A respected member of the Pacific University faculty for nearly three decades and a leader in the fields of sports vision and vision therapy, alumnus and Distinguished University Professor Graham Erickson ’88, OD ’90 is the 2026 recipient of the Kamelia Massih Prize for a Distinguished Optometrist.
Erickson will accept the honor during the university’s graduate and professional commencement on Saturday, May 16, at Pacific’s Forest Grove Campus.
A member of the College of Optometry faculty since 1998, Erickson’s expertise extends across several specialties, teaching courses in pediatric optometry, vision therapy and sports vision. Erickson is a diplomate in the Binocular Vision and Perception Selection of the American Academy of Optometry (AAO), and is a fellow of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development.
Erickson has served as the chair of the Binocular Vision and Perception and Pediatric Optometry sections of the AAO. He has served as chair of the American Optometric Association’s Sports Vision Section council and is currently the Oregon director for the Special Olympics Lions Club International Opening Eyes vision health program.
In the early 2000s, Erickson was an instrumental part of Pacific’s ground-breaking sports vision program, which resulted in a longtime partnership between Pacific and Nike. His textbook, Sports Vision: Vision Care for the Environment of Sports Performance, remains the only resource for students studying in the field and for practitioners seeking a deeper understanding and application of sports vision.
Erickson was named a Pacific University Distinguished University Professor in 2025, recognizing outstanding performance by a faculty member over an extended period of time. He was named the American Optometric Association’s Sports Vision Section Optometrist of the Year in 2013.
His university service involves membership on numerous committees inside and outside the College of Optometry, including serving from 2016 to 2019 as the faculty representative on Pacific’s Board of Trustees.
Erickson received his bachelor’s degree in vision science from Pacific in 1988 and a Doctor of Optometry in 1990. He completed his residency in pediatric optometry and vision therapy at the Southern California College of Optometry in 1991. He served as an instructor at the Southern California College of Optometry before joining the Pacific faculty.
The Kamelia Massih Prize for a Distinguished Optometrist honors a Pacific University College of Optometry alum who has made a significant impact on the profession. It was established by the family of Kamelia Massih, who was born and raised in Iran before coming to the United States to pursue her education. She completed her doctor of optometry degree at Pacific in 1985 and opened her own practice, Beaverton Vision World, in 1989, followed by a second location in Portland. She died in March 2010 following a three-year battle with cancer.
Massih cared deeply about others, giving countless hours of time and financial resources to a wide range of local and national charities.
“Kamelia had a keen affinity for Pacific University,” said her brother, Fariborz Maseeh, upon the establishment of the prize. “Our family hopes this gift will recognize excellence of optometry graduates of Pacific University and will inspire other alumni to carry on Kamelia’s passion for serving our community and those in need.”
PAST MASSIH PRIZE RECIPIENTS
2025 | Larry Clausen ’69, OD ‘70
2024 | Scott Pike ’68, OD ’70
2023 | Lee Ann Remington ’83, OD ’84, MS ’92
2022 | Cristina Schnider OD ’82
2019 | Nada Lingel ’79, OD ’81, MS ’88, ’00
2018 | Shinji Seki OD ’79
2017 | Edward “Larry” Jones OD ’85
2016 | Douglas R. Weberling ’72, OD ’74
2015 | Willard B. Bleything ’51, OD ’52
2014 | Kirk L. Smick ’66, OD ’67
2013 | Dori M. Carlson ’88, OD ’89
2012 | Stanley J. Yamane ’65, OD ’66
2011 | James H. Berglund OD ’60