American Board of Optometry Directors

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Diane Adamczyk, OD, FAAO

Chair, Diplomate, American Board of Optometry

Clifton, New Jersey
Appointed by Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry

Dr. Adamczyk has served as the Director of Residency Education at SUNY College of Optometry since 1999, where she is also a professor. A graduate of Pennsylvania College of Optometry, she completed a residency at the Newington VA Hospital in Newington, Connecticut and began her career as a low vision specialist and assistant professor.

Dr. Adamczyk regularly lectures internationally on topics ranging from glaucoma to ocular pharmacology and has authored many articles and textbook chapters including coauthoring Primary Eyecare in Systemic Disease. She is actively involved in the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education, a member of the American Optometric Association and a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry.

Matthew Gerstberger, OD

Matthew Gerstberger, OD

Vice-Chair, Diplomate, American Board of Optometry

Garden City, Kansas
Appointed by the American Optometric Association

Dr. Gerstberger is a graduate of Southern College of Optometry and is currently in private practice in Garden City, Kansas. He has been a Diplomate with the American Board of Optometry since 2013, is a member of the American Optometric Association and serves on the Kansas Optometric Association board, where he was named Outstanding Young Optometrist in 2017.

David Sterna, OD

David Sterna, OD, FAAO

Immediate Past Chair, Diplomate, American Board of Optometry

Amherst, Ohio
At-large Member

Dr. Sterna currently practices in Northeastern Ohio with a focus in medical optometry and disease management. He was among the first group to take the board certification exam and has been a valuable part of our volunteer network ever since. He has served on various committees including item writing, exam review, and standard setting and also serves as the ABO state ambassador for Ohio. Dr. Sterna is a member of the American Optometric Association, Ohio Optometric Association and a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry.

Katherine M. Mastrota, MS, OD, FAAO

Katherine M. Mastrota, MS, OD, FAAO

SECRETARY, Diplomate, American Board of Optometry

Brooklyn, New York
Appointed by American Academy of Optometry

Katherine M. Mastrota is a 1989 graduate of SUNY Optometry and its 2007 Alumna of the Year. Dr. Mastrota is Program Chair of the Anterior Segment Section of the American Academy of Optometry. She is a Contributing Editor to Contact Lens Spectrum, Optometry Times and the online newsletter, Optometric Physician. She sits on the Editorial Board of Advanced Ocular Care and has authored numerous articles for these as well as other professional publications. Included in PCON’s top 250 Innovators in Optometry, she is also an advisor to a number of ophthalmic pharmaceutical companies. She has lectured nationally on ocular surface disease and other topics. Dr. Mastrota was elected as the 2016 NYSOA OD of the year.

Russell Newman, CPA

Russell Newman, CPA

Treasurer

Austin, Texas
Public Member

Mr. Newman currently serves as the president of Healthtronics, Inc. He received his master’s in professional accounting from the University of Texas at Austin and is a licensed CPA with extensive experience in the health care market. Mr. Newman brings broad operational, financial and leadership skills to the board and will provide outside expertise with strategic planning and organizational growth.

Bibin Cherian

Bibin Cherian, OD

Diplomate, American Board of Optometry

Edmond, Oklahoma
Appointed by the American Optometric Student Association

Dr. Bibin Cherian served as AOSA’s president while at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma and was one of the top graduates in his class of 2020, earning the Golden Retinoscope for clinical excellence. He furthered his training with a residency in Ocular Disease and Refractive Surgery and currently provides primary eye care to patients at BeSpoke Vision in Edmund, Oklahoma. Dr. Cherian has a clinical emphasis in ocular disease, specialty contact lens and myopia management.

Mark Eltis

Mark Eltis, OD

Diplomate, American Board of Optometry

Toronto, Ontario
Canadian Representative, Diplomate, American Board of Optometry

Dr. Mark Eltis previously served as ABO’s Canadian Ambassador and was instrumental in opening board certification to Canadian licensed optometrists. Dr. Eltis is in private practice at View Eye Care in Toronto, Ontario and currently serves as president of the College of Optometrists of Ontario. He is a member of the Optometric Glaucoma Society, a well-known lecturer, and published author.

Hammonds

Lynn Hammonds, OD

Diplomate, American Board of Optometry

Birmingham, Alabama
Appointed by the American Optometric Association

Dr. Lynn Hammonds is a founding Optometrist at EyeCare Associates, Inc., the largest eyecare group in Alabama. She graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry and after graduation completed a residency in Geriatric/Low Vision Rehabilitation.

