Caring for Wounded Warriors with Vision and Hearing Impairment BIOGRAPHY/CONTACT INFORMATION

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Course Directors

Dr. Rory A. Cooper

RORY A. COOPER, PhD
Distinguished Professor, FISA/PVA Chair, Department of Rehabilitation and Technology, University of Pittsburgh 
Director, Human Engineering Research Laboratories
VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Center of Excellence fore Wheelchairs and Associated Rehabilitation Engineering
Pittsburgh, PA

Contact Information
Human Engineering Research Laboratories
VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System
6425 Penn Avenue, Suite 400
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
(412) 822-3700
rcooper@pitt.edu 

Rory A. Cooper, PhD received the BS and MEng degrees in electrical engineering for California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 1985 and 1986, respectively. He received the Ph.D. degree in electrical and computer engineering with a concentration in bioengineering from University of California at Santa Barbara in 1989. He is FISA & Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) Chair and Distinguished Professor of the Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology, and professor of Bioengineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physical Medicine & Rehab, and Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Cooper is Founding Director and VA Senior Research Career Scientist of the VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Center of Excellence in Pittsburgh. He is also the Co-Director of the NSF Quality of Life Technology Engineering Research Center, a joint effort between the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University.

He is the Editor of the journal Assistive Technology and the AT Research Book Series of IOS Press. Dr. Cooper serves or has served on the editorial boards of several prominent peer-reviewed journals in the fields of rehabilitation and bioengineering. He has received multiple prestigious awards to include the Olin Teague Award, Paul Magnuson Award, U.S. Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal, James Peters Award, Maxwell J. Schleifer Award,DaVinci Lifetime Achievement Award, Veteran’s Leadership Program Veteran of the Year, and a member of the inaugural class of the Spinal Cord Injury Hall of Fame. Dr. Cooper has authored or co-authored over 200 peer-reviewed journal publications. He has ten patents awarded or pending. Dr. Cooper is the author of two books: Rehabilitation Engineering Applied to Mobility and Manipulation and Wheelchair Selection and Configuration, and co-editor of An Introduction to Rehabilitation Engineering, Care of the Combat Amputee, and the Warrior Transition Leader Medical Rehabilitation Handbook. Dr. Cooper is an elected Fellow of the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), and the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES). Dr. Cooper has been an invited lecturer at many institutions around the world, for example the National Academies of Sciences Distinctive Voices Lecture, and was awarded Honorary Professor at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Xi’an Jiatong University. He has also been elected to Eta Kappa Nu, Tau Beta Pi, and Sigma Xi honorary societies.   

Dr. Cooper is a former President of RESNA, and a member of the RESNA/ANSI and ISO Wheelchair Standards Committees, and IEEE-EMBS Medical Device Standards Committee. In 1988, he was a bronze medalist in the Paralympic Games, Seoul, Republic of Korea. He was on the steering committee for the 1996 Paralympic Scientific Congress held in Atlanta, GA, and the Sports Scientist for the 2008 U.S. Paralympic Team in Beijing, China. In 2009, Dr. Cooper was featured on a Cheerios cereal box for his many achievements. He has been a member of theU.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services – Medicare Advisory Committee, Steering Committee of the Academy of PM&R on Research Capacity Building. and Chair of the National Advisory Board on Medical Rehabilitation Research, National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, and National Academy of Sciences Keck Foundation Initiative on Human Health Span Steering Committee. Dr. Cooper is a U.S. Army veteran with a spinal cord injury and a Director of the Paralyzed Veterans of America Research Foundation. He currently serves as a member of the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Prosthetics & Special Disability Programs Advisory Committee, U.S. Department of Defense Health Board Subcommittee on Amputation and Orthopedics, and the Board of Directors of Easter Seals. Dr. Cooper has actively collaborated with the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre on increasing access to quality services and devices for people with disabilities in India and throughout developing countries.

COL Paul F. Pasquina

PAUL F. PASQUINA, MD

Colonel (RET), U.S. Army Medical Corps
Residency Director and Chair, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation  
Director, Center for Rehabilitation Sciences Research
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Contact Information
Center for Rehabilitation Sciences Research
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
8901 Wisconsin Ave.
Bethesda, MD 20889 
Paul.F.Pasquina.mil@health.mil

 

Paul F. Pasquina, M.D. is the Residency Director and Chair, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Director of the Center for Rehabilitation Sciences Research at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.  Dr. Pasquina retired from the United States Army Medical Corps in 2012 as Chief of the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and the Director of the Center for Rehabilitation Sciences Research (CRSR) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS).   He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and USUHS.  In addition to being board certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R), he is also board certified in Electrodiagnostic Medicine and Pain Medicine.  He completed a fellowship in sports medicine and remains interested in all aspects of musculoskeletal medicine especially as it applies to individuals with disabilities. 

He is the specialty consultant to the Army Surgeon General for Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and a Secretarial appointee on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Advisory Committee for Prosthetics and Special Disabilities Programs.  Dr. Pasquina has authored multiple book chapters, journal articles and policy papers.  He has served as the PM&R Residency Program Director and Medical Advisor to the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command for quality healthcare. He has received multiple military awards, as well as awards for teaching and mentorship, including the U.S. Army’s “A” Proficiency Designation for academic excellence, the Order of Military Medical Merit, and Honorary Fellow of the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA).


Guest Faculty and Presenters (Listed Alphabetically)

Shannon Auxier, MS CCC-SLP

Shannon Auxier, MS CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Ms. Auxier received her Bachelor’s degree in Hearing and Speech Sciences at the University of Maryland and her Masters in Speech Pathology from Boston University.  She completed a yearlong Clinical Fellowship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center during the BRAC, working to fulfill acute inpatient speech pathology needs in the areas of dysphagia and cognitive-communication.  Ms. Auxier returned to the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in 2013 working both with an inpatient population and outpatient traumatic brain injury population, including participating in screenings for a weekly outpatient TBI Rehab Clinic.  In January 2015, she transitioned to her current position at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence where she focuses on evaluation and treatment of active duty service members with the dual diagnosis of mild TBI and posttraumatic stress disorder.       

Joshua G.W. Bernstein, PhD

Joshua G.W. Bernstein, PhD
Research Audiologist, Scientific and Clinical Studies
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Dr. Joshua Bernstein, Ph.D., is a Research Audiologist in the Audiology and Speech-Pathology Center (ASC) at Walter Reed-Bethesda.  He oversees cochlear-implant research at Walter Reed, collaborating with clinical staff in the Otolaryngology Clinic and the Audiology and Speech-Pathology Center to improve the care of patients with severe to profound unilateral or bilateral hearing loss. His research efforts also include psychoacoustics and the measurement, prediction and computational modeling of speech perception in noise for normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners. Originally trained as an Electrical Engineer (B.S., Cornell, 1999), he earned his Ph.D. (2006) in the interdisciplinary Harvard-MIT Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology Program. He joined the ASC as a post-doc in 2006, and as member of the core research staff in 2007.

William Boules, MS

William Boules, MS
Associate Director of Rehabilitation and Reintegration
Vision Center of Excellence

William Boules obtained Master of Science degrees from Western Michigan University in vision rehabilitation therapy and orientation and mobility, respectively.   He is the former Director of Assistive Technology for the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation.  Mr. Boules currently serves as the Associate Director of Rehabilitation and Reintegration for the Vision Center of Excellence.  Mr. Boules is certified in (3) areas of vision rehabilitation:  vision rehabilitation therapy, low-vision therapy, and assistive technology.  Mr. Boules has presented on the national level on the topic of blindness and rehabilitation.  Mr. Boules also serves on the board of the Association of Vision Rehabilitation Therapists.

Douglas S. Brungart, PhD

Douglas S. Brungart, PhD
Senior Research Scientist, Scientific and Clinical Studies
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Dr. Douglas S. Brungart is the Chief Scientist at the Audiology and Speech-Pathology Center at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, The Center is currently working with the U.S. Army Public Health Command in a major effort to conduct clinical and field studies to support the objectives of the U.S. Army Hearing Program, including an initiative to develop new “Auditory Fitness for Duty” standards for military personnel. Dr. Brungart obtained his doctorate in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1998. From 1993 to 2009, he worked at the Battlespace Acoustics Branch at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH. Dr. Brungart has published many peer-reviewed journal articles on auditory perception, and holds more than 10 U.S. patents related to auditory perception and speech communication. In 2009, he was designated as a "Fellow" by the Acoustical Society of America. Since 2011, Dr. Brungart has served as the Interim Director of Research for the HCE, where his scientific research and subject matter expertise is being utilized to support the HCE mission.

Marcus H. Colyer, MD MAJ MC USA

Marcus H. Colyer, MD MAJ MC USA
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS)
Program Director, NCC Ophthalmology
Vitreoretinal Surgeon, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
Director, Triservice Ocular Trauma Course

A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he received a Bachelor of Science (with majors in Chemistry and Life Sciences), Dr. Colyer went on  to earn his Doctor of Medicine degree at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in Hershey. He began his post-doctoral training with a transitional internship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center where he also completed his Ophthalmology residency and served as chief resident. It was at The Retina Group of Washington that he completed his fellowship in Vitreoretinal Diseases and Surgery.

Dr. Colyer is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and holds licenses in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. He has hospital affiliations with Washington Hospital Center, Inova Fairfax Hospital and Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, and is an Assistant Professor at the F. Edward Herbert School of Medicine in Bethesda, Md. He also belongs to several professional and educational organizations including the Academy of Ophthalmology, American Society of Retinal Specialists and Society of Military Ophthalmologists.

Based primarily on his interest in the management of ocular trauma, Dr. Colyer has more than twenty publications to his credit as well as more than 30 abstracts and presentations. He has been an invited speaker nationally on the topics of endophthalmitis, ocular trauma, and complex retinal detachment repair. He is also an active reviewer for the American Journal of Ophthalmology and Archives of Ophthalmology.

Dr. Sally H. Dang, OD

Dr. Sally H. Dang, OD
Chief, Optometry Services at VA Long Beach
Director, Low Vision Services at the Major Charles Robert Soltes
Department of Veterans Affairs Blind Rehabilitation Center

Dr. Sally Dang is a graduate of Loma Linda University with a special interest in Geriatrics and Neuropsychology with a Psychobiology degree.  She had an early interest in Low Vision Rehabilitation while attending the New England College of Optometry, and graduated in 1994. In 1999, Dr. Dang moved to California and started a private practice and has provided direct patient care in primary care and low vision rehabilitation.  Dr. Dang worked with the California Department of Rehabilitation and the Garden Grove School District’s vision impairment coordinators and local school nurses until 2013.  From 2003-2012, Dr. Dang also worked with 4th year clinicians in the Low Vision Rehabilitation Clinic at the Southern California College of Optometry (now Marshall B. Ketchum University). 

Dr. Dang currently works with Optometry Residents in direct patient care, while serving as the Chief of Optometry Services at the VA Long Beach and is Director of Low Vision Services at the Major Charles Robert Soltes Dept. of VA Blind Rehabilitation Center.  Since 2012, she expanded Inpatient Vision Rehabilitation services to include Outpatient Low Vision and TBI Rehabilitation services.

Kenneth W. Grant, PhD

Kenneth W. Grant, PhD
Chief, Scientific and Clinical Studies
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Dr. Ken W. Grant is the Chief of the Scientific and Clinical Studies Section, Audiology and Speech Center and the Director of the Auditory-Visual Speech Perception Laboratory at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Dr, Grant obtained his doctorate in Communication Sciences from Washington University and Central Institute for the Deaf, St. Louis. His research has been concerned primarily with the integration of eye and ear for speech perception in both normal and hearing-impaired populations using behavioral and neurophysiological measures. Current work in this area is focused on changes in cognitive load as a result of combining auditory and visual cues and the impact of age, hearing loss, and traumatic brain injury due to blast injury or concussion on one’s ability to selectively attend to one or more targets in the presence of multiple competing auditory and visual sources. In addition,

Dr. Grant and colleagues at Walter Reed and at the University of Maryland have been applying biologically inspired models of auditory processing in order to address the limited success of hearing aids to improve speech communication in noise and reverberation. Dr. Grant’s most recent work has focused on clinical measures and real-world validation studies of auditory fitness-for-duty. These involve tests of speech in different background noise, the segregation of multiple sound sources, the integration of multimodal inputs, and sound localization and spatial awareness. 

Lynn W. Henselman, PhD

Lynn W. Henselman, PhD
Department of Veterans Affairs
Deputy Director, Department of Defense Hearing Center of Excellence 

Dr. Henselman is the Deputy Director for the Department of Defense (DoD) Hearing Center of Excellence (HCE).  In this position, Dr. Henselman has leadership and broad program responsibilities for HCE and serves as the primary consultant/liaison on behalf of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to HCE. 

Dr. Henselman has more than 30 years of combined senior executive and staff experience as a VA congressional and legislative affairs official, business leader in the private sector, 20-year U.S. Army officer, licensed clinical/research audiologist, and congressional committee Professional Staff Member. Dr. Henselman has experience and expertise in Veteran and military health care and personnel programs including providing organizational leadership, program oversight, performing/overseeing research, formulating policies, developing budgets, writing/coordinating legislation, and developing and executing communication strategies. 

Dr. Henselman earned her PhD in Audiology from the University of Buffalo, State University of New York; M.S in Audiology from Vanderbilt University; and B.A. in Communication Disorders from the University of Oklahoma.  She received Master Certificates in Government Contract Management and Project Management from Villanova University.  Prior to joining VA as a Congressional/Legislative Liaison in 2013, she held several senior executive leadership positions for two government relations firms and served as a Professional Staff Member for the House Armed Services Committee, U.S. House of Representatives. Dr. Henselman is a retired U.S. Army officer who served in positions such as chief of several U.S. Army clinical and research audiology programs, a U.S. Army Congressional Liaison Officer for the Secretary of the Army, Congressional Liaison Officer for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, and Senior Investigator/Team Leader for the Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General.

Judy Mikola, PhD CCC-SLP

Judy Mikola, PhD CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center | National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) 

Dr. Judy Mikola Ph.D., CCC-SLP provides comprehensive cognitive-linguistic evaluations and treatment to active duty service members having the dual diagnoses of mild TBI and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Prior to joining the medical team at the NICoE and WRNMMC, Dr. Mikola worked primarily in acute rehabilitation hospitals providing evaluation and treatment to individuals with neurogenic speech, language, cognitive, and/or swallowing disorders.  Dr. Mikola received her doctorate in 2010 from Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, with primary academic and research emphasis in cognitive-linguistic disorders associated with cerebrovascular accident, traumatic brain injury and dementia. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in audiology and speech pathology and master’s degree in speech pathology from Michigan State University.  Among her academic and clinical accomplishments, Dr. Mikola has presented nationally on topics related to aphasia, executive function, and acquired stuttering in the Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom population; taught a graduate level aphasia class for two semesters; worked as the team leader of speech pathology department for eight years; coordinated the Ann Arbor Stroke Club for seven years; and, mentored more than 25 graduate interns.

Robin L. Pinto, AuD

Robin L. Pinto, AuD
Director, Army Audiology Externship Program
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Dr. Robin Pinto is a staff audiologist and Director of the Army Audiology Externship Program. She received her master’s degree in audiology from Indiana University and an AuD from Salus University. Dr. Pinto has been practicing audiology with an emphasis in balance assessment and treatment for 14 years. She has participated in and helped develop several multi-disciplinary teams at Walter Reed to accurately evaluate and diagnose patients with dizziness and balance disorders. Her activities over the past 10 years have heavily focused on the assessment and rehabilitation of vestibular problems in the blast and TBI populations and clinical research endeavors related to assessment. She has also co-developed several seminars which provide physicians, audiologists, and other allied health professionals with didactic as well as experiential exposure to the evaluation and treatment of vestibular disorders.

Major General (Ret.) Gale S. Pollock

Major General (Ret.) Gale S. Pollock 

A continual learner, General Pollock became a certified nurse anesthetist soon after her graduation from the University of Maryland.  She has a Master’s degree in Business, a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration and a Master’s degree in National Security and Strategy.  She has an honorary doctorate from the University of Maryland.

