New Dean Assumes Post at OSU

Dr. Karla Zadnik

Dr. Karla Zadnik

Dr. Karla Zadnik, the Glenn A. Fry Professor in Optometry and Physiological Optics, became The Ohio State University’s (OSU) first female Dean on June 1. She succeeds Dr. Melvin D. Shipp, who stepped down in May, as Dean of The OSU College of Optometry. In conjunction with her new role, Dr. Zadnik is also serving as a member of the ASCO Board of Directors.

Dr. Zadnik has made significant contributions to the optometric profession. She spent 14 years as a faculty member in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of California-Davis and was the principal investigator and study chairman of the landmark National Eye Institute studies CLEK and CLEERE. Dr. Zadnik is a former President of the American Academy of Optometry and the numerous honors she has received include the Warren G. and Ruth P. Morris Optometrist of the Year Award from the Ohio Optometric Association, the American Optometric Association’s Contact Lens and Cornea Section’s Donald R. Korb Award for Excellence, and The Ohio State University’s Distinguished Scholar award. This year she was inducted into the National Optometry Hall of Fame, which the ASCO Board recognized by presenting her with a congratulatory Resolution.