SUNY Symposium Centers on Intentional Career Design

SUNY Optometry alum Dr. Joseph Rappon addresses the college’s 2016 day-long career symposium for students, residents and alumni.

SUNY Optometry alum Dr. Joseph Rappon addresses the college’s 2016 day-long career symposium for students, residents and alumni.

For the fifth consecutive year, the State University of New York College of Optometry held a day-long career symposium to provide its students, residents and alumni with an opportunity to gain more knowledge and understanding about building and developing their careers. This year’s symposium focused on the concept of intentional career design.

A range of experts from the optometric and healthcare communities and beyond offered their insight through a series of sessions. Each session was designed to provide specific detail about the opportunities and challenges students will face as they begin their careers. Topics ranged from how best to make the transition from class to clinic to the benefits of eastern philosophy to the best way to manage personal finances. SUNY Optometry alumnus, Dr. Joseph Rappon, a key player in the unique “smart lens” collaboration between Alcon and Google, gave the keynote address, describing his own path forward from the college to clinical care to research.

SUNY Optometry’s Career Development Center organizes the symposium, which was supported in part by corporate sponsors, including Alcon, Allergan, Luxottica, Vision Group Holdings and VSP, as well as the New York State Optometric Association, SUNY Optometry’s Confucius Institute and the college’s foundation, the Optometric Center of New York.