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Saturday Spotlight: Presidential Medals Awardees
It takes a special community to ensure that the institution continues to be a leader in health science education.
In 1995, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Salus University’s founding college, the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO), seventy-six people of note were awarded the President’s Medal of Honor. On Friday, April 26, 2019, thirty-five additional notable individuals will be awarded Presidential Medals to commemorate the 100th anniversary of PCO and the 10th anniversary of Salus.
Every Saturday leading up to Friday April 26, we will highlight a few of the new awardees.
Stephanie Messner, OD ‘84, Resident ‘85, FAAO
Dr. Stephanie S. Messner joined the ICO faculty in 1985 and has served in a variety of administrative roles, primarily related to patient care education and residency programs. She currently serves as ICO’s vice president and dean for the department of Academic Affairs. Dr. Messner is an active participant in the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO), currently serving as chair of the Leadership and Professional Development Implementation Task Force and member of the Optometry Admission Test (OAT) committee. She is the past chair of the Chief Academic Officers group and member of the Residency Affairs Committee. Dr. Messner is in her second term as a member of the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) where she chaired both the Residency and Professional Development Committees. She also served as a member of the Illinois State Optometry Licensing and Disciplinary Board for eight years. Dr. Messner is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) and a diplomate of the American Board of Optometry.
Marla Moon, OD ’82, Resident ’83, FAAO
Dr. Marla Moon was awarded the Dr. W. David Sullins Award by the American Optometric Association (AOA) which recognizes an individual Doctor of Optometry who has made significant contributions to optometry and public service involving the InfantSEE™ program. Her most notable contribution to the Pennsylvania Optometric Association (POA) has been in the development of the POA's Kids Welcome Here pediatric vision care campaign. In addition, her peers named her the "Optometrist of the Year" for both the Mid-Counties Optometric Society and the POA. She was one of the founders of the annual Give Kids Vision for the Future Program in cooperation with the Centre Volunteers in Medicine. In 1992, she was the recipient of the Penn-Del AER Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Moon has been a member of the AOA, the POA, and the Mid-Counties Optometric Society (MCOS) for her entire professional career. She also served as president of the POA and MCOS. She served on the Pennsylvania State Board of Optometry for eight years and six of those years as chair of the board. Dr. Moon was elected to the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO), and currently is serving on the Board's Finance, Judiciary and Examination Committees. She served on the PCO Board of Trustees for six years and is a Fellow of the AAO.
Jeffrey Nyman, OD, FAAO
Dr. Jeffrey Nyman joined PCO’s faculty in 1977. He currently is an associate professor and director of Emergency Services at The Eye Institute (TEI) of Salus University and also received the Annual Faculty Award from his PCO peers. He has published numerous articles and textbook chapters in optometric literature, and he has lectured extensively nationally and internationally on topics related to vision, eye disease and public health. Dr. Nyman is a Fellow of the AAO as well as a member of the POA and AOA. He is a recipient of the Annual Faculty Award and Clinical Sciences Educator of the Year Award, both from PCO. He also was recognized as Educator of the Year at PCO.
