Message from the Chair

Dear CCLRT members, 


I am still smiling! What an invigorating, rewarding and fun annual meeting it was!

Thank you to my Annual Meeting Committee (Cindy Siu Blancq, Stuti Misra, Kristen Brown and Ryan McKinnis) for their attention to detail in making every Section event so special. I also want to thank our Immediate Past Chair, Rick Weisbarth; our vendors, Rochelle and Bernie; and of course the California Dreamer (Tom Quinn) and the Dreamettes (Stuti Misra, Lyndon Jones, Louise Scafani, Renee Reeder, Tiffany Andrzejewski, and me; pictured below) for showcasing their talents to welcome us to Anaheim!

What an amazing Diplomate Award Reception we had, with a Hollywood-theme, signature Section cocktail, “The Tinseltown CCLRTequila” (a margarita recipe with some Hollywood pizazz), the red carpet, our own individual stars on the walk of fame, and step and repeat, with all of our stars together, symbolizing the collective togetherness of our achievement and our organization. Lastly, I want to give my heartfelt congratulations to our seven new Diplomates: Lily Arendt, Caroline Blackie, Dawn Lam, Brooke Messer, Caitlyn Morrison, Maria Walker, and Cheryl Zabrowski. Welcome to our CCLRT Diplomate family.

And now, on to the future! I am honored and humbled to be your Chair for the next two years. I love CCLRT, and I love the CCLRT! Also, I could not be more impressed with the people on the leadership. We have assembled one of the most diverse leadership teams—35 people in all-- in CCLRT history. We have veteran leaders, including four former CCLRT Chairs, as well as five new Diplomates on our roster. The Executive Committee (pictured below + Fakhruddin Barodawala) has over 80 years of experience leading our Section. I look forward to working with them to serve our profession, the Academy, our CCLRT Section, and most importantly, you. Have a wonderful holiday season, and I will see you in 2027.

Sincerely,



Susan Gromacki, OD, MS, FAAO, FSLS, Dipl AAO 

Diplomate, Cornea, Contact Lenses & Refractive Technologies

Photo 1: California Dreamer and the Dreamettes opening the Welcome Breakfast

Photo 2: The 2027-2028 CCLRT Executive Committee

Message from the Immediate Past Chair

Photo 3: The 2026 CCLRT Founders’ Award recipients

Carol Lakkis, BScOptom, PhD, PGCertOcTher, FAAO, FACO, FBCLA, was this year’s recipient of the Max Schapero Memorial Lecture and Award. The honor recognizes a clinician, researcher, or scholar for significant contributions to the cornea and contact lens field through publications, lectures, or research. Her engaging presentation, “Improving Contact Lens Wear: From Academia to Industry—and Beyond,” focused on her many research activities and discoveries. It was warmly received by all the Fellows, Diplomates, Section Members, Residents, and Students in attendance.

Photo 4: Carol Lakkis, BScOptom, PhD, PGCertOcTher, FAAO, FACO, FBCLA, recipient of the Max Schapero Memorial Lecture and Award

Additional Academy and Section awards were presented to Residents and cornea & contact lens colleagues at other events throughout the meeting. A complete listing can be found at the bottom of this newsletter. The CCLRT is proud of all the recipients and thanks them for their many contributions.

As the year comes to an end, please start thinking about nominees for next year’s CCLRT awards. A formal call for nominations will be announced at the beginning of 2027.

With Academy 2026 Anaheim now in the rearview mirror, I also want to sincerely thank my colleagues whose Executive Committee service concluded at the annual CCLRT Business Meeting and Lunch.

Having completed her term as Past Chair, Louise Sclafani served as Chair of the CCLRT Section for the 2023-2024 cycle. During her tenure, Louise was instrumental in multiple initiatives including the creation of the Resident Case Report and Concept Challenge for Residents, the Enlightenment webinars, the partnership with GPLI and leadership with our Modernization efforts.

Photo 5: CCLRT Section Past Chairs

With a decade of service on the Section’s Leadership Team, Renee Reeder held a number of different roles over the years. She stepped up to lead the efforts to standardize our Diplomate testing processes and establish a rubric across all areas of assessment – written, practical and oral. Our Diplomate Award program is regarded as First-Class thanks to her hard work, dedication and commitment. We are extremely grateful for all her accomplishments that have advanced the Section. Thank You Renee!

