Additional Special Recognition Award Recipients Announced

Additional Special Recognition Award Recipients Announced

ASCO Rising Star Award
Sponsored by Oculus, the ASCO Rising Star Award is given to an outstanding faculty member or administrator with less than seven years of service who has made noteworthy contributions to fulfilling the mission, strategic objections, or programs of ASCO. This year’s Rising Star awardee is Dr. Katherine Green.

Dr. Green is an Assistant Professor at Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry (NOVA) where she serves as the director of the Acquired Brain Injury Visual Rehabilitation Clinic as well as the coordinator for the Pediatrics and Binocular Vision Residency Program. Dr. Green precepts students in both the Pediatrics and Binocular Vision and the Low Vision Rehabilitation clinics.

Dr. Green received her Doctor of Optometry degree from the Illinois College of Optometry before moving to South Florida to complete a residency in pediatrics and binocular vision at Nova. She is the current chair of the ASCO Neuro-Optometric Rehab Educators Special Interest Group, a member of the ASCO Clinical Affairs Committee, and an active member of the College of Optometrists in Visual Development. 

“I am incredibly honored to have been nominated and selected for this award,” Dr. Green said. “Having the opportunity to work with students and watch them grow into the future leaders of our profession is the highlight of my job. I look forward to working with ASCO to create amazing educational opportunities for our students as we continue to grow as a profession.”  

Dr. Lester Janoff Award for Writing Excellence
The Dr. Lester Janoff Award for Writing Excellence recognizes the outstanding writing of a research article published in the ASCO Journal Optometric Education. The award is named in honor of Dr. Lester E. Janoff, editor of the Journal from 2002-2005, and long-time member of the editorial review board who was known as an exceptional optometric educator, administrator, contact lens clinician and researcher. Dr. Janoff was also a beloved mentor of young writers.

This year’s Janoff Award is given to Dr. Elena Z. Biffi for her article, Interactive Multimedia Learning vs Traditional Learning in Optometry: a Randomized Trial, B-scan Example. The paper was published in the Summer 2019 issue of Optometric Education. 

ASCO Student Award in Clinical Ethics
This annual national award, sponsored by Alcon, is available to optometry students during any point of their professional program at an ASCO-affiliated school or college of optometry in the United States and Canada. The application consists of an essay of up to 1,500 words describing any one of the following scenarios:

1. A patient-based case-study that the student encountered as part of their clinical learning experience.
2. A research-based case scenario that the student has encountered during their clinical or didactic learning experience.
3. A professional ethics based scenario that the student has encountered during their clinical or didactic learning.

ASCO and the Ethics Educators SIG are pleased to announce Mr. Tam Tran as the winner of the 2021 Student Award in Clinical Ethics. This annual national award provides the winner with a $1,000 award check and an acrylic engraved plaque.

Mr. Tran is a 2021 graduate of the Illinois College of Optometry. His winning essay, The Ethical Muddle of Sick Notes: Can We Do Better? will be featured in an upcoming issue of ASCO’s Journal, Optometric Education.

“Many thanks to ASCO for selecting me as the recipient of 2021 Student Award in Clinical Ethics. It is my great honor,” Tran said. “As we transition from students to independent optometrists, we realize that practicing optometry in clinic is more complicated than solving technical cases in class, and we often find ourselves in ethical dilemmas. Thank you ASCO for providing this platform for optometry students to share our clinical experience and thoughts on navigating tough ethical situations. I would be extremely elated if my essay could contribute to optimizing the use of sick notes to better assist workplace in supporting employees during and after sickness.”

All award winners will be acknowledged during ASCO’s virtual Annual Business Meeting June 16, 2021. ASCO’s Annual Meeting is open to all who wish to attend. The registration link for the Annual Business Meeting is not active but keep an eye out for it here.