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Heart of America Contact Lens Society Optometrist of the Year 2009
LESLEY L. WALLS, O.D., M.D., D.OS.
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Dr. Lesley Walls, right, with Dr. Joni LaFerla, HOACLS Past President |
The Board of Directors of the Heart of America Contact Lens Society is proud to present the 2009 Optometrist of the Year award to Dr. Les Walls of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Dr. Walls received his OD degree from the Southern California College of Optometry (SCCO) and his MD degree from the University of California at Davis.
Dr. Walls has amassed numerous honors and awards including Oklahoma OD of the Year in 1992 and Oregon OD of the Year in 1997. He has received two honorary DOS degrees, one from SCCO and one from ICO. In 2007 he received the coveted American Optometric Association Distinguished Service Award.
He is the Past Associate Dean and Chairman of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Oklahoma, Past Dean of Northeastern State University Oklahoma College of Optometry, Past Dean of Pacific University College of Optometry, and Immediate Past Dean of Southern California College of Optometry.
Dr. Walls has been one of the driving influences in our profession that has guided us to where we are today regarding our expanding scope of practice. We all owe him a great deal of gratitude for his untiring service to this wonderful profession.
Dr. Walls and his wife Mary Ann, who is an optometrist as well, are the parents of two grown sons (both are dentists) and six grandchildren.
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Vision Service Award
JACK HARTSTEIN, O.D., M.D. |
The Heart of America Contact Lens Society (HOACLS) Vision Service Award is presented annually to an individual or group who exhibits extraordinary dedication and untiring service to the profession of Optometry. The 2009 honoree is no exception. The Board of Directors of the HOACLS is proud to present the 2009 Vision Service Award to Dr. Jack Hartstein.
Dr. Hartstein was born in St. Louis and served in the Navy during the early 1940s. After completing pre-medical training at Southern Methodist University he enrolled in the Northern Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, which later became known as The Illinois College of Optometry. He graduated from ICO in 1949.
Dr. Hartstein practiced optometry in St. Louis, limiting his practice to contact lenses for two years before deciding to enter Medical School. He completed medical training at the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine in 1955, and subsequently completed an internship and Residency at the St. Louis Hospital. He went on to complete a fellowship in Neuro-Ophthalmology at John Hopkins University.
Dr. Hartstein has too many accomplishments to adequately cover here, but it is worth mentioning just a few of them. He was an innovator in the area of sclera contact lens designs, and one of the first to use corneal rigid contact lenses. He has authored three books on contact lenses, one on refraction and one on Dyslexia. One of his numerous articles related to contact lenses published in 1965 titled “Corneal Warping due to the wearing of contact lenses – A report of Twelve Cases”, was one of the earliest descriptions of corneal warping in patients wearing “hard” contact lenses. He was also among the first to describe the possible association between contact lens wear and keratoconus.
In the late 1980s Dr. Hartstein began to explore the idea of bringing together a small group of St. Louis O.D.’s and M.D.’s with Dr. Rex Ghormley to discuss contact lens practice and technology, and to share ideas to improve patient care. Those discussions led to the formation of the MD-OD Contact Lens Foundation of St. Louis. This group of optometrists and ophthalmologists has met regularly as eye care professionals in the spirit of mutual respect and cooperation since the early 1990s.
In summary, his 50 year career as an eye care professional has made for all of us who practice this wonderful profession a better career, and most importantly better for the patients we serve. |
Jack Hartstein, O.D., M.D, right, with Dr. Joni LaFerla, HOACLS Past President |
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EDUCATIONAL GRANTS AWARDED AT THE 2009 48TH ANNUAL HEART OF AMERICA CONTACT LENS SOCIETY CONGRESS |
The following 5 students were
each awarded $2,000 scholarships at the Awards Luncheon during
the Heart of America Contact Lens Society annual congress, in
Kansas City, MO.
- Stephanie Erker, UMSL College of Optometry
- Ryan Read, UMSL College of Optometry
- Tiffany Walters, Southern College of Optometry
- Amanda Umlandt, Michigan College of Optometry
- Kim Brunk, NSU-Oklahoma College of Optometry
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Pictured: Stephanie Erker, UMSL College of Optometry; Ryan Read, UMSL College of Optometry; Tiffany Walters, Southern College of Optometry; Dr. Joni LaFerla, HOACLS Past President; Amanda Umlandt, Michigan College of Optometry; Kim Brunk, NSU-Oklahoma College of Optometry |
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