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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…

January 23rd

Karla Zadnik, OD, PhD

Karla Zadnik is the first woman dean of The Ohio State University College of Optometry, the first woman dean of a state/public school or college of optometry, and a prominent patient-oriented researcher in the field of optometry and vision science.

In addition to her role as the Dean of The Ohio State University College of Optometry, where she is also the Glenn A. Fry Professor of Optometry and Physiological Optics, Dr. Zadnik is a Distinguished Scholar, serves as the Executive Dean for the seven Health Science Colleges, and chairs the Biomedical Sciences Institutional Review Board. She is a past president of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry and is a member of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry’s Board of Directors.

Dr. Zadnik received her OD and PhD degrees from the University of California, Berkeley School of Optometry and was the school’s Alumnus of the Year in 2006. Professor Zadnik is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and a Diplomate in its Section on Cornea, Contact Lenses & Refractive Technologies. She served as the Academy’s President in 2011-12. She received the Glenn A. Fry Award from the American Optometric Foundation in 1995 and the Academy’s Charles F. Prentice Award in 2020. Dr. Zadnik was the Study Chairman for the National Eye Institute-funded Collaborative Longitudinal Evaluation of Ethnicity and Refractive Error (CLEERE) Study for 20 years and chaired the first-ever NEI-funded multicenter study based in optometry, the Collaborative Longitudinal Evaluation of Keratoconus (CLEK) Study. Her research funds from the National Institutes of Health total $40 million across her career.

January 24th

Mike Hoffshire, PhD

Mike Hoffshire is a student affairs and higher education professional, educator, consultant and speaker with a passion for student success. Serving as the Assistant Dean of Admissions & Student Affairs in the Dr. Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry, Mike works with his team to admit a strong cohort of students each year and ensure they receive the best education and experience possible. His experience spans multiple functional areas, including Academic Success, First Year Experience, Gender & Sexuality Centers, New Student Orientation, Housing and Residence Life, and Tutoring Centers. He most recently served as the Director of Student Engagement & Academic Success at Saint Mary’s College of California.

He continues to lead an active research agenda, examining LGBTQ+ and ethnic identity development of Caribbean heritage students studying in the United States; the impact of online tutoring; and the efficacy of student success strategies. In addition to research and writing, he serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Certificate of Student Affairs and Higher Education Administration program at Berkeley Extension.

January 25th

Almadora Henry

Almadora Henry is the Executive Officer within the Dean’s Office at the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science. Almadora has over 16 years of administrative experience working with professionals at all levels, including her administrative work at the Department of Mathematics at Berkeley. Prior, she spent six years working with the Haas School of Business as an Administrative Assistant where she has received multiple SPOT awards and has participated in their Spot and Heart Committee. She graduated from the University of Phoenix with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice.

January 26th

Donald E. Mitchell, PhD

Donald E. Mitchell was born on December 12, 1941 in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. He received his BAppSc (Optometry, 1962), BSc (Physiology 1965), and MAppSc (Optometry, 1966) from the University of Melbourne. He was awarded a PhD in Physiological Optics from the University of California, Berkeley School of Optometry in 1968.

Dr. Mitchell is one of the most important contemporary contributors to understanding postnatal visual development and amblyopia. Much of his research has investigated the role that early visual input exerts upon the developing visual system of cats and humans, in particular the effects of early anomalous visual experience on certain basic visual capacities such as visual acuity, vernier acuity, and depth perception. This has led to studies on the effects of early visual deprivation, including early optical errors (astigmatism or anisometropia) or oculomotor disturbances (strabismus), on certain visual thresholds, as well as the time course of any subsequent recovery — studies that have yielded important findings about the mechanism of brain plasticity and the factors that influence the development of form perception. This information provided clues about the origin of human developmental visual disorders collectively referred to as amblyopia.

January 27th

Catherine McChrystal, MA, MAEd

Catherine McChrystal is the Instructional Designer for the Office of Virtual Learning Initiatives at the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science. Catherine received her Master of Arts in Comparative Literature from the University of Chicago and her Master of Arts in Educational Technology from the University of San Francisco. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Education in Learning & Instruction at the University of San Francisco. Her research is focused on ethical and appropriate use of educational technology, digital policy, and teacher training in higher education. Catherine is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of San Francisco School of Education, where she teaches about digital storytelling.

Catherine manages the School’s Continuing Education learning management system, COPE course accreditation, marketing and promotion, on-demand curriculum development, and is a member of the DEIB Council’s Curriculum Reform Committee. She also records and produces the Vision Science program’s podcast, The Young Vision Scientist. On campus, Catherine co-chairs the UC Berkeley Instructional Design Community of Practice and is a founding organizing committee member of the Filipinx Faculty & Staff Association. Catherine has previously worked as an instructional designer and training program manager on the Google for Education team and for the YouTube Trust & Safety Policy team.

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