Alumni Focus 2025
Alumni Focus on Abigail (Almomar) Glick (OD'22)
December 1, 2025
Abigail (Almomar) Glick (OD'22) is a proud Buckeye who turned her love for eye care into a career as an optometrist and educator. After earning her OD in 2022 from The Ohio State University College of Optometry, she now splits her time between Miamisburg Vision Care and teaching at Ohio State, where she loves working with students. Passionate about comprehensive eye exams and cutting-edge treatments, Dr. Glick creates a welcoming, family-like experience for patients. When she’s not in the clinic, you’ll find her cheering on the Buckeyes and Detroit Lions, traveling, or spoiling her chow chow pup, Sir Barkley (yes, he has his own Instagram, @sirbarkleyglick).
Alumni Focus on Aaron Tarbett (OD’00)
November 1, 2025
Dr. Aaron Tarbett (OD’00) serves as an attending optometrist at the Salisbury VA Medical Center in North Carolina, where he mentors residents and students in specialty clinics focused on polytrauma, medical contact lenses, and low vision. A proud Ohio State alumnus, he credits mentors like Drs. Bullimore, Earley, Polasky, and Good for shaping his clinical approach and love of teaching. His career has taken him from private practice to Walter Reed Army Medical Center and even to the White House Medical Unit, caring for the First Family and Cabinet members. Dr. Tarbett encourages new graduates to “go on the adventure,” but always live below their means.
Read more about Dr. Tarbett >>
Alumni Focus on Emily Benson (OD/MS’24)
October 1, 2025
Emily Benson (OD/MS’24) is a Senior Clinical Instructor at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Inspired by her mentors at Ohio State, Dr. Benson developed a passion for clinical care, teaching, and professional advocacy, which she continues through her involvement with the AOA and OOA. In her current role, she manages a wide variety of ocular disease cases, fits specialty contact lenses, and trains fourth-year externs from multiple optometry schools. She credits Ohio State for shaping her career path and remains actively connected to the college through alumni events, CE conferences, and precepting students.
Alumni Focus on Margaret "Liz" Moore (OD'18)
September 1, 2025
Margaret "Liz" Moore (OD'18) has built a rewarding career in optometry that blends science, patient care, and advocacy. She splits her time between practices in Connecticut and New York, providing a wide range of care. She’s passionate about making eye care more accessible for everyone and recently represented the Connecticut Association of Optometrists on Capitol Hill. Liz treasures memories of SVOSH and late nights at Ohio State, credits her many mentors for shaping her journey, and encourages current students to “never become complacent.” When she’s not seeing patients, you can find her fixing up her house, traveling, or enjoying Connecticut’s lobster rolls.
Alumni Focus on Hannah Davidson (OD'19)
August 1, 2025
Hannah Davidson (OD’19), a Rio Grande, Ohio native, now provides comprehensive eye care at Holzer Clinic in Gallipolis and Jackson. Inspired by mentors at Ohio State, she found her calling in optometry and now advocates for improved access to care in underserved communities. Proud of her rural roots, Dr. Davidson says, "I would like to see more students from rural areas going to optometry school and then returning home to serve their communities."
Read more about Dr. Davidson >>
Alumni Focus on Jake Sander (OD/MS'20)
July 1, 2025
Jake Sander (OD/MS'20) is a proud Buckeye optometrist practicing at Park Nicollet Health Services in Minnesota. From receiving patching treatment for amblyopia as a child to completing his OD/MS at Ohio State, he’s always been passionate about eye care and patient connection. Learn how Dr. Sander's days are filled with meaningful care and global service goals in this month's Alumni Focus.
Alumni Focus on Carole Burns (OD'84)
June 1, 2025
As an undergraduate student studying zoology, Carole Burns knew she loved the biological sciences, so she shadowed every medical professional who would let her visit. She recalls, "I never met an optometrist who didn’t love what they did, not only did they love their profession, but also their patients and their alma mater." After graduating from The Ohio State University College of Optometry, Dr. Burns' career included a residency, a fellowship and private practice. Today, she is in patient care two days per week, and says, "I am blessed to have seven incredible partners in an 11-doctor practice. We have four locations and 50 team members. Each partner is an expert in a different aspect of optometry; therefore, we are able to offer comprehensive eye care from treatment of disease, specialty contact lens care, pediatric care, vision therapy, myopia management as well as examining and treating those with autism and those with special needs."
Alumni Focus on Tyson Brunstetter (OD/MS'97, PhD'00)
May 1, 2025
Tyson Brunstetter (OD/MS'97, PhD'00) is a NASA aerospace optometrist at Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas, and serves as the Clinical Lead (Eyes/Vision) for a recently discovered condition that affects the eyes, brain, and vision of astronauts: Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS). Dr. Brunstetter says that his experiences learning at Ohio State and then serving in the Navy and at NASA, "have topped even my wildest childhood dreams." Every day is different, as he works with a team of top-tier professionals, including optometrists, ophthalmologists, flight surgeons, epidemiologists, statisticians, engineers, trainers, scientists, and astronauts/cosmonauts.
Read more about Dr. Brunstetter >>
Alumni Focus on Erica Shelton (OD/MS'18)
April 1, 2025
Erica Shelton (OD/MS'18) chose to pursue a career in optometry because, "I wanted a career in the health sciences where I could teach, provide care, learn more about the brain, and have a comfortable work/life balance." The Ohio State University College of Optometry was the perfect fit, so much so that Dr. Shelton chose to pursue her PhD in Vision Science here as well. She says, "Currently I spend my days doing research related to pediatric vision care. I spend time talking to community partners, writing my dissertation, and assisting as a teaching assistant (TA) in the Epidemiology Public Health and Environmental Vision course for the optometry students."
Read more about Dr. Shelton >>
Alumni Focus on Michael Do (OD'14)
March 1, 2025
When asked to identify who affected him positively during his time as an Ohio State Optometry student, Michael Do (OD'14) named professor after professor before finally giving up and saying, "I could reference the entire college, really." Today, as a successful private practice owner in Georgia, Dr. Do provides primary care and ocular disease management.
Alumni Focus for Paige (Scott) Ellis (OD'20) and Sawyer Ellis (OD'20)
February 1, 2025
Paige (Scott) Ellis (OD'20) and Sawyer Ellis (OD'20) met and fell in love as Ohio State Optometry students. Fast forward to five years (and two golden retrievers) after graduation, they are the proud owners of Vivid Vision Eye Care, a private practice in Ravenna, Ohio. They have worked diligently to build a loyal patient base, and they enjoy seeing patients of all ages. In another five years, they plan to acquire a second location and bring on an associate doctor.
Read more about Drs. Paige and Sawyer Ellis >>
Alumni Focus on Marielle Reidy (OD/MS’19)
January 1, 2025
As a graduate research fellow and vision science PhD student at The Ohio State University College of Optometry, Dr. Marielle Reidy truly enjoys the ever-changing nature of academia. Early in her PhD journey, she was particularly fond of teaching clinically, mostly in the Binocular Vision and Pediatrics Clinic. Currently, she is working on her dissertation research project, striving to better understand myopia control treatments. She says, "It is so exciting to have options for these patients, but there are still so many unanswered questions about them. And before we can answer the questions, new treatments crop up and we’ve got more questions about those! I hope I can play even a small role in maximizing these treatments for young myopes."