alumnI SpoTlIGHT -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Polly Hendricks, OD’85 In each issue of INSIGHT, we will profile an IUSO graduate who has made a positive impact on the IU School of Optometry, the profession of optometry, and the quality of patient care. Dr. Polly Hendricks, OD’85, grew up in the southern Indiana town of North Vernon. She attended Ball State University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in biology before entering IUSO. Upon graduation, Dr. Hendricks went to work in the office of Don and Mary Van Hoy in Indianapolis. After one year in practice, IUSO offered her a job at the Walker Clinic. Dr. Hendricks seized the opportunity and worked with fourth-year interns in Indianapolis for 10 years. She says that one of the most rewarding aspects of the job was taking interns to prison facilities to administer care to the inmates. She later purchased a practice closer to her family in Clarksville, Ind., and is now the owner of three practices in Clarksville and Lexington, Ky. She is proud to share that four of her former technicians have gone on to join the IUSO Doctor of Optometry program. Recently, Dr. Hendricks finished her term as president of the Indiana Optometric Association (IOA, Indiana OPTOMETRY) where she has served on the board for seven years. She says she is very proud of her contributions to optometry in Indiana, serving as president of the IOA board at a time when the surgical rights of optometrists were questioned, and school screening legislation was examined. Dr. Hendricks has received many honors during her impressive career. She is a recipient of the IOA Meritorious Service Award to Optometry and was appointed to the Indiana Medicaid Advisory Board by former-Governor Evan Bayh. She remains active in the IOA as a member of the nominations committee and government affairs committee. Dr. Hendricks has been a loyal alumna and supporter of IUSO. In 2004, she established a planned gift that will endow the Linda Casser Scholarship, named in honor of her close friend and mentor, a 1978 IUSO graduate who is currently serving as dean of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. For this generous gift, Dr. Hendricks was awarded the 2004 Spirit of Philanthropy Award. She serves on the IUSO Dean’s Development Council and is an active member of the IU Alumni Association. Special thanks to IUSO alumnus Dr. Kyle King, BS’07, OD’11, for interviewing Dr. Hendricks. ...She says one of the most rewarding aspects of the job was taking interns to prison facilities to administer care to the inmates. 8 n e w S l e T T e r fa l l 2 0 1 3