Celebration Profiles — January 17-20

In honor of our centennial anniversary, we are featuring members of our optometry community — past and present — each day of 2023!

See below for this week’s profiles.

This Week, We Are Celebrating…

Kelly Nichols, OD, MPH, PhD, FAAO

Kelly K. Nichols received her Doctor of Optometry degree from the University of California at Berkeley, completed a residency in ocular disease at Omni Eye Specialists of Colorado, and earned her MPH in biostatistics and PhD in vision science at Ohio State University. As Dean of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry, Dr. Nichols leads over 200 OD, PhD, and Resident scholars in their professional degree pursuits. Prior to her decanal appointment in 2014, Dr. Nichols co-founded and served as Executive Director of the Ocular Surface Institute at University of Houston, College of Optometry while teaching on faculty, and earlier, served as faculty at the Ohio State University College of Optometry.

Dr. Nichols currently serves as a medical adviser to the Sjögren’s Syndrome Foundation, has served extensively on the executive board and for the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society and on each of the steering committees (DEWS, DEWS II, Contact Lens Discomfort, and MGD workshops), and is a founding member of the Ocular Surface Society of Optometry. A leading expert in dry eye disease, Dr. Nicholas is or has been on the editorial boards of the journals Optometry and Vision Science, and The Ocular Surface, and is extensively published. In addition to her Berkeley OD, Dr. Nichols completed a residency in ocular disease at Omni Eye Specialists of Colorado, and earned her MPH in biostatistics and PhD in vision science at The Ohio State University. Dean Nichols also won the 2020 Alumna of the Year Award.

Donald Korb, OD, FAAO

Donald R. Korb graduated from the Massachusetts College of Optometry. He is an affiliated Clinical Professor at the School of Optometry, University of California, Berkeley, also having served as a Regent’s Lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a trustee at the Schepens Eye Research Institute, and divides his time between his optometric practice and research.

An internationally acclaimed lecturer, researcher, and clinician-scientist, Dr. Korb has made several landmark clinical observations. Donald Korb has authored over 100 publications in refereed scientific journals. He has been awarded 50 U.S. patents (and corresponding foreign patents), with other patents currently under review, in ocular diagnostic equipment, visual sciences, contact lens polymers, contact lens designs, ocular tests for dry eye, and ocular drugs and formulations.

In 2000 the Contact Lens Section of the American Optometric Association established the Donald R. Korb Medal for Excellence. He was inducted into the National Optometry Hall of Fame in 2007 and has received a multitude of other awards.

Chris Wilmer, OD, FAAO

Dr. Christina Wilmer is the Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and a Health Sciences Clinical Professor at the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science. Dr. Wilmer attended the University of California Santa Cruz and the University of California Berkeley School of Optometry. She completed a residency program in Primary Care Optometry at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. Dr. Wilmer has been involved in residency education throughout her academic career as the Chief Mentor of the Primary Care and Contact Lens residency program and currently serves as the Director of Affiliate Residency Programs. Dr. Wilmer lectures locally, regionally and nationally on a number of topics. She has been involved with section leadership within the AAO and has previously served as the Chair of the Anterior Segment Section and she most recently served as the Diplomate Written Exam Chair. Dr. Wilmer has been involved in the National Board of Examiners Part 1 Committee and Council for many years and currently is a member of the Part III Exam Development Committee.

Sheryl Guillory Reaves, OD

Dr. Sheryl Reaves is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, where she attended UC Berkeley for her undergraduate studies and for Optometry school. Dr. Sheryl Reaves graduated with an O.D. from the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science in 2011. Dr. Reaves completed her residency training in ocular disease and primary care at the Department of Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System. Dr. Reaves then completed her Fellowship in the American Academy of Optometry. She has experience in private practice, academia, and community healthcare.

Dr. Reaves has a diverse practice background, including clinical faculty at UC Berkeley, and in hospital, surgical, and private practice modalities. She joined the community health system in South Florida and is currently the sole optometrist at Jessie Trice Community Health Center. In collaboration with three alumnae from the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science, they formed Chroma Consulting Group, a boutique consulting firm that specializes in fostering institutional belonging.

Dr. Reaves is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry, and past Vice President of the Miami Dade Optometric Physicians Association. Dr. Reaves is the 2021 recipient of the Michael G. Harris Award.