Alumni Focus on Carolyn Chakuroff Gafford (OD'19, MS'18)

DR. GAFFORD'S STORY

Hometown

Merrimack, New Hampshire

Which institution did you attend for your undergraduate degree? What was your major?

St. Lawrence University – Biochemistry major and Religious Studies minor

Which degree(s), related to optometry, did you earn at Ohio State?

MS’18; OD‘19

Who were your mentors at the College of Optometry? Who had a positive effect on your education?

There were so many great mentors at Ohio State, but Dr. Bradly Dougherty has to take the cake for being an amazing mentor for my master’s degree. I also had the pleasure of working with him for four years as our SVOSH adviser. He built my confidence in independent research, writing, and decision making. Beyond optometry, he has given me years of life advice that has shaped my interpersonal interactions and ability to manage the stressors of adulthood. Dr. Roanne Flom ignited my passion for low vision care early on through our SocialEyes group. She still inspires me to treat my low vision veterans with the utmost compassion and patience. Finally, Dr. Richard Frick showed me the utility of a fanny pack and has provided continued mentorship while navigating a VA career.

DR. GAFFORD'S CAREER IN OPTOMETRY

Name of your employer(s) and title, including location.

West Texas VA Health Care System in Big Spring, Texas.

Give us a glimpse of your typical day as an optometrist.

I see a very disease-heavy patient population in my general clinic and then run a vision rehabilitation clinic every other afternoon where I provide low vision services and TBI care. I have recently taken on the role of acting clinic chief and now have new administrative tasks to try to understand. VA is a massive health care system and learning about the non-clinical inner workings has been fascinating.

Which optometric issues concern you the most?

Living in West Texas has demonstrated how difficult it can be to access health care in rural communities. I have veterans who sometimes drive three hours to come see me just for a routine eye exam, and I am one of only two low vision providers in a very large swath of the state. As a health care community, we need to find better ways to entice providers to move to and stay in rural areas to ensure these communities have reasonable access to high quality, continuous care.

Why did you choose a career in optometry?

I was one of those glasses-wearing kids who shadowed their optometrist in middle school and wanted to be an eye doctor from a young age. Helping people to see clearly has such an impact on their quality of life. As a low vision provider, I feel I get the opportunity to make an impact on an even greater scale by restoring independence and building confidence. There is not a day that goes by where I don’t acknowledge how cool it is that I am fulfilling my childhood dreams by being an optometrist.

Where do you hope to see your optometric career in five years?

For the first time in my life I don’t have a detailed five-year plan and I think I am ok with it? I want to continue to challenge myself professionally, but after meeting most of my early career goals I am not sure exactly what that looks like. I recently became a mom which means I now have what feels like a second career in motherhood. I am still trying to figure out how I want to balance my time between being a mom to a young child and advancing my optometry career.

What is one piece of advice you can give OPT-IV students as they prepare to graduate and begin their optometric careers?

Erica Keller (OD'16) told me to be sure to file my taxes as a fourth-year and it is my mission to tell as many OPT-IV students the same information. It has helped tremendously with my Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) journey. Even if you don’t think you will enter public service, file your taxes and document that lovely little (or non-existent) OPT-IV income! Second piece of related advice would be to enter repayment of your loans as soon as you start your residency year if you are at a qualifying employer and you plan to pursue PSLF. That way as many residency months as possible will count as qualifying employment.

What does eye health, and eye care, mean for you?

Eye health cannot be separated from whole health. I often find myself listening to patients share about a stressful event at home or some other health issue totally unrelated to their eyes. Usually I can provide assistance for these non-ocular concerns through the VA network of care. Taking the time to listen to all their concerns strengthens the doctor-patient relationship I need to proceed with effectively managing their eye health.

DR. GAFFORD'S OHIO STATE EXPERIENCE

What were your most memorable moments at Ohio State?

I lived in the ΕΨΕ house for four years and my best memories are from my time there – chilling with the Squid Squad, being awoken to Hang on Sloopy, absurdly elaborate theme parties, sharing the lore of Weiner the Cat, and Game of Thrones night were a few highlights. I built connections with upperclassmen before my Opt-I classes even started and before I knew it I was living in a house with all my closest friends. It was great and I am eternally thankful for ΕΨΕ.

What do Ohio State and the College of Optometry mean to you and your family?

I met my husband while at Ohio State, so Ohio State means a whole lot to my family! However, I truly consider my classmates from Ohio State to be members of my family as well. A classmate of mine recently stayed with me and my daughter at my mom’s house in New Hampshire while we attended Academy in Boston. Just like any other member of my family would on a visit to the northeast. Even though I physically live far away from most of my classmates, the bonds we built while in school are strong and we always pick up right back where we left off.

How do you stay connected with the College of Optometry?

I try to make the trip up from Texas to East West every few years for some great education and a chance to reconnect with former classmates. We went straight from our wedding to an East West honeymoon! Since my husband is also an OSU graduate, we have a lot of fun revisiting campus and seeing all the things that have changed around Columbus. I also love reading the BuckEYE Magazine and am a top fan of the ΕΨΕ Instagram.

DR. GAFFORD'S FUN FACTS

What are your current hobbies, volunteer work and interests?

I love to run and trained for my first marathon alongside two of my optometry school classmates. Now I spend more time running after my toddler than I do training, but becoming a mom has been such an amazing life transition. My current interests are dictated by her and involve walking the neighborhood looking for cats, reading picture books, and anything involving slime.

What is your nickname?

Shoutout to my classmate Laura Hamman (OD'19) for her commitment to the only nickname I have ever had – Carol.

What’s the best eye pun you’ve ever heard?

I am going to switch it up and go with my incredibly biased opinion of the best ΕΨΕ Bowling Team pun – Irritable Bowl Syndrome.

If not an optometrist, I would be …

Professional landscaper. I worked a brief stint for a tree removal service and it was so satisfying to see the result of your work. Also after working in a dark exam room for years there is something enticing about working in the sun.