The American Academy of Optometry (AAO) recently hosted Academy 2025 Boston, in Boston, Massachusetts. During the organization’s annual meeting, the Academy welcomed a record number of 329 new Fellows to its ranks. Along with this strong showing of new Fellows, 11 current Fellows earned the distinction of Diplomate.
Fellows of the AAO must complete a candidacy process that includes submitting written works for peer review that demonstrate their skills as an optometrist or vision scientist. They must also sit for an oral exam at the annual meeting. It is estimated that approximately 10% of practicing optometrists in the United States are Fellows. Among those eligible for Fellowship are: optometrists, scientists, educators, librarians, administrators and editors. Those who pass the rigorous criteria and application process earn the distinction and right to use “FAAO” in their credentials.
Diplomates are Fellows of the Academy who wish to demonstrate their extensive skill in a specific area. Currently, 10 Sections offer Diplomate programs. These include: Anterior Segment; Binocular Vision, Perception and Pediatric Optometry; Comprehensive Eye Care; Cornea, Contact Lenses & Refractive Technologies; Glaucoma; Low Vision; Neuro-ophthalmic Disorders in Optometry; Optometric Education; Public Health & Environmental Vision; and Vision Science.
Below is a complete list of new Fellows and Diplomates recognized during Academy 2025 Boston. More information on becoming a Fellow or Diplomate can be found here.
2025 DIPLOMATES
|
|
Jacobi Cleaver, OD, FAAO, Dipl AAO, Diplomate, Anterior Segment |
|
|
Jeannette Wong-Powell, OD, FAAO, Dipl AAO, Diplomate, Comprehensive Eye Care |
|
|
Elaine Chen, OD, FAAO, Dipl AAO, Diplomate, Cornea, Contact Lenses & Refractive Technologies |
|
|
Patrick Simard, OD, MSc, MBA, FAAO, Dipl AAO, Diplomate, Cornea, Contact Lenses & Refractive Technologies |
|
|
Michael Kalloniatis, MScOptom, PhD, FAAO, Dipl AAO, Diplomate, Glaucoma |
|
|
Ramanpal Deol, OD, FAAO, Dipl AAO, Diplomate, Low Vision |
 |
Jennifer Reilly, OD, MS, FAAO, Dipl AAO, Diplomate, Optometric Education |
|
|
Fatima Iqbal, OD, PhD, FAAO, Dipl AAO, Diplomate, Optometric Education |
|
|
Angelica Scanzera, OD, MPH, FAAO, Dipl AAO, Diplomate, Public Health & Environmental Vision |
|
|
Yvonne Megbele, OD, MSc, FAAO, Dipl AAO, Diplomate, Public Health & Environmental Vision |
|
|
Lisa Ostrin, OD, PhD, FAAO, Dipl AAO, Diplomate, Vision Science |
2025 FELLOWS
|
Nouralison Abdella
|
Madison Gross | Chika Onuoha |
|
Mohammed Abdul-Kabir
|
Sydney Gross |
Precious Chinonso Onyenobi
|
| Fortuna Abebe | Karly Gruett | Godsway Osei |
|
Emmanuel Adator
|
Lauren Guajardo
|
Yaw Osei Akoto |
| Ani Agabalian | Alexandra Hac | Gideon Owusu |
|
Blessing Agenmonmen
|
Jessica Shengyu He