While in the Army, she served as the Commander of the US Army Medical Command and the Acting Surgeon General of the Army (the first woman, non-physician to have this role in any of the military services).  General Pollock was the 22nd Chief of the Army Nurse Corps.

In 2008, she established the Louis J. Fox Center for Vision Restoration and was an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh Schools of Medicine and Nursing.  General Pollock was a 2011 Fellow in Harvard University’s Advanced Leadership Initiative. 

General Pollock serves on multiple advisory boards and is the owner of Pollock Associates, LLC.  She is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, the American Academy of Nursing and the National Board of Corporate Directors.  She was selected as a 2013/2014 Professional Business Women of the Year by the National Association of Professional Women.  Her passion is improving the quality of lives of those with vision loss.  To escape and rejuvenate she spends time hiking, biking and kayaking with her Ambassador guide dog “Cruiser” and her husband, Doug.  

Robert C. Read Jr., MBA

Robert C. Read Jr., MBA
Coordinator, Vision Research Program (VRP)
Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC)

 

Robert Read is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban Management from the University of Pittsburgh and was commissioned a second lieutenant through the ROTC program. He completed a Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Organizational Behavior from Saint Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas.

In April of 2001, Mr. Read completed 28 years of active service in the army (1970-72 and 1975-2001), retiring in the grade of Lieutenant Colonel.

In February 2001, Mr. Read began employment as a Program Manager/Analyst with the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) at Fort Detrick, MD. His primary responsibilities include managing advanced medical research and development programs; nominating, supervising and mentoring contracting officer/grants officer representatives and project officers; analyzing and developing program goals and objectives to fill research gaps; developing program announcements and managing the selection process; and developing and delivering white papers and presentations. He is the program manager for diabetes, pain, and vision; providing oversight on 63 active projects. He is the coordinator of the peer reviewed Vision Research Program (VRP) which has funded 65 projects in the amount of ~$55M since 2009. In July 2015 the VRP was transferred to the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).

CAPT  Penny E. Walter, OD Medical Service Corps

CAPT  Penny E. Walter, OD Medical Service Corps
Executive Director
Vision Center of Excellence 

 

A native of Livonia, Michigan, Captain Penny Walter earned her Doctor of Optometry degree from Ferris State College of Optometry in 1989. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Troy State University. Commissioned as a Lieutenant in 1989, Captain Walter served her first tour as a staff optometrist at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland from November 1989 to October 1992. In November 1992, she reported to U.S. Naval Hospital, Sigonella, Italy. She stood up the first permanent, full scope Optometry Department and served as Department Head for 2 years returning stateside to Arlington Annex in November 1994 as the Staff Optometrist. In November 1997, after earning the Aviation Optometry AQD, Captain Walter served as the Optometry Department Head and Director of Ancillary Services onboard U.S. Naval Hospital, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. After 3 years, Captain Walter returned stateside in September 2000 to Naval Hospital Great Lakes, Illinois. She served the first half of this tour as Department Head of Optometry overseeing 3 optometry clinics with an optical fabrication lab and completed the second half as Department Head, USS Red Rover, Recruit Medical Inprocessing Clinic. At USS Red Rover she oversaw the medical inprocessing of all Navy Recruits, including Immunizations, Medical Records, Wellness, Audiology and Women’s Health.

In April 2003 Captain Walter reported as Executive Officer, Naval Ophthalmic Support and Training Activity where she was a key force in the 60 day implementation of the antiballistic combat eyewear program. She then reported to the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery in October 2006 where she served as a trained Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and the Navy Medicine Lean Six Sigma Deployment Champion. In August 2009 Captain Walter reported as the Commanding Officer, Naval Ophthalmic Support and Training Activity, two years later reported to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center as the Navy Optometry Specialty Advisor, and in May 2014 reported as the Executive Director, Vision Center of Excellence.  Captain Walter’s professional accomplishments include selection by Vision Monday, an international trade publication, as 1 of the 50 most influential women and only military representative, in the optical industry in 2005. In 2006, she was selected as both the Navy Senior Optometrist and Armed Forces Optometrist of the Year. She is the current Navy Optometry Specialty Leader, a past president of the Armed Forces Optometric Society, Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, member of the American Academy of Optometry Ethics Committee, American Optometric Association and American College of Healthcare Administrators.

