Eilene Eugenio Kinzer, OD, Med, VFL, FAAO.
PIKEVILLE, Ky.—The University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Optometry has appointed its first founding faculty member, Eilene Eugenio Kinzer, OD, Med, VFL, FAAO, who will serve as a senior clinical instructor of primary care optometry and ocular disease. She was appointed by the school’s founding dean and vice president for optometric education, Andrew Buzzelli, OD, MS, who was named to his position in April of 2014. Kinzer will provide ocular pathology lectures and instruct students in the clinical setting.

A practicing optometrist in Grundy, Va., prior to her appointment, Kinzer graduated with honors from Pacific University College of Optometry where she was a teaching assistant for ocular disease and was named Student of the Year by the Optometric Physicians of Washington. She received a master of education with a concentration on visual function in learning from Pacific University College of Education. After graduation, she completed a post doctorate residency program in advanced ocular diseases at Indiana University School of Optometry. During her residency, she advised optometry students in clinic and presented posterior segment ocular disease lectures.

Kinzer has provided vision care in U.S. clinics, including serving as vision director for Remote Area Medical Seattle, and throughout the world, including Germany and India and in other countries through Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity in Honduras, Costa Rica and Mexico. She serves on the American Academy of Optometry’s membership committee and is the former vice president of the Lonesome Pine Society of the Virginia Optometric Association.

The fourth college under the University of Pikeville banner, the Kentucky College of Optometry is in the process of applying to the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) for pre-accreditation status to become the 22nd school in the country to have a college of optometry. At its Feb. 20-22, 2015 winter meeting in Alexandria, Va., the ACOE designated the University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Optometry’s professional optometric degree program as a stage two applicant. During the stage two phase, which is a step toward pre-accreditation, the program develops a self-study and other documentation and must meet a list of criteria such as having employed a chief executive officer and chief academic officer at least six months prior to submitting the self-study.

Stage three follows with an on-site evaluation and subsequent report submitted to the council for review at its next regularly scheduled meeting. If the program meets the council’s standards, preliminary approval is granted. Programs must not recruit or enroll students until “preliminary approval” has been awarded.

When asked when the accreditation process would be complete and the first class would be admitted, founding dean Buzzelli told VMail, “The University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Optometry has been designated as a stage two applicant by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education. This is not an official pre-accreditation classification by the council. We are currently working to meet the ACOE standards to proceed toward pre-accreditation. The council's review of our preparedness will help us determine the best time to enter our initial class of optometry students.”

After accreditation, 60 students will be admitted per class for a total of 240. Construction has already begun on a new educational facility to house the Kentucky College of Optometry.