NECO president Howard Purcell, OD, FAAO, delivered opening remarks and welcomed attendees on the first day of the event.

BOSTON—The New England College of Optometry (NECO) kicked off its fourth annual Industry Collaborative meeting on Monday on the school’s Beacon Street campus with a focus on “Health Equity in Eyecare.” NECO president Howard Purcell, OD, FAAO, delivered opening remarks and welcomed attendees on the first day of the event, along with Gary Chu, OD, MPH, vice president, professional affairs at the college. “Almost everyone is represented in this room,” Dr. Purcell told attendees. “This is a unique opportunity for us in so many ways to come together and help solve some of the issues we face.

"We have such great representation here. So many of you are doing great work out there and we just want to be a part of that. These meetings change things. Regardless of what legislative things are happening or what courts decide," he added, "we are committed to making sure NECO is a place where everyone feels like they are welcome and that they belong.”

Dr. Purcell also noted that NECO welcomed 129 new students to campus last week, noting that it was one of the largest classes in the country. He thanked attendees for helping to reduce student debt through NECO’s Sponsored Pathways program, in which employers financially support students' tuition in exchange for a commitment to work for them in a specific location after graduation, facilitating a pathway to employment for students while helping address geographical demands for optometrists in certain areas.

 
 Gary Chu, OD, MPH, is vice president of professional affairs at the college.
In addition, NECO is currently testing a new way of delivering optometric education, he stated, adding, “This year our incoming class will have two classes that will be asynchronous, delivered to them in increments. We’re very confident that it will go well and lead to us being able to create a more agile program.”

The opening day of the annual two-day event also afforded attendees the opportunity to engage in open dialogue with fellow colleagues, including NECO’s faculty, students, and residents, about issues and challenges of health equity in eyecare that the industry faces in optometry, as well as an opportunity to hear from presenter Richard Edlow, OD, known as The Eyeconomist. His talk, titled “Eye Care Disruptions and Opportunities,” discussed the importance of understanding data as essential for tackling workforce and access issues in eyecare delivery. This session further explored how data informs strategy development, what payer data reveals about current challenges, and the need for interprofessional collaboration to improve vision health equity.


Richard Edlow, OD, discussed the importance of understanding data as essential for tackling workforce and access issues in eyecare delivery.
  
Dr. Edlow displayed data to help attendees understand how we can avert public health crises. “We have lots of them in health care in general and some specific to eyecare. And in eyecare, how do we remove barriers especially for kids? How do we increase access to children that is so important for learning and social skills? And as I share with you some numbers, you’ll see that we have some major problems to solve,” he said.

The presentation explored how emerging technologies like AI may soon be used to help deliver more routine eye exams. He also told the optometry students in the audience that great opportunities await them.

“For the students here, I say this with total conviction. There’s never, ever, ever been a better time to come out and practice optometry," he said. "The opportunities are limitless. Demand for age-related eyecare is growing with the aging population. And then there’s the twist of looking at it from a public health perspective. Access to care and equity for young and old alike…how do we improve on that?”

Dr. Edlow added, “We need to think differently, we need to look at all of this from a health equity level playing field and do it in a behavioral manner that’s different.”

 
 
The final presentation of the first day of the collaborative gave attendees a sneak peek into the daily life of a NECO student, using video and dialogue from students and staff to point out how optometry students balance rigorous academic and clinical training with personal commitments. The session provided insights into the challenges and support systems that shape the journey of future optometrists.