The Academy has long recognized that learning doesn't end with graduation. It is life-long. From the Academy's beginnings in 1922, Academy Fellows have gathered every year at the annual meeting to listen to the latest scientific discoveries and to learn to apply that new knowledge to the care of their patients. They also learn more during the year by reading articles in the leading optometry journal, Optometry and Vision Science.
The Academy is committed to providing the life-long learning you need throughout your career through continuing education at its annual meeting. The Academy is pleased to inform all graduates that the Membership Committee intends to convert graduating students at all U.S. and Canadian schools and colleges of optometry into Candidates for Fellowship and waive the first year of dues. Each spring starting in 2008, graduating students at each school and college attend a short presentation given by their Academy Faculty Student Liaison. During this presentation, you receive a packet with information about the Academy and Fellowship along with an invitation to become a Candidate for Fellowship. In 2009, this program really took off with 112 optometry graduates becoming Candidates. This is twice as many graduates as we had in 2007 (65 Candidates) or in 2008 (64 Candidates).
Due to the steadily increasing number of women graduating with a doctorate of optometry in the US each year, we have been tracking the number of female Fellows. The profession of optometry in the US had a steady increase of 5% of women optometrists each year for the last decade. For the past three years, the increase in the percentage of female Fellows either matched or exceeded the growth of the profession; 19% in 2007, 5% in 2008 and 7% in 2009 respectively. We encourage graduating students to become Candidates for Fellowship immediately upon graduation so that they can hone their clinical skills throughout the process of becoming a Fellow.
The Membership Committee is also advertising this program on the Academy's Facebook page. We are looking for Fellows who would be willing to send us short descriptions of why Fellowship has benefitted them in private practice. These quotes will be included on the Academy's Facebook page with information about the Conversion of Students to Candidates Program. In addition, we are always looking for enthusiastic Fellows in private practice to assist Faculty Student Liaisons with presentations at various schools and colleges by briefly speaking about how the Academy and Fellowship has benefitted them in their private practice. If you want to send a quote for the Academy Facebook page or if you would be willing to speak about the benefits of Fellowship at your local school or college of optometry, please contact the Chair of the Membership Committee, Melissa Bailey, OD, PhD, FAAO.
N.B.: Due to recent issues with spam-type uses of the Fellow directory, the Academy blocked member emails from appearing in the online directory. If you would like to include your email in the Academy online database, please login at http://www.aaopt.org/login/login.asp. Under "My Account," select "Update Profile" and "Directory Settings" on the left hand corner. Select "Publish my email address in directories."
