Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science Alumni

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Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science Alumni

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This is the page for alumni of the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science.

Established in 1923, the University of California Berkeley School of Optometry is the second-oldest active university optometry program in the United States and has been committed to producing excellence in both academics and research. Providing superior-quality training programs and extensive clinic experience to its carefully-selected students, the UC Berkeley Optometry School maintains its high technical standards while preparing students for successful careers in the field of optometry. In addition to offering this clinical training, the school’s world-class faculty are engaged in pioneering research in vision science, doing groundbreaking work to provide better primary vision care as well as improved diagnoses, treatments, and preventative care of vision disorders. Berkeley Optometry's alumni and faculty have served as presidents of national, state, and local organizations, testifying to the school's significant role in advancing the profession of optometry. The extensive network of alumni produced by Berkeley Optometry includes educators, private practice owners, researchers, and many other vision science professionals.

10/27/2026

On Saturday, October 17th, Ardi Samonte, our Associate Director of Admissions, and Sophie Freitas, our Optometry Program Coordinator, represented the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science at the 24th annual UC Davis Pre-Health Conference. Ardi and Sophie connected with nearly 100 students, sharing information about careers in optometry and Berkeley's program. Sophie also served as a speaker on an Optometry Admissions Panel at the event.

This is just one of the many pre-health fairs, club presentations and graduate school fairs that our admissions team attends every semester!

10/25/2026

Our Vision Science Retreat was a success!

It was a great opportunity to learn about our colleagues’ latest work, connect, exchange ideas, have fun, and celebrate our collective achievements.

Congratulations to Team Eyeliner for winning the first VS Cup, Team King Kong (Xiaohua Gong, Christopher Wu, Reem Almagati, Effy Ren, Terence Tyson) for winning the VS Trivia. Sorry, Team Meat (Teresa Puthussery, Elise Harb, Angeline Yang). And congrats to Lauren Sigda and Byron Johnson for receiving the Best Lightning Talk! A big thank you to everyone who contributed to the program, especially Professor David Whitney for delivering a fantastic keynote talk. And of course, thanks to Alexandria Marquez, for organizing the retreat!

10/21/2026

The Dry Eye Student Association (DESA) at the UC Berkeley Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science is a student-led organization dedicated to promoting education, awareness, and clinical interest in dry eye disease and ocular surface health. Our mission is to equip future optometrists with the knowledge and resources necessary to confidently diagnose, manage, and treat dry eye disease in clinical practice.

10/18/2026

We are thrilled to share the good news that the school has secured $1.8M in funding for a new program called OD-ACCESS (Optometry - Advancing Community Care through Eyecare Service & Scholarship).

The program is designed to grow and sustain a workforce of primary care optometrists dedicated to serving California’s medically underserved communities (MUCs). The vision is to prepare a new generation of primary care optometrists who are ready to advance health equity in vision care. This will be accomplished by developing clinicians who are community-embedded, culturally responsive, and system-minded. The ACCESS program combines immersive experiences, longitudinal mentorship, scholarship support, and community driven participatory projects.

Congrats and thanks to Drs. Ruth Shoge, Nancy McNamara, Mike Hoffshire, Angela Shahbazian and Sonia Menchavez for leading this effort!

10/11/2026

Alumni gathered at the Almanac Brewery in Alameda for our Reunion Celebration. Classmates across multiple generations reconnected over drinks, enjoyed the Berkeley spirit, and took class photos.

We recognized Dr. Clyde Oden (OD ‘68) with the Micheal G. Harris Service Award, Dr. Chris Wilmer (OD ‘97) was presented with the Mert Flom Teaching Award, given to her by members of the class of 2001 on their 25th Anniversary, and Dr. Siu Wong (OD ‘70) was selected as the Alumnus of the Year.

We wrapped up the weekend in Emeryville with a reception honoring our alumni award winners and a tour of the Emeryville clinic. To everyone who joined us, thank you! We loved seeing your enthusiasm for Berkeley and for all of your colleagues and friends!

10/08/2026

We are happy to share that Assistant Clinical Professors Jeffrey Kong and Celia Yeung have been selected to receive the Michael G Harris Junior Faculty AAO Travel Award.

On the student side, Monica Do and Michelle Hoang have each received the OD AAO Student Travel Fellowship, which was secured by the School through the AAO Foundation challenge last year.

Congrats to all!

10/02/2026

A new paper titled, “How Gaze Direction and Dynamics Affect Visual Resolution,” has been published in eNeuro by Josselin Gautier, Norick R. Bowers, Martin S. Banks, and Austin Roorda.

When humans hold their gaze on an object, their eyes are in constant motion, yet the consequent movement of the image on the retina is not perceived. Using advanced optical methods to measure the exact trajectory of fixated images on the photoreceptor mosaic and the consequent visual performance in a repeated acuity task we reveal a highly evolved oculomotor system. Humans exhibit machine-like control over their ocular fixation, using a combination of drifts and saccades (fast flicks of eye gaze) to maintain the image of fixated objects on a tiny retinal region called the preferred retinal locus (PRL). Only rarely does the gaze ever shift far enough away to compromise visual performance.

For more information, check out the video at https://youtube.com/shorts/BEfj0xyIjjQ?is=QSndebaafNGuuLbb

Paper: https://www.eneuro.org/content/13/9/ENEURO.0176-26.2026.full

09/30/2026

We are pleased and proud to report that three of our former OD students have received AAO Residency Awards. Congrats to all and keep up the excellent work!

Nour Sarangi, OD '26
Terrance N. Ingraham Pediatric Optometry Residency Award
UCB Pediatric Optometry & Primary Care Optometry Residency

Kaitlyn Lee, OD '26
George Mertz Contact Lens Residency Award
SUNY - Combined Optometry Residency & Graduate Degree in Vision Science

Samantha Ito, OD '26
Sheldon Wechsler Contact Lens Residency Award
SCCO - Cornea and Contact Lens Residency

09/26/2026

On Sunday, September 13, Dr. Mike and a group of optometry students visited Justride Studio in Concord for a wellness spin class -- a high-intensity group cardio workout on stationary bikes. The outing focused on aligning mind, body, and soul, offering everyone a chance to recharge outside the classroom. Events like this serve as a great reminder of the importance of community, health, and balance throughout our academic journey. And it's fun!

09/25/2026

The Vision Science PhD Application for the 2026 - 2027 cycle is open! Applicants can apply through UC Berkeley’s Graduate Application on https://grad.berkeley.edu/admissions. Anyone interested in conducting research in our interdisciplinary program should apply. Applicants can emphasize in areas such as computational vision, biological sciences, neuroscience and more. Applications close on December 7th, 2026 at 11:59pm pacific time. For more information, please consult our website at vision.berkeley.edu.

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Berkeley, CA
94720

Website

http://optometry.berkeley.edu/

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