Marsha Malooley did an excellent job as Secretary-Treasurer during the 2025-2026 term. She expertly managed a wide range of responsibilities, including recording meeting minutes and preparing our annual budget to helping plan menus for Section events, communicating with our sponsors and growing our industry partnerships even stronger.

As our first Member-at-Large, Tiffany Andrzejewski managed CCLRT’s social media channels and offered valuable insights from a Diplomate candidate’s perspective. With more free time now, we look forward to her being able to focus on progressing from candidate to Diplomate.

My heartfelt thanks go to Louise, Renee, Marsha and Tiffany, as well as fellow 2025 – 2026 Executive Committee members Susan Gromacki and Beth Kinoshita, the Section Leadership Team and all our volunteers for their countless contributions to making the CCLRT stronger than ever. As the leadership passes to Susan and our new Executive Committee, I look forward to the Section reaching even greater heights.

Regards,



Rick Weisbarth, OD, FAAO, Dipl AAO

Diplomate, Cornea, Contact Lenses & Refractive Technologies

Message from the Vice Chair

Photo 6: New CCLRT Diplomates

We are very excited to welcome these magnificent seven into the CCLRT Section and look forward to their continued contributions to the Section and the profession! Thank you to all the mentors, case report reviewers, examiners, and proctors! A special thank you to Dave Roncone for his work as the Director of Applied Clinical Knowledge! I am excited to see what he does in his new role as the Diplomate Award Chair!

In my new role as Vice Chair, we have our sights set on Academy 2027 San Antonio, taking place from November 10 to 13, and will work to make it an amazing meeting! I look forward to working with the planning committee of Melanie Frogozo, Ryan McKinnis, Stuti Misra, Heidi Wagner, and Maria Walker!

Beth Kinoshita, OD, FAAO, Dipl AAO

Diplomate, Cornea, Contact Lenses & Refractive Technologies

Message from the Secretary/Treasurer

Members of the CCLRT Section,

What an honor it is to serve as your Secretary/Treasurer for the next two years. I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity and excited to contribute to the many activities and initiatives that make our Section so special.

During the annual meeting, I had the privilege of observing one of the new Diplomate oral interviews, and it reminded me of the qualities I value most about our Section.

The first is knowledge. The members of CCLRT are exceptionally knowledgeable and passionate about all aspects of cornea, contact lenses, and refractive technologies. Even more remarkable is our willingness to share that knowledge with others. The oral interview was not simply an examination; it was an opportunity for candidates to engage in meaningful discussion, share their expertise, and demonstrate their commitment to lifelong learning.

The second is family. Whether sitting in the oral interviews, attending the Section breakfast, participating in our receptions, or gathering at the business luncheon, I was reminded that CCLRT is much more than a professional organization. It is a community of colleagues, mentors, and friends who genuinely support one another. Being part of this Section feels like being part of an extended family.

For the last several years, I have been involved as the Director, Residents, working with the Resident Case Report Challenge (RCRC) and in the recruitment efforts of encouraging young residency trained doctors to continue to be engaged and involved in the CCLRT Section. I am happy to share that Elaine Chen, OD, FAAO, Dipl AAO, will be taking on this role for the Section. I am looking forward to working with Elaine and know her enthusiasm will be put to good use in connecting our Section with the residents.

Photo 7: 2026 RCRC Awardees

My hope for our Section over the next two years is that each of us will be empowered to share our knowledge with prospective members, encourage their involvement, and warmly welcome them into the CCLRT family. Together, we can continue to foster professional growth, mentorship, and a strong sense of connection that makes our Section truly unique.

Julie DeKinder, OD, FAAO, FSLS, Dipl AAO

Diplomate, Cornea, Contact Lenses & Refractive Technologies

Message from the Program and Education Chair

"Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life forever." — Amy Poehler

It’s going to be an exciting two years and I’m so excited to be working with our new leadership and my committee: Susan Resnick, Jan Bergmanson, and Doug Benoit. The Academy 2026 Anaheim meeting just concluded, and everyone is already working hard planning the upcoming SOAR lectures and the Symposium for Academy 2027 San Antonio. 

