(PRESS RELEASE) CHICAGO, IL — The National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health (NCCVEH) at Prevent Blindness has issued a call for nominations for the ninth annual “Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award.” The award recognizes significant efforts by an individual, or group of individuals, to improve public health approaches for children’s vision and eye health at the state or national level. The deadline for submission is July 1, 2023, at noon ET.
The award was established in 2014 by the National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health Advisory Committee to commemorate Dr. Bonnie Strickland and her groundbreaking work to establish a comprehensive system for children’s vision in the United States. Strickland served as Director of the Division of Services for Children with Special Health Needs, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, before her retirement in 2014.
The Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award will be presented at the Annual Meeting of the NCCVEH, to be held virtually on Sept.14, 2023. The award consists of a commemorative plaque, recognition, and opportunity to present at the Annual Meeting. The award recipient will be featured on the NCCVEH website with an overview of their innovative approaches to children’s vision and eye health systems. An all-volunteer committee for the Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award will review all nominations and select the award winner.
Nominees for the Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award may be an individual or group comprised of diverse stakeholders who are implementing changes to improve children’s vision in the United States and reduce disparities in children’s vision and eye health. Prevent Blindness is accepting nominations of individuals or groups who seek out new and innovative solutions to barriers to healthy vision in children and have successfully implemented those solutions. Projects which demonstrate replicability and sustainability will be prioritized. New this year, there are separate nomination forms for individuals and for groups.
Nominees should be able to demonstrate an impact in one or more areas of a population health system supporting children’s vision:
- Key Stakeholder Engagement or Collaboration, including diverse representation from families, racial/ethnic groups, geography, and socio-economic levels from target populations;
- Training and Education;
- Public Awareness;
- Provision of Resources and/or Services;
- Surveillance and Accountability;
- Reduction of Health Inequities;
- Vision and Eye Health Infrastructure Development- Local, State, or National Level.
The 2022 Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award was presented to Donny W. Suh, MD, FAAP, MBA, FACS, Chief of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, and Professor, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, University of California, Irvine. Additional previous award winners include Shavette Turner, Vice President of Children’s Services at Prevent Blindness Georgia; Logan Newman, NBCT, ABO, MS Ed, Program Developer and NYS Certified Science teacher, Career in Technical Experience Teacher, and founder of the East High School Vision Care Program; Anne L. Coleman, MD, MPH, UCLA Stein Eye Institute; the Vision in Preschoolers (VIP) Study Group; Richard Bunner, retired from the Ohio Department of Health; Sean P. Donahue, MD, PhD, Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Vanderbilt University; the Illinois Eye Institute (IEI) at Princeton Vision Clinic; and the Pediatric Physicians’ Organization at Children’s (PPOC).
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“Now in our 115th year, Prevent Blindness celebrates the efforts of those who work to improve vision and eye health for children across the country,” said Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. “We encourage anyone who shares in our sight-saving mission to submit nominations for this year’s Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award!”
For more information, or to submit a nomination for the 2023 Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award, visit here, or contact Donna Fishman, director of the NCCVEH, at dfishman@PreventBlindness.org.
About the National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness
Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness is the nation’s leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight. Focused on promoting a continuum of vision care, Prevent Blindness touches the lives of millions of people each year through public and professional education, advocacy, certified vision screening and training, community and patient service programs and research. In 2009, Prevent Blindness established the National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness (NCCVEH), with support from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau. Serving as a national resource for the establishment of a public health infrastructure, the NCCVEH advances and promotes children’s vision and eye health, providing leadership and training to public entities throughout the United States. The NCCVEH is advised by a committee of national experts and leaders from the fields of ophthalmology, optometry, pediatrics, nursing, family advocates and public health to guide the work and recommendations of the NCCVEH. For more information, or to make a contribution to the sight-saving mission, call (800) 331-2020 or visit us here.
