Speakers for Mini Asian Annual Meeting November 14, 2020: The Asian Experience

Bruce Moore, OD, FAAO, Professor Emeritus, New England College of Optometry

Dr. Moore’s career as a pediatric optometrist has been devoted to studying the vision problems and therapeutic options for young children. He graduated from the New England College of Optometry in 1975 after receiving an undergraduate degree in Biology from Boston University. His optometric career began at the Boston Children’s Hospital Department of Ophthalmology and the Harvard Medical School, where he practiced, taught, and carried out his research interests in pediatric eyecare for 22 years. Dr. Moore assumed the position of the Marcus Professor of Pediatric Studies at the New England College of Optometry in 1997 and served as a Department Chair for over a dozen years. Dr. Moore has published over 250 papers, posters, chapters, and two textbooks on a variety of subjects in pediatric optometry. His text, Eye Care for Infants & Young Children, published in 1997, became the standard textbook in pediatric optometry for students and practitioners for many years.

Dr. Moore has been involved in an array of clinical, research, and public policy efforts involving the vision of children. He has been a leader in efforts to develop broader, more rational, and more effective programs for vision care for children on local, state, national, and international levels. Dr. Moore is Co-Chair of the Children’s Vision Massachusetts Coalition and a member of the National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health. He was a founding member and principal investigator in the National Eye Institute funded multi-center research study of vision screening of children, the Vision in Preschoolers (VIP) Study, which aimed to develop an efficient and effective battery of vision screening procedures that are applicable to broad use in preschoolers throughout the United States, and in more recent phases of the study to evaluate the relationship between vision and learning in preschoolers. He received the Jenny Pomeroy Award for Excellence in Vision and Public Health from Prevent Blindness in 2016.

He has been working on a number of international vision care projects (in Vietnam, Mongolia, Israel, Nicaragua, El Salvador, China, South Africa, Ghana and throughout Europe) over many years, helping to further the development of optometric teaching, clinical care and research in collaboration with new and existing programs in the developing and developed world. Dr. Moore partially retired from full time faculty status at the New England College of Optometry and is currently Professor Emeritus at the College. He remains active in his professional career.

Yogita L. Rajgandhi

Yogita L Rajgandhi is an Indian optometrist who has been teaching in Optometry Faculties affiliated with ITM, DY PATIL and SNDT University and as external examiner with several universities in India. She has published 52 articles and 69 national and international reports published in optometric, visual science and low vision publications and journals.

She has presented 28 research papers, has been interviewed more than 6 times on FM Radio by the University of Mumbai, is a life member of 7 National and 4 Internationals associations and has been invited 24 times as an external examiner. She was honored with 6 different fellowships from International organizations for her contributions towards the profession and research. She has received 64 awards and special mementos for her academic research work on visual impairment and her contribution towards community selfless work

Among the several recognitions received, she was one of the 4 finalists of the most inspirational working women Hunt for the year 2012 at national level on the occasion of International Women’s Day 8^th March 2012 from Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance, and also invited as Inspirational Optometrist on 8^th March at Dr DY Patil University –Department of Optometry and visual Science-Pune ( Maharashtra). Yogita has been honored the BEST OPTOMETRIST AWARD FOR THE YEAR 2013-14 for her ethics, skills and academic knowledge at the National Conference – 36^th All India Optometry Conference held at Agra in September 4-6 2014.

Yogita is the Managing Director of Rajgandhi Eye Care Institute and is a current board member of the Indian Optometric Association serving as a Joint Secretary.  She was ASCO-INDIA National Representative and the former head of the low vision center of the National Association for the Blind (Mumbai). She is the president of the VOSH/International affiliated VOSH-Maharashtra-India chapter since few years.

Tran Thi Kim Ngan

Ngan Tran is a Vietnamese optometrist who obtained her Bachelor of Optometry (Hons) degree at SeGi University, Malaysia in 2015.  Her interest in the eye health sector started in 2008.  She works as an optometrist and a lecturer at Pham Ngoc Thach University at Ho Chi Minh city and is a member of Optometry Vietnam.

Jerry E. Vincent, OD, MPH, FAAO

Jerry Vincent is a public health optometrist who has spent most of the past 25 years working in complex humanitarian emergencies. Based in Thailand he was the blindness prevention advisor for the International Rescue Committee where he provided technical support and oversight to IRC health programs world-wide. Dr Vincent is recognized as the leading authority in the provision of eye care in conflict, disaster and crisis affected populations. Jerry writes, speaks and lectures internationally, serves in advisory capacities to several international eye organizations and has had faculty affiliations with optometry schools on three different continents. He has won numerous awards including being named the International Optometrist of the Year by the World Council of Optometry in 2006.