For those who are not familiar with the Speaker’s Bureau, it’s an incredible outreach program where optometry schools and Academy Chapters can request a CCLRT Diplomate to lecture at their organization. We, our CCLRT Section, cover the cost of the lecturer as we foster interest in our profession as well as connect with students and Chapter members. For more information, please contact Doug Benoit at kdbenoit@comcast.net or myself at impyeyes99@yahoo.com. Also, if you're a CCLRT Diplomate and are interested in lecturing for our Section (eg SOAR, the CCLRT Symposium, Speaker's Bureau), please send me an email with your area of expertise. I'll put you on a lecture list for future opportunities.  

Stay tuned for our upcoming online SOAR continuing education programs.

• February 27, 2027: SOAR #1 Presbyopia Day 
• May 15, 2027: SOAR #2 The Corneal Continuum: Navigating Surgical & CL Interventions

Looking forward to hearing from many of you soon.


Karen Yeung, OD, FAAO, Dipl AAO

Diplomate, Cornea, Contact Lenses & Refractive Technologies

Message from the Diplomate Award Chair

The Diplomate Awards Committee has much to report in the first official newsletter since Academy 2026 Anaheim.

The Diplomate Awards Committee is happy to report seven new Diplomates in Anaheim, representing every Diplomate Track! The Section congratulates them on this colossal achievement and welcomes them on board! 

The Section is off to a great start preparing for Academy 2027 San Antonio! Mentors have been assigned to 23 Clinical Diplomates (21 Contact Lens, 2 Refractive Technologies). Mentors this year to guide the candidates along in the process include Drs. Lily Arendt, Dawn Lam, Brooke Messer, Amy Nau, Erin Rueff, and Kelvin Tang. 

Drs. Sheila Hickson-Curan and Kristen Brown are serving in their roles as Research Subcommittee Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, and have three Research Diplomates in the process. Their focus, knowledge, and camaraderie are appreciated and admired by every Research candidate entering into the process. 

The Section is ecstatic to report Dr. Jenn Harthan has assumed the role of Director of Applied Clinical Knowledge. She will lead the team in the submission and review of applied clinical knowledge documents (e.g. case reports and case report substitutions to include patents, publications, leadership positions, etc.). The Section is extremely fortunate to have her leadership, knowledge with publications, clinical expertise, and administrative skills to power the Section in 2027. 

Early preparations have begun in the realm of the written, practical and oral exams. Leading the charge for the Section in these arms are Renee Reider (Written Exam), Jenny Fogt (Practical Exam), and James Wolffsohn (Oral Exam), who are busy at work assembling their teams to launch each respective exam. Their knowledge and expertise is both admired and valued. 

Last, but definitely not least, Jeff Krohn is serving as Faculty Liaison, spearheading collective collaboration between the Section and Faculty at the Schools & Colleges of Optometry. His energy, knowledge, and know-how will benefit the Section greatly. 

Have a fantastic remainder to 2026. Big things are coming in 2027!



Best,

Dave Roncone, OD, MBA, FAAO, Dipl AAO 

Diplomate, Cornea, Contact Lenses & Refractive Technologies

Message from the Board Member at Large

Hello, CCLRT family!

I am Fakhruddin S. Barodawala (aka FB), and I'm excited to introduce myself as the newly appointed CCLRT Member-at-Large! It is a pleasure to join the CCLRT Section leadership team, and I look forward to getting to know more of our wonderful community.

One thing that makes CCLRT special is the people and the knowledge, experiences, and friendships we share. So, why limit those conversations to our annual meetings?


Have an interesting clinical image? Recently published something exciting? Or perhaps you have a great idea for a quiz or discussion? Don't keep it to yourself! We'd love to feature your contributions and make our social media pages a place where everyone has a voice.

Send in your submission here or email me at optom_fakhruddin@yahoo.com

Come join us if you haven’t already: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/302885147511

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aao_cclrt/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aao-cclrt-443427419/

We've also got some exciting CCLRT activities ahead, so keep an eye out! After all, the best part of CCLRT isn't just what we learn—it's who we learn it with!

