Marshall B. Ketchum University Appoints New Dean for the Southern California College of Optometry

Marshall B. Ketchum University announces that Jennifer Coyle, OD, MS, FAAO has been selected to serve as the Dean of Optometry at The Southern California College of Optometry. The appointment of Dr. Coyle comes as a result of an extensive search process which brought a number of highly-qualified candidates from across the country under consideration. Dr. Coyle will assume her new position Dec. 1, 2019.

“We are delighted to have someone of Dr. Coyle’s reputation and experience joining MBKU as the Dean of the Southern California College of Optometry. Her energy, personality and vision will combine to continue SCCO’s position of leadership in the profession of optometry and the world of collaborative health care,” says MBKU President Kevin L. Alexander, OD, PhD.

In her career, Dr. Coyle has already established a long legacy of devotion to optometric education and to the profession of optometry, and she brings to SCCO the breadth of her significant experience as an educator and a clinician. A graduate of Pacific University, Dr. Coyle completed a residency in contact lenses at that same institution and a master's of science in clinical optometry. She team-taught the contact lens didactic, laboratory and clinical curriculum for 14 years at Pacific University and has served as Dean of the Pacific University College of Optometry for the last 11 years. During that time, Dr. Coyle was also in a private group practice in Beaverton, Oregon, specializing in contact lenses.

Dr. Coyle’s career reflects a deep commitment to the advancement of the profession of optometry in a number of diverse ways. She is a contributing editor for Primary Care Optometry News, a Fellow in the American Academy of Optometry and a Diplomate in the Section on Cornea and Contact Lenses. Dr. Coyle is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry and a Distinguished Practitioner and Fellow in the National Academies of Practice. Dr. Coyle was the first woman president of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry, holding that position for for two terms (2013-2015), and for five years was the chair of the Oregon Optometric Physicians Association Advocacy Committee. She currently serves on the board of directors of the American Academy of Optometry, chairs the ASCO Government Affairs Committee and is on the board of Women in Optometry. She is also a past chair of the Association of Contact Lens Educators.

Dr. Coyle has been recognized frequently as an exceptional educator and optometrist. She was named one of Vision Monday’s 50 Most Influential Women in Optical in 2006 and received the 2010 Clarence G. Carkner Oregon Optometrist of the Year award. In 2018 she received a Theia Award of Excellence in Education from Women in Optometry. 

As Dean of Optometry at the Southern California College of Optometry, Dr. Coyle will provide strategic leadership for SCCO as Marshall B. Ketchum University continues to develop and grow its academic programs. She will carry on SCCO’s commitment to clinical education, research opportunities for faculty and students and the excellent interprofessional education that comes from being situated within a leading health care university.

“Over my 26-year career in optometric education,” says Dr. Coyle, “I have always been incredibly impressed with the faculty, students, alumni and trustees who have called SCCO and MBKU their home. I am excited to be a part of this trailblazing institution that is leading the way for contemporary health care through interprofessional education and collaborative practice!”