AOF Awards 2012-2013 William C. Ezell Fellowships

ORLANDO, Fla. (September 4, 2012) – The American Optometric Foundation (AOF) proudly announces the 2012-2013 recipients of its prestigious William C. Ezell Fellowships. Ezell Fellows are selected on the basis of excellence in scholarship, research and teaching. The AOF salutes the many individuals and/or organizations that support several program endowments as well as our corporate partners that sponsored this year’s Ezell Fellowships: Alcon Foundation, Bausch + Lomb, Essilor of America, Merck & Co., Inc., and VISTAKON®, a Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.

The AOF congratulates the following students who have been selected as 2012-2013 Ezell Fellows:

Alcon Foundation Ezell Fellow:
Mariana Garcia, BS University of California, Berkeley, School of Optometry

American Academy of Optometry Ezell Fellow:
Preethi Thiagarajan, BS Optom, MS SUNY College of Optometry

AAO Section on Cornea, Contact Lenses & Refractive Technologies Ezell Fellow:
Alex Hui, OD University of Waterloo, School of Optometry & Vision Science

Bausch & Lomb Ezell Fellow:
Negar Babaei Omali, B Optom University New South Wales

Irvin M. Borish - Essilor Ezell Fellow:
Tatiana Ecoiffier, MSB, PhD University of California, Berkeley, School of Optometry

Irvin M. Borish - Essilor Ezell Fellow:
William Scott Tuten, OD, MS University of California, Berkeley, School of Optometry

Mike Daley – Essilor Ezell Fellow:
Pablo de Gracia, BS Optom Universidad Complutense de Madrid, School of Optometry

Merton C. Flom Leadership Ezell Fellow:
Andrew D. Pucker, OD, MS, FAAO The Ohio State University College of Optometry

Michael G. Harris Ezell Fellow:
Carolina M.E. Kunnen, B Optom, BApSc University New South Wales 

Merck Ezell Fellow:
Aaron Barton Sullivan, MS University of California, Berkeley, School of Optometry

Optometric Glaucoma Society Ezell Fellow:
Kevin M. Ivers, BS University of Houston College of Optometry

Visionary Ezell Fellow:
Eda Altiok, BS University of California, Berkeley, School of Optometry

Visionary Ezell Fellow:
Daniel R. Powell, OD, MS The Ohio State University College of Optometry

The Ezell Fellowship Program, named after the founding AOF President, William C. Ezell, OD, was established to provide opportunities to talented postgraduate students who wish to pursue careers in optometric research, education and vision science. To date over 250 fellowships have been awarded since the inception of the program in 1949. The 2012-2013 Ezell Fellows will be honored at the AOF’s Annual Celebration Luncheon on October 27, 2012, during the American Academy of Optometry’s Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona.

AOF President, Catherine S. Amos, OD, FAAO, stated: “This year's Ezell Fellows have a very diverse background, but all have a very bright future in optometry".

The American Optometric Foundation is an affiliate of the American Academy of Optometry. For more information on programs offered by the American Optometric Foundation, please contact Tracy Kitts, Foundation Coordinator, 321-710-3936 or TracyK@aaoptom.org.