|
Daniela Oyola Pacheco
|
| Chika Agoha | Rebecca Heath | Dallin Page |
|
Ahmad Ahmadzada
|
Brianna Herring | Poonam Panda |
| Eniola Ajayi |
Sharon Sze Wing Ho
|
Thanuja Panicker
|
| Amanda Aker | Jenna Hoiland | Monica Papinski |
|
Oluchi Olivia Akor
|
Laura Holtz | Vamsi Parimi |
|
Lucy Akua Afriyie Karikari
|
Katherine Homa | Tiffany Park |
| Wateen Alami | Kirstyn Horsley | Kevin Patrizio |
| Bethany Army | Jodie Houng |
Aundrea Pelakatiyage
|
|
Sunkanmi Arogbokun
|
Austin Hoy | Alberta Pengo |
| Afua Asare | Rebecca Hung | Angelea Perez |
|
Jonathan Attiyah
|
Jiawen Huo | Katelyn Perez |
| Tea Avdic | April Hurley |
Daniella Perlstein
|
|
Mary Joyce Avisado
|
Jeremy Hutchinson
|
Ashley Peters |
| Obinna Awiaka | Kelvin Imasua | Morgan Peters |
|
Deborah Awisi-Gyau
|
Megan Ingalls | Ryan Peterson |
| Anna Bachmann | Haley Italia | Trevor Phillips |
| Jeff Banas | Carissa Janczak | Xiaona Ping |
| Sayak Banerjee | Monica Jezior |
Maggie Pohlmeier
|
| Rodnell Batac | Charlyne Jiang |
Muhammad Qasim
|
| Alyssa Batistine | Leah Jipping | Amelia Rafael |
| Adam Bayer | Alicia Jones | Caitlyn Raia |
| Taylor Beaton | Kelsi Jones | Philip Rainey |
| Aditi Bellur | Tiffany Jones | Rachel Reed |
| Sydney Biette | Edem Jongue | Rachel Ressler |
| Dominika Bizub | Irene Joseph |
Victor Rodriguez-Lopez
|
| Chelsea Bray | Prasannasai K | Madison Roth |
| Briza Brooks | Mark Kahrhoff | Maitreyee Roy |
| Dominic Brown |
Lusine Kalamdjian
|
Celina Ann Ruiz |
| Madi Brown | Jessica Kaplan | Adriana Saenz |
| Lorcan Butler |
Kayla Katsadouros
|
Ismail Salma Mukhtar
|
| Julia Campbell | Beth Katz | Payal Sangani |
| Dariela Cardo | Erin Keim | Kaitlyn Sapoznik |
| Yasmin Carter | Bert Ketchum |
Micah Isabel Sarmiento
|
| Jazmine Casias | Minyoung Kim | Shin Sawai |
| Jeremy Caylor | Jonathan King |
Elisabeth Schaffer
|
|
Nathan Cazmersen
|
Jonathan Klunk | Laura Schnepf |
|
Shoubhik Chakraborty
|
Charles Koduah | Laura Segraves |
|
Hsuan Ariel Chao
|
Macy Koepke | Emily Selenow |
| Amy Chen |
Uloaku Kola-Olalere
|
Haley Sessions |
| Jun Wing Chen | Melissa Kontos |
Rachel Shackelford
|
| Shuyi Chen | Donnie Koonce | Aysha Shafi |
| Jennifer Cheng | Clarissa Kum | Ria Shah |
| Pallavi Cherekar |
Pavan Kumar Verkicharla
|
Shaily Sheth |
| Pratik Chettry |
Michael Kwarteng
|
Alexis Showalter D’Arsie
|
|
Jeremy Chung Bo Chiang
|
Jennifer Lam |
Ayishetu Shuaibu
|
| Jessica Chung |
Calisandra Larson
|
Victoria Shust |
| Alexia Clark | Jolie LeGate | Ambika Singh |
|
Stefanie Clendaniel
|
Arianna LeMay |
Ekaterina Smuglova
|
|
Alexandria Cloud
|
Sara LeMay | Victoria Spence |
| Kristen Col | Kalie Leone | Neha Srinivasan |
| Karine Combe |
Alexander Leong
|
Nicholas Steinshouer
|
| Ellie Crossman |
Anushka Lewkebandara
|
McKenzie Stewart
|
