Exciting News from ASCO President Dr. Fraser Horn

Exciting News from ASCO President Dr. Fraser Horn

Dr. Fraser Horn, ASCO President and Dean of the Pacific University College of Optometry, will step down from his role as Dean in July 2025 and take a two-year leave from the university as he works to expand the profession globally.

Dr. Horn has accepted a two-year position as optometry programme development lead at South East Technological University (SETU) in Waterford, Ireland. He will work with that university’s leadership to develop an accredited bachelor’s program in optometry.

“This was not an easy decision, as I have grown up at Pacific University, and I cherish the opportunity to work alongside so many amazing individuals,” Dr. Horn said.

Horn was raised in the Pacific community, where his mother was a long-time administrative assistant. He earned both his undergraduate degree in biology and his Doctor of Optometry degree at Pacific. He went on to complete a residency in primary care and ocular disease at Perry Point VAMHSC in Maryland and worked in private practice before returning to Pacific in 2005.

He served as a faculty member, director of Pacific EyeClinics in Washington County, Associate Dean of academic programs, and team optometrist for Boxer Athletics. In 2019, he was appointed interim Dean of the College of Optometry, and the role became official in November 2020.

Over the past four years, he has led the college through the COVID-19 pandemic, championed research and student support, and enhanced pathways into the optometry profession.

At SETU, he will continue to advance the field of optometry, expanding optometric education worldwide. SETU, which serves about 18,000 undergraduate and graduate students in southeast Ireland, will become only the second university offering optometry education in the country.

The opportunity comes with a special bonus for Horn, whose parents grew up in nearby Scotland.

“I am excited for the opportunities and experiences that my family and I will have while in Ireland,” he said. “It will also be great to be so close to family in Scotland.”

Plans for a leadership transition for the college are underway, and more information will be shared in the coming months.