Alumni Awards
Distinguished Alumnus Award
Michael J. Earley (OD/MS’88, PhD’92)
Dr. Michael J. Earley graduated from Northwestern University in 1983 with a BA in Biology (Anatomy and Physiology emphasis). He graduated Summa cum Laude from The Ohio State University College of Optometry with his OD and MS in Physiological Optics in 1988, and was the recipient of the Beta Sigma Kappa silver medal. Continuing his research in the laboratory of Dr. P.E. King-Smith, Dr. Earley received his PhD in Physiological Optics in 1992. His dissertation was on the acquired visual losses associated with amblyopia. During his graduate studies, he was twice awarded the Ezell Fellowship from the American Optometric Foundation and the Auxiliary Fellowship from the American Optometric Association.
Dr. Earley was active in clinical research and was involved with many multicentered research projects including Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial (CITT), Amblyopia Treatment Study (ATS), and Vision in Preschooler (VIP) and with other research projects involved in understanding the role of visual deficits in children with reading disability.
In 1998, he was awarded Ohio State’s Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching and was inducted into the Academy of Teaching. He was awarded the American Optometric Foundation’s Michael G. Harris Award for Excellence in Optometric Education in 2011, was the American Optometric Association Educator of the Year in 2013, named a Distinguished Fellow of National Academies of Practice in Optometry in 2017, and the Ohio Optometric Association’s Optometrist of the Year in 2022. Presently, he is the VSP Chair for Advancement of Professional Practice, Ohio State Optometry’s Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, chair of the Admissions Committee, and Professor of Clinical Optometry, teaching courses in anatomy, histology and ocular anatomy. He also served as chief of the Binocular Vision and Pediatric Services from 1995 – 2012 and the Assistant Dean for Clinical Services from 2011 – 2014. He and his wife Tracy live in Dublin, Ohio, and have three adult children.
Early Professional Achievement Award
Katie Greiner (OD/MS’09, MBA)
Dr. Katie Greiner graduated from The Ohio State University College of Optometry with her OD and MS in Vision Science in 2009. Post-graduation, she completed a surgical co-management and contact lens residency at Davis Duehr Dean in Madison, WI, where she discovered her true passion for specialty contact lens fits. For the past 11 years, Dr. Greiner has worked at Northeast Ohio Eye Surgeons, a group that has grown to the size of eight locations and two surgery centers. She served as CEO of Northeast Ohio Eye Surgeons from 2017 to 2023, and then accepted her new role as VP of Physician Engagement for Midwest Vision Partners. She thoroughly enjoys teaching, and she considers herself fortunate to work with a fourth-year Ohio State Optometry extern each semester.
Dr. Greiner has been very active in the optometric community, statewide with the Ohio Optometric Association (she is presently a trustee) and nationally with the American Academy of Optometry. She is an advisory board member for the Gas Permeable Lens Institute, enjoys lecturing on specialty contact lenses at major meetings, and completed a Health Care Administration MBA program at Baldwin Wallace University in 2019. Dr. Greiner resides in Hudson with her husband Nathan and their sons Henry (10) and Luke (7).
