The American Academy of Optometry Foundation Announces the 2020 VSP Practice Excellence Scholarship Recipients
The American Academy of Optometry Foundation, an affiliate of the American Academy of Optometry (AAO), and VSP Global® announces the recipients of this year’s Practice Excellence Scholarships. Nearly $164,000 were distributed to several top-performing fourth-year optometry students in the U.S. and Canada.
“We are honored to celebrate these incredible students as they move closer to starting their careers in eye care,” said VSP Global Board Chairman Gordon W. Jennings, OD. “The Practice Excellence Scholarship is another demonstration of our 65-year commitment to deliver support and opportunities for optometry’s next generation.”
The scholarships are funded by VSP Global and administered through the AAOF. In total, VSP has awarded more than $2.5 million in scholarships to optometry students.
The Practice Excellence Scholarship is a long-standing and prestigious award that represents the very best in what optometry has to offer in patient care, practice management and in the communities. Only two recipients from each of the 25 schools and colleges of Optometry were selected from nominations submitted by their individual institutions. Scholarship recipients were selected based on key criteria including the student’s commitment to enter the independent practice of optometry, and their clinical and academic performance.
“We are very grateful for VSP’s foresight in establishing these awards and their dedicated commitment to support the future of optometry,” said Pete Kollbaum, OD, PhD, FAAO, and President of the American Academy of Optometry Foundation. “Through VSP’s support of these future leaders, and their continued partnership with the Foundation, they demonstrate an unwavering commitment to not only advance optometry but more importantly advance the clinical care patients receive for generations to come.”
The recipients were recognized at a special virtual reception hosted by VSP Global®.
2020 Practice Excellence Scholarship recipients are: