SEATTLE--During last month’s Optometry’s Meeting here, Mike Elton, director of professional services for Hoya Vision Care, North America, was honored by the American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) with the group’s Founders Award. The AOSA Founders Award is presented to an individual for outstanding contribution to the association during the past year; the AOSA board of trustees nominates and selects the winner.

 

 At the awards ceremony are (l to r) Peggy Striplin, senior director of development, University of Alabama Birmingham College of Optometry; Mike Elton, director of professional services, Hoya Vision Care; Dean John Amos OD, University of Alabama Birmingham College of Optometry; award winner Andrew Graves, 4th Year Optometry Student, University of Alabama Birmingham College of Optometry, and Hoya Vision Care CEO Barney Dougher.

Also during Optometry’s Meeting, Andrew Graves, a student at the University of Alabama Birmingham College of Optometry, received a $6,000 scholarship from Hoya as part of the company’s grant and scholarship program. Hoya announced the scholarship winner at a luncheon here honoring the 16 finalists.

At the beginning of the 2007-08 academic year, Hoya invited optometry schools in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico to participate in the grant and scholarship program. Optometry students at each participating university wrote a case study prescribing a Hoya product to solve a vision problem. Faculty at each school chose the winning case study and $1,000 grant recipients; Graves was selected to earn the $6,000 scholarship.

“Hoya’s grant and scholarship program helps prepare the independent eyecare professionals of tomorrow,” Elton said.

The individual $1,000 grant recipients and their respective schools are Casey Bartz, Illinois College of Optometry; Jennifer Nance, Indiana University College of Optometry; Eveena Mahal, InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico; Mike Tommolino, Michigan College of Optometry; Lauren Fiscale, New England College of Optometry; Brian Zwanziger, Northeastern State University; Giannie Castellanos, Nova Southeastern University; Catherine Schuck, Pacific University College of Optometry; Amy Kohen, Pennsylvania College of Optometry; Anne Vollmar, The Ohio State University College of Optometry; Scott Gunderson, University of California Berkeley College of Optometry; Juan Menjivar, University of Houston College of Optometry; Andrea Andrud, University of Missouri College of Optometry; Alethea Law, University of Montreal; and Ernest Lucchetti, University of Waterloo School of Optometry. ■