Aug. 24, 2023 — The World Council of Optometry (WCO) has announced the recipients of its series of international awards, which will be presented during the Fourth World Congress of Optometry/O=MEGA23 event taking place in Melbourne, Australia, Sept. 8-10.
A memorial lecture in honor of Karen Sparrow, a public health optometrist and longtime WCO volunteer who advocated for underserved communities, will take place during the event on Sept. 9. Friend and colleague of Dr. Sparrow, Priya Morjaria, O.D., FCOptom, was chosen as the inaugural speaker for the lecture. Having worked with several eyecare-focused international nongovernmental organizations, Dr. Morjaria shares her late friend’s passion for public health, currently serving as cochair for the School Eye Health Working Group at the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness and as the public health committee chair on the WCO Board of Directors.
Scott Mundle, O.D., is the recipient of the 2023 Distinguished Service Award in Memory of Dr. Uduak Udom. The highest honor the WCO bestows, this award is given to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to WCO’s mission. Dr. Mundle served as president of the Canadian Association of Optometrists from 2002 to 2004 and president of WCO from 2017 to 2019. Currently, Dr. Mundle has been a board member of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness since 2021 and serves on the board of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.
Ameer Abou Adela, O.D., MBA, is the recipient of the Young Leader Award in Memory of Dr. Paul Berman, which honors an optometrist who has been in practice for less than 10 years and shows promise as a future leader in the profession as well as contributing to WCO’s mission. Dr. Adela founded the Vision Care Association in Lebanon in 2017 and currently serves as its president. Since then, the nonprofit nongovernmental organization has become a WCO Country Member organization and a member of the Eastern Mediterranean Council of Optometry.
Sajeesh Kumar Kamala Raghavan, O.D., Ph.D., is the recipient of the WCO International Optometrist Award due to his contributions to the development of optometry. A tenured professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, he has worked as an optometrist in several countries and has authored seven books in health sciences and informatics. His work in optometry informatics and tele-optometry has had an influence on optometric education and the delivery of eyecare services, particularly in underserved communities.
For more information: worldoptometry.org.