Women In Optometry

Patricia Poma-Nowinski, OD, FCOVD, of Birmingham Vision Care in Bloomfield Township, Michigan, calls herself a stickler for a schedule.

There was a time, about two years ago, that the staff at the Goldthwaite, Texas, office of Melanie Bartek, OD, FCOVD, would spend time every month putting labels on recall postcards and waiting for the phone to ring from people confirming their appointments.

When Grace Kim, OD, joined National Vision Inc. 17 years ago, she was initially attracted to the job stability provided. She has stayed because of the research.

Brenda Montecalvo, OD, planned to specialize in optometric vision therapy (VT) when she was opening her cold-start practice about 26 years ago. “VT comes with a pretty big price tag,” Dr. Montecalvo says.

Rebecca Schoonover, OD, of Peckville, Pennsylvania, had both experience and support when she began practicing optometry.

Talk about being the right person at the right time and place. Kristin O’Brien, OD, of Denver, Colorado, in 2013 became the solo OD at a practice started by Mark Wahlmeier, OD, who has five Vision Source® practices in Kansas, and Seth Thibault, OD…

Casey Hogan, OD, FAAO, has been treating patients for symptoms of dry eye for many years at her practice, Advanced Eyecare Professionals in Oak Lawn, Illinois.

Optometry school prepares ODs to provide excellent clinical care. And more schools and programs are working with ODs to make smart business decisions, too.

Sairah Malik, OD, and Sana Malik, OD, make an excellent team. The sisters, six years apart, realized they have complementary strengths that make for a great partnership.