Latest News Georgia Optometrist William Baldwin, OD, Is Honored by Energeyes By Staff Thursday, June 29, 2017 12:21 AM Eric Botts, immediate past president of Energeyes (l), with Bill Baldwin, OD, winner of the organization’s 2017 President’s Council Award. DALLAS—The Energeyes Association for Corporate Affiliated Optometrists has named Bill Baldwin, OD of Griffin, Ga. as the recipient of its 2017 President’s Council Award. The organization said it presents the annual award to “a great man or woman who has contributed to the field of optometry in a profound and meaningful way.”The President’s Council Award was started in 2013 by Energeyes’ president at the time, Mark Uhler, who saw the need to set examples of “great optometrists.” The award criteria was not specific to corporate-affiliated optometry, but the winner needed to be an individual who contributed meaningfully to the field of optometry. A panel of Energeyes board members are selected each year to review recommendations from members, vendors and board members and a candidate is selected by the committee who best meets the criteria of an optometrist we can all aspire to be like. The selected candidate must be approved by the Association’s board of directors prior to the award being given.Previous award recipients are the late Larry Alexander, OD, in 2014, Ernest Bowling, OD, in 2015 and in 2016, Joseph Barr, OD. The award is presented every year at the Association’s National Meeting where the recipient is invited to be one of the keynote speakers.Dr. Baldwin is a practicing optometrist of over 25 years having originally had a private practice and moved his office adjacent to a Walmart Vision Center 20 years ago. He has been on the cutting edge providing wellness OCT scans for all patients long before that had become the standard, according to Energeyes. Dr. Baldwin treats many glaucoma patients given the large elderly population in his community and he serves as a mentor to many young optometrists seeking guidance to develop their own careers and practices. He was most recently a board member of the Energeyes Association and has been involved with innovative use of the OCT in his practice as a model for others.The Energeyes Association currently serves 725 members across the U.S. and is dedicated to the support and development of all optometrists working alongside a professional optical retailer. The Association provides education and programming to further the medical model of optometric practice in its members.