and contact lenses. | |
Maria Liu, OD, PhD, FAAO, is an associate professor at UC Berkeley School of Optometry and the founder of UC Berkeley Myopia Control Clinic. She received her bachelors degree of clinical medicine from Peking University, her OD from Pacific University, her PhD and MPH from UC Berkeley. She is a world-renowned clinical researcher in the field of myopia and her expertise focus on the impact of complex multifocal environment on emmetropization and myopia development, as well as novel optical and pharmaceutical treatments in myopia retardation. | |
Brian Berliner, OD, received his B.S. from City College of New York in 1978 and his Doctor of Optometry degree from the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago in 1983. Dr. Berliner subsequently completed a post-Doctoral Residency affiliated with the SUNY College of Optometry and the Northport VA Medical Center on Long Island. During his residency he gained extensive experience and expertise in primary eyecare, vision therapy, and low vision rehabilitation. Dr. Berliner’s special interests are in the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases including strabismus (misaligned or crossed eyes), amblyopia (lazy eye), acquired brain injury (TBI), low vision, vision therapy, accommodative and convergence dysfunctions and visually related learning/ perceptual disabilities. Dr. Berliner is certified to provide eye exams for low vision patients and is classified as a specialist through the NYS Commission for the Blind. He has certifications in corneal refractive therapy and has earned the American Optometric Recognition Award for Continued Education. Dr. Berliner’s professional affiliations include being a long standing member of the American Optometric Association, NYS Optometric Association, The American Academy of Orthokeratology, and the College of Optometrists in Visual Development. |
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Daniel J. Press, OD, FCOVD, is the clinical director at Park Ridge Vision located in the Chicago suburbs. He is the current president of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) and has served in a volunteer position on the international organization’s board of directors since 2012. Dr. Press is an adjunct faculty member of the Indiana, Illinois, Salus University and University of Missouri St. Louis Colleges of Optometry. He is actively involved in the “Infant See” program of the American Optometric Association, which provides a no-cost vision evaluation for infants. Dr. Press is active in his academic pursuits in terms of lecturing and publishing in the professional literature in the area of vision development, myopia and acquired brain injury. Dr. Press is an honors graduate of Rutgers University for his undergraduate degree (B.S. in Biology) and also an honors graduate of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry for his professional degree. | |
Clarke Newman, OD, FAAO, is a 1986 graduate of the University Of Houston College Of Optometry, and he has been in private practice in Dallas, Texas since. His practice specializes in the visual rehabilitation of patients who have had corneal diseases, failed refractive surgeries, or corneal trauma. Dr. Newman is a Past President of the Texas Optometric Association, and is, currently, the Chair of the AOA Federal Relations Committee and a long-time member of the AOA’s Cornea and Contact Lens Section (CCLS). Dr. Newman is a Diplomate in the Section on Cornea, Contact Lenses and Refractive Technologies of the AAO, and currently serves as the Chair of the Section. He is a Distinguished Practitioner in the National Academies of Practice and is a Fellow in the British Contact Lens Association and a Fellow in the Scleral Lens Educational Society. He has been appointed to the FDA Medical Devices Advisory Committee—Ophthalmic Devices Panel. He has won numerous awards, including the AOA CCLS Luminary Award for Distinguished Practice and Legends Award, and the CLMA GPLI Practitioner of the Year. He writes and lectures frequently on a wide range of anterior segment and contact lens related topics. |
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Gary Gerber, OD, is the co-founder of Treehouse Eyes, the country’s first centers dedicated exclusively to providing myopia management services to children. Using innovative and proven practice-building strategies learned from helping hundreds of practices in his role as the Chief Dream Officer for The Power Practice®, a practice-building and consulting company, Treehouse Eyes has grown to be the country’s most successful myopia management practice and is currently expanding across the United States and several other countries. | |
Sally M. Dillehay, EdD, OD, MS, FAAO, has a background as an educator and researcher. For more than 15 years she held a variety of positions at CIBA Vision, in clinical research, biomedical communications and medical marketing. She then joined Visioneering Technologies as its CMO and VP of regulatory, quality, clinical, medical and professional services. She is CEO of ClinTrialSolutions, a medical research organization assisting companies with medical device research, clinical trials, submissions to regulatory agencies and medical marketing. She serves as an expert contributor for the Brien Holden Vision Institute Global Myopia Centre. Dr. Dillehay is active in state and national professional organizations and received the Eminent Service Award from both the American Academy of Optometry (2003) and its Cornea, Contact Lens, and Refractive Technologies section (2010). She serves on the Leadership and Professional Development Committee of the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education and was included in Vision Monday’s 2015 Most Influential Women in Optical. |