(PRESS RELEASE) Boynton Beach, FL -The Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association, International (NORA) announces the appointments of its new Executive and Advisory Board members.Executive Board
Charles Shidlofsky, OD, FCOVD assumes the position of President, succeeding DeAnn Fitzgerald, OD, who now joins the NORA Advisory Board. Dr. Shidlofsky is Clinical Director of Neuro-Vision Associates of North Texas, a specialty clinic serving children and adults with neurological vision issues. He is a member of the medical staff at Baylor Scott and White Institute for Rehabilitation-Frisco, Dallas, and Ft. Worth. Dr. Shidlofsky also serves as a consultant for several Texas-based rehabilitation centers, including the Centre for Neuro Skills and Pate Rehabilitation. He is residency director for a private practice residency in vision rehabilitation through Southern College of Optometry.
Melissa Zarn Urankar, OD, FAAO is appointed Vice President. Dr. Zarn Urankar is an Assistant Professor of Optometry at Southern College of Optometry (SCO). Dr. Zarn evaluates and manages patients with traumatic and acquired brain injuries (TBI/ABI) at the SCO clinics as well as at local rehabilitation hospitals. She is the faculty advisor for SCO’s Student NORA Chapter; the lead instructor for the Interprofessional Education series and is engaged in curriculum development to enhance IPE and collaborative practice opportunities for students at SCO.
Shirley Blanc, OD, FNORA is appointed Secretary/Treasurer. Dr. Blanc dedicates most of her practice to assessing and treating patients with visual problems due to acquired and traumatic brain injury. She has conducted many speaking engagements on the topic of vision and concussion for organizations including Brain Injury Canada, Sports Physiotherapists of Canada, the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, and the University of Toronto. Dr. Blanc was a co-investigator with the University of Toronto David L. Macintosh Sports Medicine Clinic, looking at various visual manifestations of sport related concussion. She provides vision rehabilitation as well as sports vision performance services for athletes at all levels, including varsity, Olympic, and professional.
In addition to Dr. Fitzgerald, Drs. Kathryn Collins and Cheryl Lethern are new members of the NORA Advisory Board, joining returning member Gina Kim, MOT, OTR/L, CBIS.
Kathryn Collins, OD is in private practice in Lititz, PA. The practice offers comprehensive examinations for adults and children, contact lenses, treatment of ocular disease, and dry eyes. In 2013 Dr. Collins trained at the Visual Institute of Medicine with Dr. Debby Feinburg in Michigan to become a neurovision rehabilitation specialist. At that time, she opened Neurovision Rehabilitation Center of PA adjacent to her primary care office. She has a special interest in treating patients with concussions, dizziness, vestibular issues, and migraines. Dr. Collins works with several multidisciplinary concussion centers in Lancaster County and the greater Philadelphia area.
Cheryl Letheren, B.SC., OD, FAAO has more than 20 years of experience with visual rehabilitation. Dr. Letheren helped to form the first multi-disciplinary team to assess and treat brain injury patients in a hospital setting in Canada and has been on staff at Parkwood Hospital, a rehabilitation facility, for the last 18 years, seeing acute in-patient and out-patient brain injury, complex care, and stroke patients. She also acts as a consultant for adult concussion patients. In her private office, Dr. Letheren does consults for patients with chronic conditions, motor vehicle injuries, head injuries, developmental conditions, learning disabilities and concussions in adult and children. Together, with her highly qualified vision therapist, who is an internationally trained Optometrist herself, Dr. Letheren provides assessment and treatment for binocular vision problems, strabismus, amblyopia, learning difficulties, autism, and sports vision, as well as concussions and head injury.