Dr. Karla Zadnik Reappointed Dean of The Ohio State University College of Optometry

Bruce McPheron, Executive Vice President and Provost, recommended the reappointment of Karla Zadnik, OD, PhD, as Dean of The Ohio State University College of Optometry and it was approved by the Board of Trustees. Her reappointment is effective from July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2024.

Dean Zadnik holds the Glenn A. Fry Professorship in Optometry and Physiological Optics and also serves as executive dean for the health sciences.

The college is thriving under her leadership. For example, a new building to house optometric clinical services and health sciences faculty offices is underway at the corner of 11th and Neil avenues. For the first time in its 104-year history, the College of Optometry will inhabit state-of-the-art space for its teaching clinics.

Dean Zadnik has increased the academic ability and diversity of matriculating students and her students’ exposure to patient care experiences. Her national presence in optometric education and research has had a significant positive impact on Ohio State Optometry. She promotes and actively supports faculty excellence in teaching, research, and service.

Donations from alumni reflect the strong support for the college and its strategic focus on access, affordability, and excellence. In response to the university’s Ohio Scholarship Challenge, donors contributed funds that the college has used to create six individual scholarships, each funded at $100,000.

Dean Zadnik joined Ohio State’s faculty in 1996 after earning her OD and PhD degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. Ohio State recognized Dean Zadnik’s outstanding research with the Distinguished Scholar Award in 2010.