For the first time, four Australian students were among the recipients of Practice Excellence Scholarships presented by the American Academy of Optometry Foundation (AAOF) and VSP Global this year.
Emily Banks from Deakin University, Dylan Bentley from Flinders University, Derek Shiu Him Lay from Queensland University of Technology, and Ivy Kol from University of New South Wales received scholarships, which are traditionally awarded to top performing fourth-year optometry students in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada.
“The Practice Excellence Scholarship is another example of our commitment to optometry’s next generation, and we are honoured to extend this recognition to optometry students in Australia, a country in which we have a strong optometrist network,” said Gordon Jennings, OD and VSP Global Board Chairman.
Two students from each school or college of optometry, as well as one student from each Australian institution, were selected by nomination from their individual institutions to receive the scholarships, which had a collective value of almost AU$300,000.
Scholarship recipients received a travel grant to participate in the American Academy of Optometry’s 98th annual meeting, Academy 2019 Orlando, held from 23–27 October in Orlando, Florida.