2011 Western Regional Conference a Success at SCCO
By Brian Park, SCCO Trustee-Elect
There is only one word that can describe the 2011 Western Regional Conference at SCCO this past October: SUCCESS!!!! Over 250 optometry students from SCCO, UC Berkeley, Western University, and Midwestern University were treated to a fun-filled weekend of lectures, demonstrations, and networking at this year's conference.
The conference kicked off with a Welcome Reception sponsored by Allergan and Essilor at the Tuscany Club at Florentine's Grill in downtown Fullerton. Students were able to come in and meet each other or get reacquainted with each other as they arrive in the Fullerton area for the conference.
On Saturday, students were treated to lectures from many different realms of optometry; the common thread of each lecture was this year's theme, "How to become a better optometrist."
We were happy to begin the day with a presentation by former SCCO trustees, Dr. Saysha Blazier and Dr. Shalu Pal. They gave a presentation on how to be a "SUPER O.D." and got everyone fired up for the rest of the day.
There were many other fascinating presentations that day, including a live LASIK procedure with Dr. Rude narrating and Dr. Lusby performing the surgery from the NVISION Laser Center located at SCCO. Dr. Rebecca Kammer of the SCCO faculty, talked about tips for a successful mission trip. Wayne Heidel, who is legally blind from Retinitis Pigmentosa, gave a talk about optometry from the patient's perspective. Dr. Steven Ferrucci from VA Ambulatory Center in Los Angeles presented Retina 101. Bob Affleck of Wells Fargo held a discussion on practice management tips. Last but not least, SCCO faculty member Dr. David Sendrowski had everyone laughing with his Clinical Pearls in Ocular Disease.
Along with the various lectures, students had the opportunity to mingle with various representatives in the optometric industry at the OptiFair during the conference lunch hour. SCCO was proud to host representatives from 19 companies in the industry and we hope that the students were able to make some great connections for the future.
The conference finished with a Wine and Cheese Reception, including a raffle drawing. Four students won iPads kindly donated by HOYA, and one student won a BIO donated by Keeler and a night out in Hollywood at MyHouse nightclub.
Overall, this conference was a lot of work but also tons of fun. Keep your eye out for articles and emails about the 2012 Western Regional Conference, hosted at UC Berkeley School of Optometry this fall.