TAOP's own Tony Reynoldson, OD has been name as one of the 2015 Most Influential Women in Optical by Vision Monday magazine. You can read the full article here.
TAOP members Optometry Times Article
We are proud of our members! Go here to read the article about managing a partial-thickness laceration written by our own TAOP members - Dr. Michele Sonsino, OD and Dr. Jeffrey Sonsino, OD, FAAO.
TN best place to practice in U.S.
Click here to read why Tennessee was chosen as number one. Our own Dr. Marc Taub is quoted in the story.
Sad News
We are so sorry to inform you of the loss of our dear friend and colleague, Dr. Burt Bodan. Dr. Bodan practiced for over 65 years. Instead of retiring, Dr. Bodan formed an alliance with Dr. Warren Johnson where he practiced since 2004 at Eyewear Gallery. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family. He will be sorely missed by all of us.
A memorial service will be held Sunday, April 26 at 1pm at Temple Israel 1376 E Massey Road.
October 2014
OCTOBER NEWSLETTER
President’s Report
Dr. Ross Lumpkin, TAOP President
The 2014 TAOP Congress was a success with the installation of officers, a well attended town hall meeting, and an all star continuing education line up. The newly installed officers include
Dr. Ross Lumpkin, President
RossL11@hotmail.com
Dr. Patricia Walker, President Elect
pesteswalker@sco.edu
Dr. Jessica Durham, Secretary/Treasurer
drjessicadurham@gmail.com
Dr. Tonya Reynoldson, Past President and Chair of the Board
tonyareynoldson@gmail.com
The town hall meeting was informative with Dr. David Talley and Mr. John Williams giving a recap of our latest legislative changes regarding injectable anesthesia. The new 2 hour Drug Diversion course requirement was also discussed. Dr. Richard Phillips gave an update on the state of SCO and its future endeavors. In addition, there were over 50 SCO students in attendance at this year’s Congress. They participated in an exhibit hall “scavenger hunt” and a luncheon provided by Vision Source and Dr. Kurt Steele. A panel of ten optometrists from varying practice modalities spent over two hours addressing student questions from how to hire and fire staff, to making the decision to pursue residency training. The discussion was very informative for both students and doctors. Thank you to all who sat on this year’s panel. If you are looking for an associate, I encourage you to volunteer for our student/OD panel for next year, as it is a great way to network with future optometrists looking to practice in Tennessee. Please contact Bridget or myself for more information.
This year’s continuing education consisted of each day being dedicated to sub specialties in eye care- Cornea, Glaucoma, and Retina. The response by our members was overwhelmingly positive, and a special thanks goes to our CE chair, Dr. Dan Schimmel, for making this possible. TAOP’s new 2 hour State Board approved drug diversion course presented by Kevin Eidson, PharmD on Sunday was well attended and fielded many questions from our doctors. If you have any feedback or suggestions for future CE topics/lecturers, please feel free to contact Dr. Schimmel (DNLSchimmel@yahoo.com) or myself.
We are already working hard on next year’s CE lineup and Congress activities. TAOP Congress is a great way to network with other optometrists. The 2015 Congress will be held October 14-18 at the Park Vista Hotel in Gatlinburg.
During November and early December TAOP will be offering the Drug Diversion course on a regional basis. Please see attached information and registration materials.
Plans have been finalized for TAOP’s 6th Annual Destination…Sandestin which will be held at the Sandestin Hilton Resort April 10-12. Speakers for this event will be Matt Lowrance, MD (medical retina) on Friday; Blair Lonsberry, OD (secondary glaucomas) on Saturday and Rich Mangan, OD on Sunday. Final lecture topics and registration materials for this event will be mailed before the end of the year.
During the coming months, TAOP Executive Board will be looking for volunteers to serve with respect to several different opportunities and committees. Look for more information on this from your TAOP trustee at your local society meetings during the next year. If you feel called to serve, please communicate with your local society trustee or president.
I want to personally thank you for your membership and look forward to strengthening TAOP over the next year. You will be receiving a monthly newsletter by e-mail and snail-mail which will keep you informed on TAOP’s activities.
If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to contact any member of our executive board.
Government Affairs Update
Mr. John Williams, TAOP Lobbyist
At the recent meeting in Gatlinburg, TAOP celebrated the passage of the new law which allows optometric physicians to use injectable anesthesia in conjunction with the treatment of eyelid lesions. This new law resulted from a two-year legislative effort by TAOP, during which we overcame vehement opposition from the Academy of Ophthalmology.
TAOP will now turn its attention to the insurance issues that have plagued optometrist in recent years, following the lead of several other states which already addressed these issues legislatively. The TAOP leadership needs your input in prioritizing these insurance issues, so it is important that TAOP members share their insurance concerns with TAOP president Ross Lumpkin, government affairs chair Jessica Durham, and other member of the TAOP board of trustees.