Her personal awards include the Navy Legion of Merit, Navy Meritorious Service Medal (with one gold star), Navy Commendation Medal (with one gold star) and the Navy Achievement Medal.

Suzanne M. Wickum, OD, FAAO

Suzanne M. Wickum, OD, FAAO
Director, Vision Rehabilitation Services
Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) at Memorial Hermann Hospital
Director, Neuro-optometric Rehabilitation at the University Eye Institute
Director, Pediatric Optometry Residency at UHCO   

After receiving her Doctor of Optometry degree at the University of California Berkeley, Dr. Wickum completed a residency in pediatric optometry at the University of Houston, College of Optometry (UHCO).  She is currently a Clinical Professor at UHCO where her clinical practice and teaching focus on pediatrics, binocular vision, and brain injury vision rehabilitation.  Dr. Wickum is the Director of Vision Rehabilitation Services at The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) at Memorial Hermann Hospital, serves as the Director of Neuro-optometric Rehabilitation at the University Eye Institute, and also provides Neuro-optometric Rehabilitation Services at Houston Methodist Hospital.  Additionally, she is the Director of the Pediatric Optometry Residency at UHCO.   Dr. Wickum has been a Subject Matter Expert for the Vision Center of Excellence (VCE) since 2011.  She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, a member of the American Optometric Association, served on the AOA Journal Review Board, and is a member of the editorial review board for the Journal of Optometric Education. 

Dr. Wickum has written multiple book chapters and she lectures across the country.  Dr. Wickum was the recipient of the TIRR/Memorial Hermann Outstanding Consultant of the Year Award as well as the UHCO Cora & J. Davis Armistead Teaching Award.

Faculty Disclosure

Faculty for this activity have been required to disclose all relationships with any proprietary entity producing health care goods or services, with the exemption of non-profit or government organizations and non-health care related companies.

No significant financial relationships with commercial entities were disclosed by:

Shannon E. Auxier, MS CCC-SLP, Guest Faculty

William Boules, MS, Guest Faculty

Shelly R. Brown, MEd, Course Coordinator

Douglas S. Brungart, PhD, Guest Faculty

Sally H. Dang, OD, Guest Faculty

Kenneth W. Grant, PhD, Guest Faculty

Lynn W. Henselman, PhD, Guest Faculty

Judy M. Mikola, PhD CCC-SLP, Guest Faculty

COL (Ret) Paul F. Pasquina, MD, Course Director

Robin L. Pinto, AuD, Guest Faculty

Robert C. Read, MBA, Guest Faculty

CAPT Penny E. Walter, OD, Guest Faculty

Suzanne M. Wickum, OD, Guest Faculty

The following information was disclosed:

Joshua G.W. Bernstein, PhD, Guest Faculty.  Grant:  Med-El Corporation.

Marcus H. Colyer, MD.  Stockholder:  Covalent Medical, LLC.

Rory Cooper, PhD, Course Director.   Patent Agreements: AT Sciences; Three Rivers Holdings.

Gale S. Pollock, CRNA FACHE FAAN, Guest Faculty.  Consultant:  Avadin and E-Sight.

CME Accreditation and Designation Statement 

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the Center for Rehabilitation Science Research at the Uniformed Services University for the Health Science. The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 6.5 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. 

Other health care professionals are awarded 0.6 continuing education units (CEU's) which are equal to 6.5 contact hours.

Disclaimer Statement

The information presented at this CME program represents the views and opinions of the individual presenters, and does not constitute the opinion or endorsement of, or promotion by, the UPMC Center for Continuing Education in the Health Sciences, UPMC/University of Pittsburgh Medical Center or Affiliates and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Reasonable efforts have been taken intending for educational subject matter to be presented in a balanced, unbiased fashion and in compliance with regulatory requirements. However, each program attendee must always use his/her own personal and professional judgment when considering further application of this information, particularly as it may relate to patient diagnostic or treatment decisions including, without limitation, FDA-approved uses and any off-label uses.