Dr. H. Edward Welton – Class of 1938 – Notable Alumnus

H. Edward WeltonDr. Welton was a self-made Renaissance man and visionary optometric leader. He was born on February 11, 1911, in Nicodemus, Kansas. He received his high school education in Zanesville, Ohio, where he graduated from Lash High School. After receiving his BS and MS degrees from Tennessee State University, he applied to The Ohio State University School of Optometry and, in 1938, was the first African American graduate in optometry. He was also the first African American optometrist to become a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry. After his graduation, he left Ohio to begin a private practice in Atlanta, Georgia. Eight years later, he returned to the Buckeye state to establish a practice in Cleveland. According to the BuckEYE alumni newsletter from August 1994, “He made house calls and put back together eyeglass frames that had been long targeted for the trash. He made good use of everything. Nothing was to go to waste, not a frame, not even a greeting card.” In 1967, Dr. Welton became supervisor of the Eye Clinic in the Hough-Norwood Family Health Care Center in Cleveland and served in that capacity for 22 years.

Dr. Welton was a leader and a pioneer in all of his endeavors, and he strived to pave the way for all who were to follow in his footsteps. He always stressed the value of obtaining an education, and he and his beloved wife, Maxine, established scholarships at both The Ohio State University College of Optometry and Tennessee State University to further minority pride and education. The interest from his $100,000 endowment to Ohio State in 1989 goes to the assistance of minority students who want to become optometrists.

Dr. Jacqueline Davis (OD’81, MPH) was inspired by Dr. Welton during her years as a student, “I will say that he was a true inspiration to me when I was in school. I did not meet him until after my graduation, but there were many days during my optometric training that I stood under the stairs in the basement of Fry Hall, looking at his graduation picture, saying to myself ‘If he could do this in 1938, then I can do it too!’”

Dr. Kefla George (OD/MS’01), one of the recipients of a Welton scholarship, said, “Not only did this scholarship enable me to come to Ohio State, but it made me more aware of the college’s efforts to recruit more minority students to a career in optometry and the need for adequate eye care in underprivileged communities.”

Dr. Welton died on July 20, 1994, but his memory and generosity live on at The Ohio State University College of Optometry.

Dr. Herbert Mote – Class of 1935 – Notable Alumnus

Herbert MoteDr. Herbert Mote earned his optometry degree from Ohio State in 1935. He, along with Dr. Howard Haines, received the first MS degrees in physiological optics under Dr. Fry in 1938. He had a private practice in downtown Columbus for many years but also taught on a part-time basis at the Ohio State University School of Optometry. For more than three decades, from the 1940s to the 1960s, he served the profession with distinction as an Ohio State optometry student recruiter, registrar, counselor, clinic instructor, placement director, and beloved “father figure.” The annual Epsilon Psi Epsilon professional fraternity’s Distinguished Faculty Member of the Year award is named after Dr. Mote. He was president of the Ohio Optometric Association (1948–1950) and was a Fellow in the American Academy of Optometry. He was president of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry 1959–1961.

In addition to his many academic duties at Ohio State, he was a consultant on vision to the Ohio State Highway Patrol from 1951 to 1969 and received an honorary badge of Captain from the OSHP. In 1973, he was named “Optometrist of the Year” by the Ohio Optometric Association. He was also an active contributor to local chapters of the United Way, Camp Fire Girls, the Columbus Recreation Commission, and the Columbus Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Mote passed away in 1974 at the age of 71.

Jon Forché, OD FAAO – Class of 1998 – Notable Alumnus

Jon ForchéJon Forché OD, FAAO graduated magna cum laude from Miami University in 1993 and from The Ohio State University College of Optometry in 1998. He completed a fellowship in ocular disease/low vision rehabilitation at the Birmingham, Alabama VA medical center in 1999 while his wife, Dr. Nadine Humen Forche, was on the faculty at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry. Dr. Forché is in group practice at Five Points Eye Care in Athens, GA with Nadine Humen Forche, OD/MS’97, FAAO and Meg Brya, OD, FCOVD. Jon was named Georgia’s Young Optometrist of the Year in 2004 and became a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry in 2006. He is Diplomate in the American Board of Optometry. Dr. Forché has worked as consulting low vision rehabilitation optometrist for Vision Rehabilitation Services in Atlanta, GA since 2001 and with VISTAS in Athens, GA since 2006. Dr. Forché also enjoys teaching students. He is a preceptor for The Ohio State University College of Optometry’s externship program. Dr. Forché is the current Georgia Optometric Association PAC chairm having served in that position for the past seven years. In his free time, Dr. Forché spends time with his wife and 11-year-old twins. They enjoy gardening, soccer, skiing and hiking.

