(PRESS RELEASE) MONROE, NJ — The Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association, International (NORA) recognized the following individuals last week at the NORA’s Annual Conference in Columbus, OH for their important contributions to NORA and the field of Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation.
Derrick Tong, OD, FAAO, FCOVD, FNORA was recipient of the Advancement of Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Award in recognition of his contribution to advancing the field of Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation. Dr. Tong has been practicing optometry since 1998 and received Fellowships from the American Academy of Optometry, the College of Optometrists in Vision Development, and the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association. For the last six years, he has served as Chair of the NORA Fellowship Committee.
Jamshid Ghajar, PhD, MD was presented with the Advancement of Sciences Award for his unique and valued contribution to the science of neuro-optometric rehabilitation. He is co-founder of the Brain Trauma Foundation, which created the first clinical guidelines in surgical brain care. The Foundation’s Coma treatment guidelines have become the international standard of care, helping to reduce traumatic brain deaths from 50% in the 1980s to 25% today, saving 100s of thousands of lives in the US and the world. He also founded the Brain Performance Center and has helped create a coalition of experts who have now defined concussion and its subtypes. This new definition is driving the creation of concussion guidelines which aim to change clinical care by providing research based best practice for these treatable subtypes.
Mary Van Hoy, OD was honored with NORA’s Founding Father’s Award in recognition of her lifelong dedication to the exploration, elucidation, and enhancement of the concepts surrounding the nature of the human visual process. “Dr. Van Hoy is known by her colleagues to be energetic and passionate in learning all possible therapy and rehabilitation techniques that can help her patients,” said DeAnn Fitzgerald, OD, President, NORA. “She was an early adopter of utilizing nutrition, light therapy, lenses, yoked prism, selective occlusion, biofeedback and sensory integration to further the success of her patient’s rehabilitation and she has shared her patient experiences to teach a multi-disciplinary group of professionals what she has learned.”
Marc Taub, OD was presented with the William and Diana Ludlam Educators Award in recognition of his commitment to serving students and patients in the neuro-optometric rehabilitation area. He is currently a professor and Chief of Vision Therapy and Rehabilitation Services at Southern College of Optometry. “Marc’s students and residents highly regard his expertise and inspirational instruction that gives them the tools they need to work with patients with neurological disorders,” noted NORA Advisory Board member Melissa Zarn Urankar, OD, FAAO.