{"id":37331,"date":"2020-04-28T21:24:58","date_gmt":"2020-04-28T21:24:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/preventblindness.org\/?page_id=37331"},"modified":"2025-05-13T20:52:55","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T01:52:55","slug":"rising-visionary-award","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/rising-visionary-award\/","title":{"rendered":"Rising Visionary Award"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1747187568019{margin-bottom: 25px !important;}&#8221;][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]The <strong>Prevent Blindness Rising Visionary Award<\/strong> is presented annually to a student or resident in a health-related field who submits the best overall application and essay.\u00a0 This year&#8217;s essay addresses the <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.preventblindness.org\/eyesummit\">2025 Focus on Eye Health Summit<\/a><\/strong> theme: <strong><em>Perspectives in Vision <\/em><\/strong>emphasizing\u00a0the need for a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to addressing eye health challenges in an evolving world. The Summit will explore topics such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Innovations in vision care and technology<\/li>\n<li>Public health strategies to reduce preventable blindness<\/li>\n<li>Policy frameworks to integrate eye health into broader healthcare system<\/li>\n<li>Local to global approaches to ensuring access to quality eye care<\/li>\n<li>Personal stories from patients and caregivers to deepen insights into eye health<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>By uniting diverse perspectives, this event aims to inspire actionable solutions to improve vision health outcomes for communities worldwide.<\/p>\n<p>This esteemed award consists of formal acknowledgement and a commemorative plaque to be presented at webinar in the Fall of 2025 which builds on the theme of the 2025 Focus on Eye Health Summit. The awardee will be invited to present their essay and related work as a speaker on the webinar.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_tta_accordion][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;2025 Rising Visionary Award&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1747187410724-f3e40fe7-a93c&#8221;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>2025 Rising Visionary Award<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-54625 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Hicks-300x300.jpeg\" alt=\"Patrice M. Hicks, PhD, MPH\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Hicks-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Hicks-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Hicks.jpeg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Patrice M. Hicks, PhD, MPH, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Michigan Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, was selected as the recipient of the 2025 Prevent Blindness Rising Visionary Award, which recognizes a student or resident in optometry, ophthalmology, primary health care, nursing, or other health profession in the United States who has the best overall application and essay in response to this year\u2019s topic \u2013 \u201c<em>Identify an opportunity where\u00a0the need for a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach in development of vision and eye health research, programs, or policy\u00a0can address eye health challenges.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Hick\u2019s award submission emphasized leveraging social determinants of health research to identify and address key factors affecting vision and eye health disparities, such as income, education, neighborhood resources, and healthcare access. By using secondary data to analyze these determinants, targeted policies can enhance access to eye care in underserved communities. A collaborative, multidisciplinary approach, integrating vision care into broader public health initiatives through partnerships among healthcare providers, researchers, and community organizations can inform research, improve service delivery, and promote policies that ensure equitable access to vision care for all patients.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;2024 Rising Visionary Award&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;2024-rising-vissionary-award-recipient&#8221;][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">2024 Rising Visionary Award<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-47586\" src=\"https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/SheltonErica-web.jpg\" alt=\"Erica Shelton, OD, MS PhD Candidate, The Ohio State University College of Optometry\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/SheltonErica-web.jpg 300w, https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/SheltonErica-web-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Erica Shelton, OD, MS, FAAO, Clinical Instructor and PhD Candidate, <a href=\"https:\/\/optometry.osu.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">The Ohio State University College of Optometry<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The 2024 Prevent Blindness Rising Visionary Award recognizes a current student, intern, or resident located in the United States in optometry, ophthalmology, primary health care, nursing, psychology, or another health-related field, who submitted the best essay based on the 2024 Focus on Eye Health Summit theme, \u201cBeing Seen and Heard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Shelton\u2019s essay emphasized the significant successes in supporting strong school-based vision programs (SBVP). According to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/36974515\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Considerations in Building a School-Based Vision Program<\/a><\/strong>, Ambrosino et al, \u201cSchool-based vision programs (SBVPs) serve as one approach to advancing health equity. Operating at the intersection of schools and healthcare, SBVPs can increase access to pediatric vision services, improve academic performance, and facilitate referrals to community vision care providers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Shelton\u2019s essay expands this definition, noting that providing accessible vision care to the pediatric population provides opportunities to improve vision health literacy in families and help build a culture that appreciates the importance of vision care across all ages. This can be achieved by replicating proven SBVP programs and expanding them across all communities.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;2023 Rising Visionary Award&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1681908215154-ebe022f0-4fa7&#8243;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">2023 Prevent Blindness Rising Visionary Award<\/h2>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-43868 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/CAmbrosino.png\" alt=\"Christina Ambrosino 2023 Rising Visionary Award Recipient\" width=\"406\" height=\"387\" srcset=\"https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/CAmbrosino.png 406w, https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/CAmbrosino-300x286.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 406px) 100vw, 406px\" \/>Christina Ambrosino<br \/>\nmedical student, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine<\/h5>\n<p>The Prevent Blindness Rising Visionary Award recognizes an optometry student or resident, ophthalmology resident, primary health care, nursing, or other health professional student or resident in the United States who submits the best essay based on a question related to the 2023 Focus on Eye Health National Summit theme, \u201cWhy the Eye?