(PRESS RELEASE) MEMPHIS, TN — Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee, announced the promotions of two long-serving faculty and clinical team leaders. Dr. Scott Ensor, OD, now serves as vice president of clinical programs, and Dr. Aaron Kerr, OD, has stepped into the newly created position of chair of clinical education. Together, they will oversee education and operations for SCO’s patient care efforts at its internal clinics and community outreach programs.
In his new role, Ensor oversees all operations for SCO’s two clinics – The Eye Center adjacent to its main campus and FocalPoint located inside Crosstown Concourse. He stepped in as interim vice president in July 2024, after the retirement of Dr. James Venable, who served in the role for 13 years and 20 years at SCO overall.
Dr. Aaron Kerr, OD
As chair of clinical education, Kerr leads clinical curriculum and the delivery of patient care provided at SCO’s two clinics. She oversees the chiefs of each service area, such as low vision, vision therapy and ocular disease, to name a few. She previously served as chief of external clinics. Her new role consolidates the positions of chief internal and chief external clinics, streamlining operations for students receiving optometric training, as well as patients receiving vision care.
“These two positions will strengthen operations and create a more seamless approach between all educational and clinical programs,” said Lewis Reich, president of SCO. “This partnership between the two roles reflects our commitment to enhancing the quality of education, clinical training and patient experience for our students. I am confident that Drs. Ensor and Kerr will bring valuable leadership and vision to their teams.”
Ensor is also an associate professor at the college and teaches systemic pharmacology. Across the country, he has presented lectures to hundreds of practicing optometrists on ocular disease and surgical comanagement. His professional expertise focuses on glaucoma, retinal pathology, surgical comanagement and the promotion of optometric residency programs. Prior to joining SCO in 2008, he served as assistant center director at Eye Health Partners of Middle Tennessee in Nashville and was supervisor of its ocular disease residency program.
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Dr. Scott Ensor, OD
Kerr joined SCO in 1999 as a full-time instructor and is now an associate professor. She teaches a course on contemporary eyecare and serves as clinical faculty for adult primary care services at The Eye Center. She also provides clinical instruction and patient care in area nursing homes and assisted living facilities as part of SCO’s external clinical curriculum. Her professional areas of expertise are in glaucoma management, diabetic and hypertensive retinopathy and surgical comanagement.
Ensor and Kerr are active members of the American Optometric Association, the Tennessee Association of Optometric Physicians and the West Tennessee Optometric Physician Society.
In the 2024 fiscal year, SCO’s patient outreach programs provided $5,609,301 in uncompensated and undercompensated optometric care to uninsured or underinsured patients at its clinic and through external community outreach programs. Each year, an average of 45,000 patients visit SCO clinics, and an additional 20,000 patients receive services through the institution’s community outreach programs.
