When she was a student at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO), Erin Draper, OD ‘09, Resident ‘10, FAAO, she became involved with the Pennsylvania Optometric Association (PAO).
Now she’s the organization’s newest president.
Since her graduation from PCO, Dr. Draper has been involved in local optometry groups, specifically the Bucks Montgomery Optometric Society (BMOS) in suburban Philadelphia, serving on its executive board and being president of that group from 2018 to 2020.
“During my involvement in the local society, I started attending more state meetings and was getting to know the people across the state and understand how organized optometry works,” said Dr. Draper, who has served on the state board of directors since 2020. “I knew that the state association was looking for involvement and input from the faculty at PCO and I felt that I could provide a different perspective in the role.”
The term is for one year. Dr. Draper is the second faculty member from PCO to serve as POA president, following Satya Verma, OD ‘75, FAAO, DPNAP, Diplomate, professor emeritus at PCO. Dr. Verma, who retired from PCO at the end of 2021, served as POA president in 1996 and is still active with the organization.
Dr. Draper said her goals as president include continuing to work on the initiatives the association has pushed for the past several years, including to increase students awareness of organized optometry and the importance it plays in their future in the profession.
“As a student, you are so focused on passing a class, passing the boards, getting your degree and then getting a job,” said Dr. Draper. “Being involved with the POA gives them a perspective on how to have a flourishing career, an occupation that is well-respected and something that you’re able to practice to the level that you’re taught.”
As an example, Dr. Draper noted that each year the organization hosts a state lobby day in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, during which optometrists from across the state, including faculty members and Doctor of Optometry students, convene at the state Capitol to meet with legislators and discuss initiatives important to the optometry profession.
“We’re constantly educating legislators and the public about what our abilities are and what role we can play in the health care system,” she said. “We want to increase our scope of practice to include all of that (within Pennsylvania).”
In addition, POA supports Doctor of Optometry students in a number of different ways, many of them which are financial. The organization provides three different scholarships each year — one for a second-year student, one for a third-year student and one for a fourth-year student. It also provides funding for the annual Quiz Bowl, in which a student is selected to participate at the national level in the recently renamed American Optometric Association (AOA) EyeQ Championship.
At the local level, POA provides travel grants to the Bucks Montgomery Optometric Society for students to attend both the state and national meetings. It’s not exclusively about the students, though. Dr. Draper added another aspect she would like to work on as state president is increasing faculty engagement in optometric associations. PCO is the only optometry college in the state of Pennsylvania and she would like to increase participation in the state organization from PCO faculty.
Dr. Draper graduated from the University of Delaware with a bachelor of science degree and has a master of science degree from Penn State. After graduating from PCO, she completed a residency in Low Vision Rehabilitation at the William Feinbloom Vision Rehabilitation Center and a fellowship in neuro-ophthalmic disease, both at The Eye Institute.
