(PRESS RELEASE) RANCHO CORDOVA, CA — VSP Vision and the National Optometric Association (NOA) are proud to recognize five students with the 2022 Dr. Marvin R. Poston Leadership Award. Named after the trailblazing optometrist, the award is presented annually to current National Optometric Student Association (NOSA) members who uphold Dr. Poston’s commitment to leadership, service and diversity. The recipients were recently honored during the NOA convention and each deserving student received a $4,000 scholarship.
“I’m deeply grateful to VSP Vision for its recognition and support of our future African American optometrists,” said Marlene Bell, the daughter of Dr. Poston. “The Dr. Marvin R. Poston Leadership Award recognizes who Dr. Poston was as a leader in the profession. Likewise, the award recognizes our future African American optometrists who have excelled academically and as student leaders. Each year, our students continue to amaze me, and I couldn’t be more honored to present these awards in his name.”
The 2022 Dr. Marvin R. Poston Leadership Award Recipients:
- Babirekere Bakama, Class of 2025, Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Optometry
- Ade Owolewa, Class of 2024, New England College of Optometry
- Brittany Martin, Class of 2023, University of Alabama School of Optometry
- Alexis Abernathy, Class of 2023, Illinois College of Optometry
- Chinelo Onyeador, OD, Class of 2022, Kentucky College of Optometry and NOSA Executive Board President
“It’s an honor to be selected as a Dr. Marvin R. Poston Leadership Award recipient,” said Martin. “It is my heart’s desire to be an advocate for not only the field of optometry but also African Americans who aspire to be an optometrist. I look forward to following in the footsteps of Dr. Poston and practicing in a private practice setting serving underserved individuals in rural areas.”
In a career that spanned more than 60 years, Dr. Poston’s (1914-2002) achievements include becoming the first Black American admitted to the University of California, Berkeley, School of Optometry, and the first Black American licensed to practice on the West Coast.
Dr. Poston was named Optometrist of the Year by the American Optometric Association in 1961 and the California Optometric Association bestowed the same honor in 1972. It was the first time either association recognized a Black American with optometrist of the year laurels. As the only Black American who co-founded VSP Vision in 1955, then named California Vision Services, Dr. Poston was a champion for eye care and eye health and was elected president in 1963.
Advertisement
In 2019, the Dr. Marvin R. Poston Foundation, NOA and VSP Vision established the Visioning the Future mentorship program, a strategy designed to identify African and Black American students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and foster their professional and career advancement in the field of optometry. Last summer, Dr. Poston was posthumously inducted into the National Optometry Hall of Fame and earlier this month, his legacy and passion for philanthropic work was commemorated by VSP Vision with an honorarium reception.
“Each of these students’ leadership and service to the optometry profession exemplifies the values of the Dr. Marvin R. Poston Foundation, NOA and VSP Vision,” said Jarrett Johnson, OD, MPH, VSP Vision board member and tenured NOA member. “I applaud these individuals who are the next generation of optometrists that will lead the industry with their compassion and ingenuity.”
Learn more about VSP Vision’s ongoing commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity.
