Alan Lewis, OD PhD – Notable Alumnus

Alan LewisFresh from active Navy duty in Southeast Asia, I earned my Masters and PhD degrees at Ohio State in 1971 and then joined the faculty of the newly established State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry as its first full-time faculty member. After 20 years at SUNY, where I also served as assistant dean and director of graduate studies, I moved to the Michigan College of Optometry at Ferris State University as dean in 1990; several other alumni of the OSU graduate program were also on the faculty there. In 1999 I became the president of the New England College of Optometry (my OD ’65 degree alma mater) and retired from there in 2007. My research activities focused primarily on the interactions between the visual environment and human performance, which also led to international involvement in technical committees of CIE. In 2005-2006, I served as president of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (somewhat unusual for an optometrist) during its centennial year and currently am serving a second term as president of the United States National Committee of CIE. I remain active in research with funded projects at NECO and Virginia Tech and continue to serve several professional societies. The multi-disciplinary nature of the Ohio State graduate program has served me well and made my career both interesting and rewarding. I treasure the unique opportunity to have studied under the guidance of such luminaries as Professors Glenn Fry and Carl Ingling, who so importantly influenced my career. I can imagine no better educational experience.