DR. MELVIN SHIPP NAMED OPTOMETRIST OF THE YEAR Dr. Melvin Shipp, O.D., DrPH., a 1972 graduate of the IU School of Optometry, was named Optometrist of the Year by the American Optometric Association in June in Chicago at the American Optometric Association’s annual awards ceremony during the 115th Annual AOA Congress. “The selection of Dr. Mel Shipp as the 2012 AOA Optometrist of the Year is a recognition well-bestowed,” says Dr. Edwin Marshall, professor of optometry and IU vice president for Diversity, Equity, and Multicultural Affairs. “Mel has amassed a broad portfolio of highly valued contributions to the professions of optometry and public health.” The award is one of several illustrious distinctions Shipp has accrued throughout his celebrated career. Dean of The Ohio State University College of Optometry since 2004, Shipp is the past recipient of the American Academy of Optometry Koch Medal, the National Optometric Association Founder’s Award, the National Optometric Association Optometrist of the Year Award, and the American Optometric Student Association Teaching Award for Excellence in Clinical Instruction. An inductee in the National Optometry Hall of Fame, Shipp is currently president of the American Public Health Association, the first optometrist to serve in this position. After earning his B.S. and Doctor of Optometry degrees from IU, Shipp served in the United States Navy on active duty from 1972 to 1976 as chief of optometry service in Port Hueneme, California. He received his Master of Public Health degree from Harvard University in 1980 and his Doctor of Public Health degree from the University of Michigan in 1996, and continued to serve in the Naval Reserves in many roles until 2001. Before coming to Ohio State, Shipp was professor and assistant dean for clinical services and director of clinics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He has acted as reviewer and served on the editorial boards of several academic publications, which include Optometry: Journal of the American Optometric Association, the American Journal of Public Health, Optometry and Vision Science, Evidence-based Eye Care, and the Southern Journal of Optometry. The author of more than 60 journal articles, publications, and abstracts, Shipp has presented more than 50 continuing education talks and keynote addresses. Past president of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry, Shipp has also served as a member of the national board of directors of Prevent Blindness America and the National Optometric Association, where he twice chaired the continuing education committee. He is currently a member of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry. “It is a fitting tribute to his collective work as an optometrist, educator, administrator, and public health leader,” says Dr. Marshall. “As a graduate of the IU School of Optometry, Mel joins four other IU optometry graduates as a national optometrist of the year—an honor to both Mel and the IU School of Optometry.” ALUMNUS DR. DENNIS MILLER RECEIVES FOLEY HOUSE KEY AWARD Dr. Dennis R. Miller, O.D., a 1979 graduate of the IU School of Optometry, was honored with the school’s 2012 Foley House Key Award, which is given annually to honor an alumnus who has had a distinguished optometric career. The award is named for a unique building, deeply rooted in the history of the school, that still represents the collegiality and good humor of IUSO students long after its demolition. Voted Indiana Optometrist of the Year in 2005 by the Indiana Optometric Association (IOA), Dr. Miller has served as the organization’s director of continuing education for the past 27 years and as its president (1999–2000). Dr. Miller has been a staff optometrist for 22 years with Grossnickle Eye Center in Warsaw, Plymouth, South Bend, and Elkhart. He is the owner of the Miller Eye Center in La Porte. His professional interests are in the area of ocular disease and retinal photography and angiography, and he has been a certified retinal angiographer for the past 24 years. In his spare time, Dr. Miller enjoys playing the euphonium in several local bands. He has participated in four China concert tours through Valparaiso University and in five big band cruises with the Tom Milo Big Band. 15