One of the most prominent names connected with Pacific’s College of Optometry is Carkner, and the connection began before the beginning.
News, Media and Stories | Optometry Alumni
DeAnn Fitzgerald ’81, OD ’84 of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has become well known for her focus on using optometry as a way to manage athletes’ concussions. She has developed protocols for young athletes who suffer head injuries, and her work has been widely shared and emulated around the country.
Sandra (Coutts) Young ‘82, OD ‘84 created a business called Visionary Kitchen, which connects nutrition with eye health. She is the author of Visionary Kitchen: A Cookbook for Eye Health.
Willard “Wid” Bleything ’51, OD ’52, MS ’54 earned three degrees from Pacific University on his way to becoming an optometrist. He served in the Air Force and Air Reserves, retiring as a colonel, and he also worked in private practice for many years before eventually returning to Pacific, where he became the dean of the College of Optometry.
John Rumpakis '81, OD '84 is a guest host for a Youtube series titled "InsideVision."
Alli Hoppert OD '11, recently joined Eyes on Hayden, an optometry clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Allissun Hoppert OD '11 has joined 20/20 Image Eye Centers in Arizona.
Charles "Chuck" Samuel '56, OD '57, former chief of optometry at Kaiser Permanente N.W., died June 29, 2020 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Jasmine Dhesi OD '20 has joined Valley Vision Optometry in Port Alberni, B.C., as an associate optometrist
Annie Yu, OD '20, who spent a gap year as a technician at Seattle's Broadway Vision Source, has returned to the clinic as a full-time optometrist.