(PRESS RELEASE) MONROE, NJ — The International Sports Vision Association (ISVA), an interdisciplinary group of professionals dedicated to advancing the field of vision training for athletes of all ages and levels to help them achieve peak athletic performance, announced the appointments of its new Executive and Advisory Board members, effective June 1, 2021.
Executive Board
- Charles Shidlofsky, OD, FCOVD assumes the position of President, succeeding Alex Andrich, OD, FCOVD. Dr. Shidlofsky has served as ISVA Vice President since 2015. He is clinical director at Neuro-Vision Associates of North Texas and also serves as the team vision consultant for the Dallas Stars (NHL), Allen Americans (ECHL) and FC Dallas (MSL), as well as Vice President of the Neuro Optometric Rehabilitation Association.
- Jarrod Davies, OD, FCOVD is appointed Vice President – Education. Dr. Davies has served as ISVA Secretary/Treasurer since 2015. He currently practices in South Jordan, Utah as the clinical director of Utah Vision Development Center. Dr. Davies has worked with baseball, tennis, hockey, golf and ski team members on both a professional and amateur level. He also frequently lectures on topics including sports vision training, concussion rehabilitation, binocular vision, and vision therapy.
- Jennifer Stewart, OD is appointed Vice President – Membership. Dr. Stewart joined the ISVA Advisory Board in 2019. She is a partner at Norwalk Eye Care and also the co-founder and Chief Optometric Officer at Performance 20/20, a practice specializing in sports and performance vision. Dr. Stewart has had the opportunity to work with athletes from the NHL, NFL, and NBA, as well as professional athletes in squash, lacrosse and figure skating. She regularly consults with optometrists and practice owners about bringing sports vision and performance to their practice.
- Alex Andrich, OD, FCOVD remains on the Executive Board as Immediate Past President. In addition to providing Vision Therapy, Sports Vision, and Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation services at his private practice, he is also on staff in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation departments at University Hospitals Parma Medical Center. Dr. Andrich is a vision coach for the Cleveland Indians and Cleveland Monsters hockey team.
ADVISORY BOARD
The following four individuals will join returning members Greg Appelbaum, Ph.D. and Frederick R. Edmunds, OD, FAAO on the ISVA Advisory Board.
- Thomas Bourdon, ATC/L, PES, CES is a professional athletic trainer with over twenty years of experience in injury management and rehabilitation. He is currently the head athletic trainer for the Cleveland Monsters Hockey Club, the top affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets and also serves as the President of the executive committee for the American Hockey Leagues Professional Hockey Athletic Trainers Society. Tom is also on the advisory board for the FRST program, which is training local EMS crews in proper extrication of athletes during injuries occurring in competition.
- Adam J. Clarin, OD is the owner of Clarin Eye Care Center, one of South Miami’s premier optometry practices. In 2017, Dr. Clarin founded Miami Sports Vision, Miami’s only optometric-directed sports vision training program. He has worked with Florida International University’s baseball team and works with both professional and amateur athletes.
- Alireza Somji, OD is owner of a private practice in greater Houston, and founder of 20/20 Athlete, a visual performance center in his practice. He is on the medical team for the Sugar Land Skeeters minor league baseball team and works with amateur, Olympic and professional athletes. He is passionate about enhancing visual performance at all levels of sports. Dr. Somji is also a Regional Leader for Professional Eye Care Associates of America (PECAA).
- Daniel M. Laby, MD, Pediatric Ophthalmologist and Sports Vision Specialist, Director of Sports and Performance Vision Center, ChampionsEdge, LLC/SportsvisionNYC has served as staff ophthalmologist for several professional sports teams including more than one-third of all MLB teams, three NBA teams, an NHL team as well as international teams from Korea and the Middle East. He worked with the USA Olympic team and attended the Beijing summer Olympic games as well as working with the international baseball team that was first to qualify for the 2021 Tokyo summer Olympic games.
“We are very excited by the addition of our new Advisory Board members and the experience and passion for sports vision they bring to ISVA,” says. Dr. Shidlofsky. “We sincerely thank our outgoing Advisory Board Members — Dave Biberdorf, OD, Todd Daniels, MS, ATC, LMT, CSCS, Steve Hitzeman, OD, FAAO, Benoit Lombaerts, Optométriste, Donald Teig, OD, FAAO for their service and dedication.”