| Tyler D’Agostino | Bethany Li | Kevin Struble |
| Albert Dadzie | Vivien Li | Daniel Strybos |
| Cindy Dang | Courtney Liang | Meghan Sue |
|
Michelle Dang Allotta
|
Guang Lim |
Kathryn Surdovel
|
| Demetra Danos | Vanessa Lin | Gretchen Suter |
|
Samuel Danso-Debrah
|
Crystal Liu | Sarah Sutnick |
| Samson Darrah |
Anastasia Logotheti
|
Kresta Ria Tabaranza
|
| Sourav Datta | Bonnie Loh | Aubry Tackett |
| Amber Dawson | Tiffany Lu | Nazia Tahia |
| Zachary Day |
Jacqueline MacCallum
|
Shihij Takoo |
|
Roland Del Mundo
|
Gabrielle Magee | Jacqueline Tan |
| Stivia Demiri |
Mary Braden Mallory
|
Monica Tarnawski Iriza
|
| Emily Deng | Leah Margolis | Vivat Taylor |
| Derrick Randall |
Caroline Marhefka
|
Heidi Tedrick |
| Augustine Dery | Diana Masolak | Kathleen Thai |
| Riya Desai | Mahsa Masoudi | Michelle Thai |
| Rohit Dhakal | Sydney Masters | Swapnil Thakur |
| David Dinh | Allan McCleary | Lauren Thamel |
| Sarah Dohrman |
Megan McCrory Turner
|
Morgan Thomsen
|
| Kevin Donohue | Cole McDougall | Vincent Thoren |
| Richard Duong |
Allison McKamey
|
Sierra Tisdelle |
|
Victoria Duque-Ferreira
|
Ann McLean |
Ani Tokhmakhian
|
| Mark Eaves | Valery Medina | Austin Toresdahl |
| Adel Ebraheem |
Sarah Mendonca
|
Breanna Tran Padron
|
|
Roshni Echharam
|
Melissa Mendoza
|
Darian Travis |
|
Angelica Echiverri
|
Claire Michel | Joseph Trinh |
|
Brenda Eckenrode
|
Thomas Welbeck Mills
|
Dac-Nha Truong |
| Victoria Edeh | Rabia Mobeen | Jenny Truong |
|
Maythita Eiampikul
|
Esther Moller | Frances Tsai |
|
Pia Victoria Haugum Ekker
|
Sanbrita Mondal
|
Lydie Tubene |
|
Ekene Sharon Enemuoh
|
Laura Morel | Zachary Turple |
|
Maria Ennamorati
|
Rahufa Abdul Gani Mulla
|
Eryka Uehling |
|
Chimezie Enwere
|
Kate Muramoto | Rachel Velez |
|
Kelechukwu Enyinnaya Ahaiwe
|
Alisha Musau | Nithya Vemula |
|
Tania Escobar Eguizabal
|
Maryam Nadeem
|
Lindsey Walsh |
|
Emmanuel Essien
|
Judy Nam | Jessica Walter |
| Caitlynn Estevez | Frederick Neher | Ariel Wang |
| Joy Ngozi Eze | Brandee Nelson | Allison Ward |
|
MaryJane Chinelo Ezeagwuna
|
Amy Nguyen | Karen Watson |
|
Raymond Farmer
|
Nathan Tuan Nguyen
|
Rebecca Wenig |
|
Margaret Fernicola
|
Thi Xuan Ca Nguyen
|
Christina Wentz |
|
Melanie Fleyshmakher
|
Elizabeth Nickell |
Kendra Willhoite
|
| Thomas Ford |
Jacqueline O’Brien
|
Walter Williams |
| Taylor Fronczak | Christopher Obi | Abigail Witmer |
| Ethan Gerstein |
Jacqueline Obioma-Elemba
|
Melissa Wong |
| Jorge Giraldo | Ike Oforbuike | Natalie Wong |
| Emily Gobran | Chizoba Ogoke | Roseanne Work |
|
Guadalupe Gomez
|
Christian Ojoh | Michelle Yan |
| Natalia Gorski | Stephen Okefi | Jay Yoon |
| Kinsley Gossard | Obiageli Oketta | Ashleigh Young |
| Jordan Gott |
Gloria Okoekhian
|
Han Yu Zhang |
| Joshua Griffith | Joshua Oliver |