\u201d The 2023 Rising Visionary Award recipient is Christina Ambrosino, medical student at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hopkinsmedicine.org\/som\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><strong>Johns Hopkins School of Medicine<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Ambrosino\u2019s essay championed the importance and effectiveness of trainee-led vision screening organizations (TLVSOs). TLVSOs work by partnering trainees with local eye care providers to conduct community vision screenings and coordinate follow-up care. An additional benefit is that these programs foster trainee interest in eye care careers.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;2022 Rising Visionary Award&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;2022-award-shoji&#8221;][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]The co-recipient of the third annual \u201cRising Visionary Award\u201d ss Marissa K. Shoji, MD, <a href=\"https:\/\/umiamihealth.org\/en\/bascom-palmer-eye-institute\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Bascom Palmer Eye Institute<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Shoji\u2019s essay, \u201cA Guiding Light: A Vision for the Future,\u201d addressed racial and gender disparities in eyecare. She outlined the need for a national program focusing on fostering diversity in ophthalmology, including recruitment of individuals at all stages of training, from interested high school students to fully-licensed practitioners with special emphasis on both underrepresented minorities and women.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-41083\" src=\"https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Dr.-Shoji-678x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Marissa K.Shoji, MD\" width=\"250\" height=\"378\" srcset=\"https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Dr.-Shoji-678x1024.jpg 678w, https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Dr.-Shoji-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Dr.-Shoji-768x1160.jpg 768w, https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Dr.-Shoji-1017x1536.jpg 1017w, https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Dr.-Shoji-1356x2048.jpg 1356w, https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Dr.-Shoji.jpg 1390w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]The co-recipient of the third annual \u201cRising Visionary Award\u201d is Hursuong Vongsachang, MPH, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hopkinsmedicine.org\/som\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.jhu.edu\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Vongsachang\u2019s award submission detailed the need and benefit for school-based vision care to be available widely and sustainably. She hopes that her current work in program implementation can one day translate into nationwide availability of school-based vision services through advocacy, stakeholder engagement and continued research. The goal is to bridge gaps in vision care access for children in need.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-41084 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Hursuong-Vongsachang-684x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Hursuong Vongsachang, MPH\" width=\"250\" height=\"374\" srcset=\"https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Hursuong-Vongsachang-684x1024.jpg 684w, https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Hursuong-Vongsachang-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Hursuong-Vongsachang-768x1150.jpg 768w, https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Hursuong-Vongsachang-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Hursuong-Vongsachang-1367x2048.jpg 1367w, https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Hursuong-Vongsachang.jpg 1402w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text][\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;2021 Rising Visionary Award&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1671647666807-90e26b0d-60b6&#8243;][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]The recipient of the second annual Rising Visionary Award\u201d is <strong>Ms. Shervonne Poleon<\/strong>, Vision Science Graduate Program student,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.uab.edu\/home\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" data-uw-styling-context=\"true\">University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)<\/a>. Ms. Poleon\u2019s essay, \u201cPrioritizing Wellness in Eye Care,\u201d outlined the need for \u201ceye care facilitators,\u201d whose focus would be the social and psychological wellness of patients, with the goal of improving visual outcomes by directly addressing socio-behavioral factors that limit care delivery and efficacy.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-39561\" src=\"https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Shervonne-Poleon-photo.jpg\" alt=\"Shervonne Poleon\" width=\"250\" height=\"204\" srcset=\"https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Shervonne-Poleon-photo.jpg 350w, https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Shervonne-Poleon-photo-300x245.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=&#8221;2020 Rising Visionary Award&#8221; tab_id=&#8221;1671648142686-f4576904-32f3&#8243;][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]<strong>Araba Otoo<\/strong>, a third-year optometry student at The Ohio State University, was selected as the first recipient of the Prevent Blindness Rising Visionary Award. The award recognizes an optometry student or resident, ophthalmology resident, or other health care professional student or resident in the United States who has the best essay based on a question related to the 2020 Focus on Eye Health National Summit theme, \u201cAn Eye to the Future.\u201d Otoo\u2019s essay featured ideas on public education and awareness tactics to create the most impactful change to improve the future outlook of vision and eye health.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-38288\" src=\"https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Photo-Otoo.jpg\" alt=\"Araba Otoo\" width=\"250\" height=\"353\" srcset=\"https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Photo-Otoo.jpg 732w, https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Photo-Otoo-213x300.jpg 213w, https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Photo-Otoo-726x1024.jpg 726w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_tta_section][\/vc_tta_accordion][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h2>Applicant Criteria<\/h2>\n<p>Applicants should be a current student, intern, or resident located in the United States in optometry, ophthalmology, primary health care, nursing, psychology, or another health-related field. The awardee must be available to present virtually at a Focus on Eye Health Summit webinar in the Fall of 2025.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1747187568019{margin-bottom: 25px !important;}&#8221;][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]The Prevent Blindness Rising Visionary Award is presented annually to a student or resident in a health-related field who submits the best overall application and essay.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":37333,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-37331","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/37331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37331"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/37331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54627,"href":"https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/37331\/revisions\/54627"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}