Women In Optometry regularly recognizes the awards and accomplishments of those in the profession and in their communities in the “Awards and Recognitions” series.
Have you received an award or acknowledgment for your contributions to optometry or your community? Send us a note.
Congratulations to all honorees.
| Advancing Eyecare | |
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Jocelyn Hamilton was promoted to President, US Sales. |
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Colleen Arbus was promoted to President, International Sales. |
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Teresa Puthussery, OD, PhD, Associate Professor of Optometry & Vision Science at UC-Berkeley School of Optometry, was selected as a 2025 MacArthur Genius Fellow. She is the first optometrist in history to receive this award.
Read the full story from Vision Monday here. |
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Valencia Robertson Wells, OD, was named President of the Alabama Optometric Association. She is the first black president in the association’s history. |
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Katherine Weise, OD, MBA, FAAO, professor at UAB School of Optometry, was named the 2025 Optometric Educator of the Year by the Alabama Optometric Association. |
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Joseph Bonanno, OD, PhD, FAAO, FARVO, was named Alumnus of the Year by UC-Berkeley School of Optometry. |
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Millicent Knight, OD, FAAO, FAARM, won the Visionary Award from SUNY Optometry Foundation. |
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Julie Poteet, OD, MS, CNS, FOWNS, won the 2025 Health Advocacy Award from the Ocular Wellness & Nutrition Society (OWNS). |
| VOSH International | |
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Vicki Weiss, OD, was named President. |
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Marcela Frazier, OD, was honored with the VOSH Lifetime Achievement Award. |
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Uchechukwu Levi Osuagwu, OD, PhD, MsC, FAAO, was honored with the Humanitarian of the Year Award.
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Zanna Kruoch, OD, FAAO, FSLS, Dipl. AAO, associate professor at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions College of Optometric Medicine, was named a Healthcare Hero by Utah Business. |
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Ayda Shahidi, OD, PhD, FAAO, was named Director of Global Clinical Operations – Vision Care at Bausch + Lomb. |
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Karen Carrasquillo, OD, PhD, FAAO, FSLS, FBCLA, has been appointed Chief Innovation and Education Officer at BostonSight. |
| EyeCare Partners | |
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Chadi Chahine was named Chief Financial Officer. |
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Joel Day was named to the Board of Directors. |
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VSP Vision was named to the 2025 Best Workplaces in Health Care List by Fortune Media and Great Place to Work, as well as a 2025 Fortune Best Workplaces for Women by Great Place To Work and Fortune magazine. |
See previous Awards & Recognitions (previously Women in the News) from September 2025, August 2025 and July 2025.
To view more newsmakers stories from WO, click here.