Dr. Hammonds has served the profession through numerous leadership positions including President, Southern Council of Optometrists; President, UABSO Alumni Association; President, Alabama Optometric Association; President, Alabama Board of Optometry; and President, Birmingham Area Optometric Society. She has been a Diplomate since ABO offered the first exam in 2011.

Parker

David Parker, OD

Diplomate, American Board of Optometry

Olive Branch, Mississippi
At-large Member

Dr. David Parker founded Olive Branch Eyecare after graduating from Southern College of Optometry (SCO), and later Horn Lake Eyecare. He is currently an adjunct faculty professor at SCO and UIW Rosenburg School of Optometry.

Honored with the AOA President’s Award for distinguished service in 2021, he has been an ABO Diplomate since 2011. Dr. Parker also serves his home state of Mississippi as a state senator and is a founding board member of Trinity Healthcare.

Niloufar Soltanian, OD

Niloufar Soltanian, OD

Diplomate, American Board of Optometry

Atlanta, Georgia
Appointed by American Optometric Student Association

Dr. Soltanian is a 2013 graduate of the Illinois College of Optometry and completed a residency in ocular disease at Omni Eye Services, where she is now employed full-time as a staff optometrist specializing in ocular disease and pre- and post-operative management of surgical patients. She also oversees the student and resident programs at Omni and is an adjunct clinical faculty member at several schools and colleges of optometry.

A Diplomate since 2015, Dr. Soltanian is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, a member of the American Optometric Association and the Georgia Optometric Association and currently serves as the President of the Greater Atlanta Optometric Association.

Kristen Thelen, OD

Kristen Thelen, OD, FAAO

Diplomate, American Board of Optometry

Gainesville, Georgia
At-large Member

As an assistant professor of ophthalmology at Emory University, Dr. Thelen brings both clinical and academic viewpoints to the board. A graduate of Southern College of Optometry, Dr. Thelen completed a residency in ocular disease and surgical co-management at Omni Eye Services in Atlanta and became an ABO Diplomate in 2015. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, a member of the American Optometric Association and the Georgia Optometric Association, is the recipient of numerous grants and volunteers with various community and optometric organizations.

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Geoffrey Goodfellow OD, FAAO

Diplomate, American Board of Optometry

Beecher, Illinois
At-large Member

Dr. Geoffrey Goodfellow is an Assistant Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Assessment and Records at Illinois College of Optometry (ICO). He is also an attending optometrist in the Pediatrics/Binocular Vision Service of the Illinois Eye Institute. A 1997 graduate of Benedictine University and of Illinois College of Optometry in 2001, Dr. Goodfellow completed a residency in pediatrics/binocular vision before joining the faculty at ICO. He has served as the site coordinator for the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigators Group as well as the chief of the Pediatrics/Binocular Vision Service. A published author and volunteer, Dr. Goodfellow is a member of the College of Optometrists in Vision, a SIG Member in the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry and a past president of the Illinois Optometric Association.

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Mohammad Rafieetary OD, FAAO

Diplomate, American Board of Optometry

Germantown, Tennessee
At-large Member

Dr. Rafieetary is a consultative optometric physician who has been in practice at the Charles Retina Institute (CRI) since 1996. He is a graduate of Boston University and received his Doctor of Optometry from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Completing residencies in both Primary Care Optometry and Ocular Disease, Dr. Rafieetary began his career as a faculty member at the Southern College of Optometry and served as an Associate Professor and the Chief of Advanced Ocular Disease Service until joining CRI. Dr. Rafieetary is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and Optometric Retina Society and is licensed to practice in five states. He is a published author and lectures extensively on the subject of diseases of the eye with emphasis on conditions of the retina and vitreous.

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Upcoming Events

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Spring Exam Window

Feb 1, 2024 @ 8:00 am - Mar 31, 2024 @ 5:00 pm CST
The next administration of the board certification exam will be February 1 - March 31, 2024. Applications may be submitted...
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Webinar: Long Term Outcomes and Recent Advances in Refractive Surgery

Apr 29, 2024 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm CDT
Join us on April 29 as Mark Eltis, OD, presents a course on advances in refractive surgery. While LASIK and...
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