Dr. Ralph Freeman – Class of 1963 – Notable Alumnus

Ralph FreemanProfessor Ralph Freeman was an undergraduate at Miami University and completed an optometry program at the Ohio State University (BS’63). While there, he did a research project under the guidance of Glenn Fry, which led to an interest in vision research. At the University of California, Berkeley, he did an MS in Physiological Optics and a PhD in Biophysics. He was appointed as an Assistant Professor at UC Berkeley and became an Associate and then Full Professor there. He is associated with Vision Science and Optometry, Bioengineering, Biophysics, and the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute at UC Berkeley. He has taught various courses in neuroscience, visual science, and optometry, to undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students. Many of the students he has trained have become highly established scientists in their own careers.

He has been a Biophysics Training Fellow, the recipient of an NIH Research Career Development Award, a visiting research scientist at the University of Cambridge, and a Visiting Professor at the Chinese Academy of Science and at Osaka University School of Medicine. He has given a Plenary Special Lecture at the Society for Neuroscience and is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has been an invited speaker in various worldwide locations at universities, research institutes, international conferences, and professional meetings. He has been an advisor to NIH and has served on study sections for NIH grant applications. He has been an advisor to the National Science Foundation, a reviewer for foundations and government agencies and for various scientific journals, periodicals, and publishing companies. He is a member of several scientific societies and editorial boards of scientific journals. He has received a Bing Memorial Award, is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, gave the Peters Memorial lecture, gave an Alberta Heritage Foundation lecture, was a Fellow of the Japanese Society for Promotion of Science, gave the Brakeman Memorial lecture, was a lecturer in Barcelona, Spain for a Catalonian Studies Program, gave the David Bodian Seminar in Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University, was a guest lecturer at University of Chile, Santiago, and gave a special lecture at York University, Toronto, Canada.

Dr. Freeman has had a very long and notable research career covering various areas of visual function. He has published extensively and is widely cited in the scientific literature. He is considered internationally as a pioneer and leading experimentalist in visual function. He has received various research grants during his extended career and has been funded in a competitive grant process continually for 41 years by the National Eye Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Freeman is now retired but remains a Professor of the Graduate School at UC Berkeley. He was recently inducted into the Berkeley Optometry Hall of Fame.

Gerald Westheimer, OD, PhD (’53), FAAO – Notable Alumnus

Gerald WestheimerDr. Gerald Westheimer trained in and practiced optometry in Sydney, Australia before arriving in Columbus for PhD study with Dr. Glenn Fry. He was on the faculty of The Ohio State University School of Optometry, as it was then called, teaching Geometric, Mechanical, and Physiological Optics until joining the University of California, Berkeley in a similar capacity in 1960. Gerald has held a variety of academic positions in Berkeley and is currently Clinical Professor of Optometry, Emeritus. For his long series of research contributions in the eye’s optics, visual acuity, and oculomotor physiology Gerald followed in Dr. Fry’s footsteps in being awarded the Tillyer medal from the Optical Society of America and the Prentice medal from the American Academy of Optometry. Gerald WestheimerIn addition, he closed a circle by sharing with Dr. Fry’s own mentor, the distinguished physiologist and psychologist William McDougall, recognition of election to the Royal Society (F.R.S.) and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. On September 16, 2014, the actual centennial date of optometry at Ohio State, Gerald received the 14th Fry Medal, awarded to individuals who have truly distinguished themselves with long and exemplary records of vision research. http://vision.berkeley.edu/?p=4459

William O. Schuller, OD, MPH, FAAO – Class of 1965 – Notable Alumnus

 William O. SchullerDr. Bill Schuller was born in St. Louis, Missouri but raised in Youngstown and Cleveland, Ohio. He chose a career in optometry – and later in public health – because of his brother, who had congenital glaucoma that resulted in total visual impairment. He says, “I observed my parents’ frustrations and anguish in their attempts to obtain both treatment and educational opportunities for him. I wanted to make a difference.” He chose Ohio State because it was highly rated in the sciences and health care professions and because it was a national and international university with many extracurricular activities, especially intramural sports. He earned his BS-Optometry from Ohio State in 1965 and his OD from the University of California, Berkeley in 1969. His mentors at Ohio State were Drs. Herb Mote, Boyd Eskridge, Brad Wild, and Dick Hill. His mentor at UC-Berkeley was Dr. Hank Peters. In 1974, he earned his MPH from Johns Hopkins University.