Warm regards,



Fakhruddin Barodawala, MOptom, FASCO, FIACLE, FAAO, FBCLA

Photo 8: Diplomates of CCLRT at the Diplomate Award Reception

Academy 2026 Anaheim Awards 
Honoring Cornea and Contact Lens Colleagues

CCLRT Residency Awards


George Mertz Contact Lens Residency Award

• Richard Huynh, OD (Illinois College of Optometry)
• Kaitlyn Lee, OD (SUNY College of Optometry)

Rhonda Robinson Contact Lens Residency Award 

• Cindy Diaz, OD (Southern College of Optometry)

Sheldon Wechsler Contact Lens Residency Award 

• Crystal Henderson, OD (Northeastern State University Oklahoma College of Optometry)
• Samantha Ito, OD (Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B. Ketchum University)

Stan Yamane Contact Lens Residency Award 

• Alexa Le, OD (SSM Health Davis Duehr Dean Eye Care; affiliated with Illinois College of Optometry)

6th Annual Resident Case Report and Concept Challenge 


Top Awards – Best in Class

• Daria Gorski, OD (University of Houston - College of Optometry) 
• Jessica Howe, OD (Pacific University - College of Optometry)
• JoAnndria Brown, OD and Jerbrea Powell, OD (University of Alabama in Birmingham – School of Optometry)   

Top Awards – Outstanding

• Elizabeth Pham, OD (Newsom Eye)
• Anna Ratulowski and Richard Huynh (Illinois College of Optometry)

Excellent Achievement

• Alison Ou, OD (John Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute)
• Andrew Kwon, OD (Indiana University - School of Optometry)
  Yan Wang, OD (University of Houston - College of Optometry)
• Samantha Ito, OD and Jeremiah Seth Evasco, OD (Southern California College of Optometry)
• 
  

Honorable Mentions

• Heimraj Resaul, OD (Michigan College of Optometry)
• Angela Flores, OD (University of California Berkely - School of Optometry)
• Amanda Zhang, OD (University of California Berkely - School of Optometry)
• Richard Bruchard, OD (Bond-Wroten Eye Clinic)
• Simmy Grewal, OD (NSU - College of Optometry)

CCLRT Section Ezell Fellow

• Mukesh Kumar, MOptom (University of New South Wales)

Mertz - CCLRT OD to PhD Scholarship

• Grace Richards (Indiana University - School of Optometry Class of 2026)

Janet and Joe Barr - Cornea and Contact Lens Award

• Rachana Kafle, BOptom - (University of Houston – School of Optometry)

Charles F. Prentice Medal and Lecture

• Suzanne M. Fleiszig, OD, PhD, FAAO, FARVO

Glenn A. Fry Award and Lecture

• Philip Morgan, PhD, MCOptom, FBCLA, FAAO

Carel C. Koch Memorial Medal Award

• Louise Sclafani, OD, FAAO, Dipl AAO

Garland Clay Award 

• Jenny Huang Jones, PhD, OD, MPH; Donald O. Mutti, OD, PhD; Lisa A. Jones-Jordan, MS, PhD; and Jeffrey J. Walline, OD, PhD

Julius F. Neumueller Award in Optics

• Evan S. Elam,OD; Nasim Maddah, MSc, PhD; Alexander W. Schill, PhD; and Jason D. Marsack, PhD

Harris Family Award for Excellence in Optometric Education

• Neil Pence, OD, FAAO

Outstanding Emerging Leader Award

• Maria Walker, OD, PhD, FAAO, Dipl AAO

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Mission Statement

Fostering professional growth advocating excellence in patient care through leadership in education and research.

Section on CCLRT Leadership



Chair

Susan Gromacki, OD, MS, FAAO, FSLS, Dipl AAO 

Vice Chair

Beth Kinoshita, OD, FAAO, Dipl AAO

Program & Education Chair

     Karen Yeung, OD, FAAO, Dipl AAO

Secretary/Treasurer

Julie DeKinder, OD, FAAO, FSLS, Dipl AAO

Diplomate Award Chair

Dave Roncone, OD, MBA, FAAO, Dipl AAO 

Immediate Past Chair

Rick Weisbarth, OD, FAAO, Dipl AAO

Board Member at Large

Fakhruddin Barodawala, MOptom, FASCO, FIACLE, FAAO, FBCLA