News & Notes

Call for open seat on ABO Board of Directors. ABO will soon have an open seat for a public member to sit on our Board of Directors. John McGuire, who has held the public director seat for 7 years will be retiring from the board in November 2018. McGuire has been a tremendous asset to the ABO organization, providing guidance and oversight with a strong background in finance and health care. ABO is currently seeking nominations to fill the vacant seat and will accept recommendations from current ABO Diplomates. We are searching for someone who has a strong financial or marketing background and is familiar with nonprofit organizations. The candidate may not be a licensed optometrist. If you know someone who may be interested in the role, please contact April Wilhelm at [email protected] or 314.983.4234.

Did you miss the Summer Webinar? On July 25^th, ABO hosted our 2018 Summer Webinar, entitled Diagnosis and Management of Peripheral Retinal Disease. The webinar was presented by Dr. Mohammad Rafieetary and highlighted common posterior segment conditions and issues of co-management of care. Webinars are always available for MOC credit for two weeks following the live event. Following the two-week period, all webinars are posted to www.americanboardofoptometry.com for indefinite viewing. Our next webinar will be presented by Steven Holbrook, OD on November 5th at 8:00 pm ET.  He will be speaking on Clinical Controversies in Ophthalmic Decision Making. Watch your email in October for additional details and registration information.

Congratulations to the following ABO Diplomates on their new roles with the AOA Board of Trustees. Sworn into office on Saturday, June 23^rd after elections during Optometry’s Meeting, the newest Executive Committee members are:

President: Samuel D. Pierce, OD
President-elect: Barbara L. Horn, OD
Vice President: William T. Reynolds, OD
Secretary-Treasurer: Robert C. Layman, OD

Congratulations to ABO Diplomate Matthew Jones, OD on receiving AOA’s Young Optometrist of the Year award. The award is given for demonstrating remarkable leadership when serving the profession, patients and community. Dr. Jones practices in Blytheville, Arkansas and is a 2009 graduate of the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee. He is Immediate Past President of the Arkansas Optometric Association and has been an ABO Diplomate since 2016.

Did you receive your marketing materials package? In June, ABO mailed all Diplomates a packet of office marketing materials to help communicate their board certification credential and the importance of board certification to their patients. Each Diplomate received a letter, two window clings with the ABO Diplomate logo and an infographic counter card that explains the difference between board-certified and non-board-certified ODs. If you did not receive your package, or would like to request additional materials, please contact our office at [email protected] or 314.983.4226.

Need CE? Academy is right around the corner and will offer a multitude of CE opportunity. Held in San Antonio, Texas from November 7 – 10, Academy provides an opportunity to attend numerous live CE courses, including CEE and state-specific courses. In addition to CE, attendees have access to hundreds of vendors and industry related organizations. For more information or to register, click here.

Have you fallen behind in your MOC? Don’t risk losing your board certification! ABO verifies credentials for an average of 20 ODs per day. Requests come from employers, credentialing agencies and third-party payers. Contact our office at [email protected] or 314-983-4226 to find out how to get back on track.

Have a positive experience you want to share with us? ABO will be updating many of our marketing materials this year and we would love to include positive, insightful testimonials from our Diplomates. We may feature them on event banners, print ads, our website, or other marketing pieces