He has practiced optometry in a variety of federal and educational settings. Immediately after receiving his BS, he was the Optometry officer and Chief of the Eye Clinic at the Beale US Air Force Base in California. In 1970, he began his distinguished career in optometric education at Ohio State, then the New England College of Optometry, then the University of Alabama at Birmingham, then Pacific University, then the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, and finally back at Ohio State, which he retired from in 2007. Over those 37 years, he taught pediatric optometry, vision screening, disease diagnosis and treatment, public health, ocular and medical emergencies, and contact lenses.

He also served as Chief of Optometry at the Seattle Indian Health Board, where he saw Native American patients and supervised externs from Pacific University. In 1981, he entered the Veterans Administration (now the Department of Veterans Affairs) as Chief of Optometry at the Lebanon, PA medical center, where he was responsible for the residency program. In 1986, he moved to the Chillicothe VA to became Chief of Optometry and, as a Clinical Associate Professor at Ohio State, directed the Hospital-Based Residency Program and supervised externs there. He also chaired the Visual Impairment Services Team for legally blind patients at both VA facilities. “Serving veterans was very rewarding because they were very appreciative, and I really enjoyed teaching and guiding students and residents. The greatest reward was watching them evolve as outstanding clinicians then following their careers once they finished,” he said. Two of his former residents, Drs. Rick Frick (OD’97) on his right and Brett Irvin (OD/MS’02) on his left are shown in the accompanying photograph.

During his “free” time, he also instructed First Aid courses for the American Red Cross, served as an instructor for the American Heart Association in both Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and in Advanced Cardiac Life Support, and served as an advisor for two Medical Explorer posts.

In retirement, he now enjoys hiking, touring historical sites, and visiting with family and old friends. He has been on the Board of The Ohio State University Ross County Alumni Association, including two years as its president, since 1989. He started and has served as chair of that chapter’s Freshman Merit Scholarship program since 1990 and also serves as an academic recruiter for potential Ohio State students in Ross County.

In 2011, Dr. Schuller established an endowed scholarship at the college in memory of his brother, John F. Schuller, which supports optometry students working with visually impaired/developmentally disabled children.

Richard E. Weisbarth, OD FAAO – Class of 1980 – Notable Alumnus

Richard E. WeisbarthRick Weisbarth is a proud member of The Ohio State University College of Optometry Class of 1980. His Ohio State undergraduate and optometric education provided a strong foundation for his professional career and involvement in the optometric profession. Following graduation, he completed the Contact Lens Practice Residency Program at the University of Alabama in Birmingham School of Optometry. Next, he was in private practice in Tampa, FL for a short while. Most of his optometric career has been spent working in industry at CIBA Vision and Alcon Laboratories in the United States and Switzerland. There he has held a number of different positions in Clinical Research, Professional Development & Partnerships, and Professional Services. Currently, he is Vice President, Professional Affairs for Alcon and is based in Fort Worth, Texas.

Dr. Weisbarth has published and lectured internationally on a variety of contact lens and lens care related topics. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and a Diplomate in its Section on Cornea, Contact Lenses & Refractive Technologies. Dr. Weisbarth served on the Academy’s Executive Council and Board of Directors and was President of the Academy in 2007 – 2008. Additionally, he is a Past Chairperson of the Contact Lens Institute (CLI) and current Chair of the National Academies of Practice in Optometry (NAPO).

He and his wife, Pam, reside in Mansfield, Texas. They have two grown children, Tyler and Kristen. In his spare time, he enjoys landscaping, carpentry, and spending time with his family.

Gilbert E. Pierce, OD PhD FAAO – Class of 1989 – Notable Alumnus

Gilbert E. PierceI am a 1989 graduate of the OSU College of Optometry, received a PhD in physiological optics in 1994, and have been a full-time faculty member at the College since 1996. I was inspired by mentors that I have had over the years as an optometry student, graduate student, and faculty member – luminaries such as Arol Augsburger, Joe Barr, Mike Polasky, and Karla Zadnik.

