2009 CLCS Award Winners

Dr. Donald Korb Award for Excellence
Achievement Award
Dr. Rodger Kame Award
Luminary Award for Distinguished Practice

Dr. Donald Korb Award for Excellence

Given by the AOA CLCS in recognition of an individual who has been a true innovator and leader in the field of contact lenses and anterior segment disease.

Award Criteria:

Has propelled the profession’s knowledge base through novel research or life long education to other professionals in the field of contact lenses and anterior segment anomalies.
Has made a major developmental impact on the profession through an innovative device or educational breakthrough.
Has made a positive affect on the way a practitioner manages their patients with anterior segment anomalies.

2009 Dr. Donald Korb Award for Excellence Recipient

Karla Zadnik, O.D. PhD, is the Associate Dean and the Glenn A. Fry Professor in Optometry and Physiological Optics at The Ohio State University College of Optometry. She received her OD and PhD degrees from the University of California, Berkeley School of Optometry. She chairs the Biomedical Sciences Institutional Review Board (IRB)
And the IRB Policy Committee for Ohio State.

Professor Zadnik is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, a Diplomate of its section on Cornea and Contact Lenses, the President-Elect of the Academy, and chair of the American Optometric Association’s Council on Research. She received the American Optometric Foundation’s Glenn A. Fry Award in 1995 and Bausch & Lomb’s Visionaries Award in 2004. She served on the National Advisory Eye Council of the National Eye Institute/National Institutes of Health from 2000 to 2004.

Dr. Zadnik is the Study Chairman for a multi-center study funded by the National Eye Institute—the Collaborative Longitudinal Evaluation of Ethnicity and Refractive Error (CLEERE) Study. She chaired the first-ever multi-center study based in optometry funded by the National Eye Institute from 1994 through 2007, the Collaborative Longitudinal Evaluation of Keratoconus (CLEK) Study. She also directs two National Eye Institute-funded training grants for clinician-scientists seeking a PhD and the Vision Research Infrastructure (core) grant from the NEI to support biostatistics and epidemiology in the College of Optometry.

Achievement Award

Given by the AOA CLCS in recognition of outstanding contribution to the optometric profession in the area of contact lenses and eye care.

Award Criteria:

Has shown a long term contribution in the advancement and propagation of knowledge in the field of contact lenses or eye care.
Taught unselfishly in the area of contact lenses or eye care for a number of years, and who has contributed to the clinical, academic, research education of students, interns, residents, or clinicians.
Made significant and unique contributions in the development of instruments, in the area of contact lenses or eye care, for the eye care practitioner.
Made a significant and unique contribution in the management programming for the improvement of contact lens practice.
Contributed and shared his or her knowledge with his or her fellow practitioners for the benefit of contact lenses and eye care for a number of years.

2009 Achievement Award Recipient

Robert Breece, O.D. is the president and lens design consultant for MedLens Innovations, Incorporated in Front Royal, Virginia where he is using his experience as a practitioner, biomedical engineer, contact lens designer and manufacturer to provide alternative RGP and soft contact lens designs for difficult cases.

He established a large contact lens specialty practice in Washington, D.C., has consulted in all phases of the contact lens industry, and has developed unique contact lens designs for keratoconus, post refractive surgery, and other medical conditions. He graduated from the Southern California College of Optometry in 1978.

Dr. Rodger Kame Award

Given to a section member in appreciation for outstanding service and dedication to the CLCS.

Award Criteria:

Has unselfishly given service to the section during the past year(s) above what is normally expected.
Has made a positive impact on fellow practitioners in the eye care field.

2009 Dr. Rodger Kame Award Recipient:

Mark Ventocilla, O.D. is a partner in Lakeshore Professional Eye Care of Norton Shores Michigan with Dr. Douglas Totten. He is also sole owner of Elder Eye Care Group and California Eye Wear.
Dr. Ventocilla was honored to work as author and editor of the CLCS e-Newsletter for several years. He has also served on the CLCS Student Awards Committee since its inception.

Dr. Ventocilla received his optometric degree and completed a Pediatric residency at UCBSO. Past awards include Michigan’s Young Optometrist of the Year, UCBSO Alumnus of the Month, the UCBSO Gold Retinoscope award and the Key to the City of Cusco, Peru.

Dr. Ventocilla served on faculty at the University of Michigan, Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science from 1996-2002, as a Clinical Professor with the Michigan College of Optometry since 2002, as Senior Expert Examiner for NBEO clinical examinations, as President of the West Michigan Optometric Association, and as State Delegate to the National Volunteer Optometrists Serving Humanity meeting.

He also has greatly enjoyed working on or leading VOSH mission trips to Mexico, the Philippines, Peru and Haiti. He has a passion for hiking and has scaled Kenya’s Mt. Kilimanjaro and the Himalayas of Nepal. Though truth be told he was mostly just trying to keep up with his much more fit wife Phyllis, of whom he is most proud. Together they are most proud of their four wonderful children Sam, Mick, Carol and Marian.

Luminary Award for Distinguished Practice

Given by the AOA CLCS in recognition of a distinguished clinical practitioner who has developed a contact lens practice and who tirelessly contributes to the development of others.

Award Criteria:

Is in a clinical contact lens practice setting.
Has demonstrated his or her “giving back” to optometry, through the education of other practitioners (writer, lecturer, volunteer, mentorship, etc.).
Has demonstrated a long-standing contribution and shared knowledge with fellow practitioners for the betterment of contact lens practice and eye care.
Is an AOA CLCS member.

2009 Luminary Award for Distinguished Practice Recipient:

Mary Jo Stiegemeier, O.D. is in private practice in Beachwood and Hudson, Ohio where she specializes in contact lens fitting. She is a graduate of The Ohio State University College of Optometry where she earned the Bausch and Lomb Contact Lens Award. Dr. Stiegemeier was also presented with a Distinguished Teaching Award from Mt. Sinai Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio.

She enjoys two faculty appointments; Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor at Pacific College of Optometry and Clinical Assistant Professor at The Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, a Diplomate in Cornea and Contact Lens, a member of the American Optometric Association, and a member of the AOA Contact Lens Section.

Dr. Stiegemeier is one of the founding board members of Women of Vision an organization dedicated to helping female optometrists. She is also a member of the Joint Board Certification Project Team representing the American Academy of Optometry.

Dr. Stiegemeier has lectured extensively on the topic of contact lenses, has done numerous clinical studies and pre-market tests, as well as research in the area of contact lenses. She has authored or co-authored several scientific publications and abstracts.