NSUCO - The Visionary Spring 2012

THE V ISIONARY • S PRING 2012 — 9 NOSA Planning has begun for the NSU College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Jamaica medical outreach trip taking place June 13-22, which will cover two areas. During the first half, everyone will be in Kingston while the second half will be conducted in St. Mary. Volunteers from the various HPD colleges, including but not limited to optometry, dental medicine, osteopathic med- icine, and pharmacy, will be participating in this humanitarian outreach en- deavor. – OD2 Bradley Austin BSK The Beta Sigma Kappa (BSK) International Optometric Honor Society is a prestigious organization founded in 1925 by a group of Illinois optometrists that has grown to establish chapters in every school and college of op- tometry in the United States as well as in Puerto Rico and Canada. The or- ganization’s mission is to stimulate scientific attainment, academic excellence, and the ethical practice of optometry as well as promote and provide financial support for worthy research projects relating to vision care and the eyes. Some notable projects undertaken by the BSK Chapter at Nova Southeastern University over the past year include the coordina- tion of the tutoring program as well as mock preclinical proficiencies. – OD3 Lauren Nicole Zaiffdeen SVOSH Student Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity has big news for this year’s optometric medical outreach trip. Each year, NSU’s SVOSH chapter travels to a South or Central American country to provide full eye exams and distribute glasses to those in need. This year, SVOSH headed to Ecuador from April 21-29, where students and doctors worked in the small town of Mindo for four days. The remainder of the trip was spent relaxing and sightseeing. To prepare for the trip, SVOSH coordinated a number of fund-raising and volunteer activities, including neutralization races, a barbeque, a bake sale, and an HPD social event. SVOSH would like to give a special thank you to National Vision, which recently donated money, reading glasses, and sunglasses to support the trip. – OD3 Ginger Sadek American Academy of Optometry Student Fellow Program We are proud to announce that 18 of our current students completed the requirements to become Student Fellows in the American Academy of Op- tometry this year. This number is outstanding and represents an extensive commitment by these students. The academy launched this program in 2011 with the hopes that it would stimulate improved integration of all of the opportunities offered at the academy meeting, encourage future involvement, and persuade students to become fellows upon graduation. The Student Fellowship program is a great opportunity for students to en- gage in cutting-edge knowledge and technology through lectures, work- shops, posters, and much more. The program is geared to guide students to develop their skills as an optometric or vision science professional. Students were encouraged to explore all the amazing events at Academy 2011 Boston. To obtain Student Fellowship, students were required to do the following at Academy 2011 Boston: • be a current student member of the AAO • attend one orientation breakfast • attend six hours of continuing education • attend one hour of scientific talks • attend one hour of posters • attend one plenary session or one Monroe J. Hirsch Symposium • attend one business meeting • attend one section symposium • attend one award symposium On February 9, our students received a Student Fellow lapel pin, a certifi- cate, and their Candidacy for Fellowship application. Dues will be waived during their year of graduation. They will also enjoy free registration to the next academy meeting. Please congratulate the following students on this accomplishment: Farah Abdoly, Lisbet Abrante, Asma Alsalameh, Marta Banh, Alex Boldis, Patrick Cassidy, Jocelyn Cercone, Renee Clark, Tiffany Doan, Stephanie Frankel, Jennifer Gonzalez, Meghann Hamindiani, Pinar Haytac, Jenalyn Jotie, John Kauderman, Hammad Mallick, Margi Patel, and Karuna Seidman. – Michael Bacigalupi, O.D., M.S. NOPMA This year, the NSU Optometric Practice Management Association (NOPMA) has been more active than ever before. We had six events during the fall 2011 semester, with subjects covering practice types, the business of contact lenses, loan acquisition, legal matters, and co-management. At the beginning of the semester, each member was given a practice management textbook, which is paid for through an education grant. New to NOPMA was the development of a Web site for its members that includes links to useful blogs, management documents, videos of all past lectures, and contacts for networking opportunities so students can develop professional relationships that will go toward furthering their career. Because not everyone can attend all the events due to variance in class schedules, the videos of lectures are available to all members at any time so they can get the most out of their education. NOPMA is the first and only optometric extracurricular club to offer this service. To access the Web site, please visit http://web.me.com/nsu.nopma/nopma/Welcome.html . Another first is the new one-on-one networking program, where students are introduced to local industry representatives to assist them in their search for opportunities. For the spring semester, since school schedules are so intensive, there will be two main events and one video presentation featuring five O.D.s and the CEO of a large corporation that will be made available to students on our Web site. NOPMA leads by example by running the club as if it were a business. The executive board is elected through résumé submission/interview process