At the College, I am currently a Professor of Clinical Optometry and serve as a member of the Admissions Committee. I am also the faculty advisor to Epsilon Psi Epsilon and the Optometry Student Council. I am passionate about recruiting and admitting the 64 best possible students to each year’s entering class. I love educating the outstanding students here at Ohio State and have been privileged to receive both the Herbert G. Mote Award from εψε and the American Optometric Student Association Faculty Member of the Year Award.

In addition to my passion for the College, I also have a strong commitment to service to the optometric profession. I served on the Board of Trustees of the Ohio Optometric Association (OOA) from 2003 – 2011 and as OOA President in 2010. Additionally I have served the American Optometric Association (AOA) as a member of the AOA Faculty Relations Committee from 2004-2012 (chair 2007 – 2012). I also served on the AOA Publication and Education Committee. I also serve the American Academy of Optometry, previously as a member of the Faculty – Student Liaison Committee and now as a member of the Admittance Committee. Additionally, I have served the National Board of Examiners in Optometry as Clinical Skills Exam Site Coordinator at Ohio State from 1998 – 2011 and as a member of the Clinical Skills Examination Development Committee from 2006 – 2012. But for Ohio State, I cannot imagine how different my life would be.

Joshua Josephson, OD – Class of 1968 – Notable Alumnus

Joshua JosephsonDr. Josh Josephson is a luminary in the area of cornea and contact lenses and is proud to hail from Ohio State Optometry. His publishing record speaks for itself in journals like Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science and Optometry and Vision Science, and he is easily recognized all over the world as a result of his countless talks and continuing education presentations. Prior to his retirement, he had the largest contact lens practice in Canada and was the only Canadian among the founding members of the International Society for Contact Lens Research. Dr. Josephson, however, is notable beyond these “numbers.” In 1978, he published the first observations of corneal infiltrates associated with contact lens wear in International Contact Lens Clinics.

Dr. Josephson was appointed by the Canadian government as Canada’s expert and head of delegation to the International Standards Organization contact lens meetings. Since 1984, he has served for many years as Chairman of the Standards Council of Canada Subcommittee responsible for all ophthalmic device standards (contact lenses and contact lens care products).

Dr Josephson is a founding shareholder and a director of NoNO, Inc., a private, clinical-stage biotherapeutics company. It is dedicated to the research, development, and commercialization of pharmaceuticals for the treatment of common disorders with unmet needs, including stroke, traumatic brain injury, and pain. Its drug to prevent the complications of stroke is about to enter Phase 3 clinical trials.

Dr Josephson loves to eat and cook and enjoys traveling and eating around the world. He recently launched an on-line site (www.cook-book.com). Dr Josephson continues to publish his restaurant experiences around the world and in Toronto, on this site, and they can be found on the site link titled “Blog Highlights”. He is also the former president of the Toronto chapter of the International Food and Wine society, a member and director of La Chaine des Rotisseurs, and a member of Les Chevalers du Tastevin (the Toronto chapter of the Burgundy Wine Society).

Jason Miller, OD MBA – Class of 1999 – Notable Alumnus

Jason Miller,I am a partner in a three-doctor private practice in Powell, Ohio, an adjunct faculty member for The Ohio State University College of Optometry, and the Secretary-Treasurer on the Ohio Optometric Association board. In addition, I have had the opportunity to consult alongside Drs. Chuck Brownlow and Walter Whitley with the American Optometric Association as one of the “ask the coding experts” answering coding questions and performing monthly webinars on a variety of coding and medical records concerns.

I have been fortunate to consult, lecture, and perform research on a wide variety of eye care areas, including contact lenses, myopia control, dry eyes, allergic conjunctivitis, practice management, electronic health records, and billing and coding issues. I am actively involved in writing and have been published in many of eye care national publications; including a regular monthly column on contact lens care in Review of Cornea & Contact Lens, Contact Lens Spectrum and Optometric Management.

Within my community, I am active in the Olentangy Rotary Club and have participated in an international eye care mission trip to El Salvador. I reside in Powell, Ohio with my wife, Melanie and our three great kids, Jake (14), Josh (12) and Megan (10).

Special Note: Dr. Jason Miller is scheduled to receive the Early Professional Achievement Award in October 2014.