(PRESS RELEASE) BOSTON, MA — New England College of Optometry (NECO) announces its 2025 Industry Collaborative, to be held November 3–4, 2025, in Boston, bringing together optometry educators, industry partners, students, clinicians, and policy advocates to shape the future of the profession. Register now at https://necoindustrycollaborative.org.
With the theme “Reimagining Optometry: Equipping Graduates for a New Era of Care,” the 2025 Collaborative will explore critical questions facing the field, including how to balance technological innovation with patient-centered care, wellness and mental health in education, and what foundational scientific training will look like in the years ahead.
What Attendees Can Expect
A networking dinner on Monday evening, November 3, at NECO’s historic campus, followed by a full day of sessions held at WBUR/CitySpace in Boston on Tuesday, November 4, with a robust agenda including:
- Opening Session: Optometry’s Role in Systemic Health, focused on the importance of integrating optometry in public and population health efforts.
- Session 1 – Strengthening the Foundation: Science, Curriculum, and Clinical Readiness, with panels and breakout discussions around core science, student wellness, and aligning curricula with evolving practice.
- Session 2 – Tech-Forward, Patient-Centered Innovation, including interactive demos of AI, imaging tools, and other emerging technologies.
- Session 3 – Beyond the Bench: How Industry Powers Education and Student Success, featuring discussions about the integration of new technology in education and clinical practice.
- Closing Session – Higher Education in the Age of AI, addressing how education must evolve to meet public health needs, developments in artificial intelligence, and systemic challenges.
Guest speakers include Dr. Joseph Aoun, President of Northeastern University, who will close the day with a keynote on how higher education must evolve to prepare graduates for the age of AI, automation, and interdisciplinary innovation in healthcare.
Why You Should Attend
- Be part of the conversation shaping optometry’s future: whether you’re an educator, student, practitioner, or industry partner. Your insight will help define the skills, tools, and compassion needed for tomorrow’s eye care.
- Explore innovations & best practices in curriculum, tech, wellness, and patient-centered care. Attendees will see new tools, educational strategies, and frameworks in action.
- Connect with a cross-section of stakeholders: from basic science faculty to tech innovators, regulatory bodies, health systems, and clinical practitioners.
Influence policy, education, and patient outcomes: not just hear about them. NECO’s Industry Collaborative is built around debate, honest reflection, and co-creation of next steps.
Registration & More Information
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- Dates: November 3-4, 2025
- Location: Monday evening event at NECO (424 Beacon Street, Boston); Tuesday sessions at WBUR/CitySpace (890 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston)
- Agenda, hotels, registration, sponsor opportunities: https://necoindustrycollaborative.org.
