Jeffrey Anshel, OD, FAAO; President

Dr. Anshel is a 1975 graduate from the Illinois College of Optometry.  He has written numerous articles and books regarding nutritional influences on vision and computer vision concerns. The second edition of his book, Smart Medicine for Your Eyes is scheduled for publication in  2010. Dr. Anshel is the principal of Corporate Vision Consulting, where he addresses the issues surrounding visual demands while working with computers. He also offers on-site consultations and seminars to corporations related to visual stress and productivity in the workplace. He lectures nationally to eyecare providers on nutrition and nutritional genomics topics. Dr. Anshel maintains a private practice in Carlsbad, CA.

George Schmidt, OD; Vice President

Dr. Schmidt has practiced optometry for 29 years, following a three year stint in the Air Force, where he was Chief of the Eye Clinic at Tyndall Air Force Base.  He specializes in nutritional / preventive eyecare. He has been named a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International, and is a 29 year member of the American Optometric Association. He has also been heavily involved in developing online resources related to nutrition and ocular health. Dr. Schmidt maintains a private practice in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.

Ellen Troyer, MT, MA; Secretary/Research-Education Co-Chair/ Industry Relations Chair

Ms. Troyer has over 30 years experience in medical science and professional education services. She is the co-inventor of the first two patented oral formulations designed to address dry eye disease. She has edited or written chapters in consumer health books and has co-authored vision nutrition peer-reviewed journal articles. She lecturers frequently to eye care professionals, as well as being the author of a popular web-based eye nutrition column called Friday Pearls.  She is an active member of The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), The Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society (TFOS), The International Society of Dacryology and Dry Eye, The Society for Free Radical Biology and Medicine, The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Ophthalmic Women Leaders, and The New York Academy of Science, (NYAS). She is a voting member of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the Washington DC-based trade association representing the dietary supplement industry.

 Paul Chris, OD; Meeting Co-Chair

Dr. Chris graduated from the University of Waterloo, School of Optometry in 1976 and has practiced in Toronto, Ontario since that time. He has been actively involved in optometric politics and from 1994 to 2004, he served on the Council of the College of Optometrists of Ontario, the provincial regulatory body for the profession, including two years as College President. In 2005, he was appointed Executive Director of the Vision Institute of Canada, a non-profit charitable teaching clinic where he organizes and runs the educational programs and conferences for optometrists across Canada. He has a special interest in nutrition and vision and has written papers published in the Canadian Journal of Optometry on the impact of our Western diet on ocular health.

Garry Kappel, OD; Meeting Co-Chair

Dr. Kappel graduated from Pacific University College of Optometry in 1963. Dr. Kappel has published numerous articles on nutrition and its relationship to vision.  His specialty practice had a focus on nutritional therapy for ocular diseases and function for over 40 years.  His macular degeneration patients have show improvement for more than 30 years with a nutritional formulation he designed.  He and his wife Olivia design nutritional formulations for various health problems.

Stuart Richer, OD, PhD, FAAO; Research Chair

Dr. Richer earned his undergraduate degree in 1977 from the Rochester Institute of Technology, after which he completed a dual OD MS (physiological optics) program at the University of California at Berkeley in 1981. A one-year residency in low vision / hospital based optometry followed at the Kansas City, Missouri DVA Medical Center. He has been Chief of Optometry at DVA Medical Center, North Chicago, IL since 1983. In 1996 Dr. Richer earned his PhD in human physiology and biophysics from Chicago Medical School following 15 years of practice. He’s an associate professor of Family and Preventative Medicine at Chicago Medical School and Clinical Optometry at ICO and UMSL. He is the principal investigator of the Veterans Lutein Antioxidant Supplementation Trial (LAST), the first US randomized double masked placebo controlled clinical trial of lutein and visual function published in the Journal Optometry April 2004.  Actively involved in primary care optometry and clinical antioxidant research, Dr. Richer has special interests in aging, prescribing nutrients in the intervention of age related macular degeneration, low-tension glaucoma, prevention of cataracts and dry eye. 

 
Dennis Ruskin, OD, FAAO; Membership/Public Relation Chair

Dr. Ruskin graduated from the University of Waterloo in 1976 with a doctor of optometry degree, the same year he established his full service practice in Toronto, Ontario. In 1989, he became a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry. Dr. Ruskin has been appointed advisory member to committees within the provincial government, College of Optometrists, Ontario Association of Optometrists, Seneca College opticianry program, and ophthalmic corporations. As well, he has had clinical affiliation with the Vision Institute, served as examiner for the Canadian Examiners of Optometry, lectured to optometrists and the public, and performs clinical investigation for the pharmaceutical industry.

 
A. Paul Chous, MA, OD, FAAO; Science Committee

Dr. Paul Chous was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes mellitus at age five. He completed his undergraduate education at Brown University and UC Irvine, and then received his Masters and Doctorate of Optometry degrees with highest honors from UC Berkeley. Paul has a private practice specializing in diabetes eye care and education in Tacoma, WA

Dr. Chous won the American Diabetes Association’s Distinguished Public Service Award in 1998. He is the author of Diabetic Eye Disease: Lessons From a Diabetic Eye Doctor, which was included in the “Top 12 Diabetes Books” by Diabetes Update magazine in 2004. He is an adjunct instructor at NOVA Southeastern University College of Optometry in Fort Lauderdale, FL. 

Kimberly Reed, OD, FAAO; Optometry School Liaison 

Dr. Kimberly Reed earned her undergraduate degree in 1986 from Auburn University, and her Doctor of Optometry degree from the University Of Alabama Birmingham College Of Optometry in 1990.  She then completed a post-graduate residency at the Illinois College of Optometry where she subsequently spent an additional two years as a clinical faculty member.  Dr. Reed has been with NSU’s College of Optometry since 1993, and has held a variety of teaching and administrative positions during her tenure. 

Currently, she teaches courses in Pharmacological Management of Anterior Segment Ocular Disease and Ocular Pharmacology, and also is a clinical preceptor in the third year primary care clinic.  Dr. Reed has developed a specific interest and focus in nutrition and supplementation as it relates to ocular health, and writes and lectures extensively on the topic.  Dr. Reed is an active member of several national organizations serving optometry and optometric education.

Carol Boerner, MD; Interprofessional Liaison

Dr. Boerner graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After her internship at The Bryn Mawr Hospital, she did a four month fellowship in Ghent, Belgium under Dr Jules Francois, and did primary care medicine for the Indian Health Service in Coulee Dam Washington, Barrow, Alaska and Philadelphia, Mississippi. Dr. Boerner trained at Emory University in ophthalmology and completed a fellowship in cataract surgery and YAG lasers with Dr. Barrie Thrasher in Atlanta Georgia in 1983. She is the author of numerous articles on YAG lasers, Intraocular lenses, ophthalmic surgery and reviews articles for The Journal of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. As the owner of Eyes of Boston for twenty years, Dr.Boerner started using flax seed oil for rosacea and dry eye treatment in the early 1990s. She now lives in Vermont and continues her interest in diet, supplements and eye health.