IACLE’s 2020 award winners announced

The International Association of Contact Lens Educators (IACLE) travel awards and contact lens educator of the year awards honor global achievements in contact lens education. Introduced in 2013 and 2014, respectively, the annual prizes are sponsored by CooperVision and supported by the American Academy of Optometry (AAO).

When COVID-19 restrictions allow, awardees from six countries, including India, Malaysia, South Africa, the US, UK, and Venezuela will meet to receive in-person honors for their achievements.

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IACLE contact lens educators of the year 2020:
• Americas Contact Lens Educator of the Year
Professor Renée Reeder, University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Optometry, USA
• Asia Pacific Contact Lens Educator of the Year
Professor Bariah Mohd Ali, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Europe/Africa–Middle East Contact Lens Educator of the Year
Jo Underwood, Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) College, Godmersham, UK

Travel award recipients for the year 2020:
• Dr Elizabeth Chetty, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. Dr. Chetty will attend the 2021 Association of Optometric Contact Lens Educators (AOCLE) Annual Workshop with support from AOCLE
• Professor Martín Guzmán, Universidad Nacional Experimental Romulo Gallegos, Zaraza, Venezuela
• Associate Professor Nirav Mehta, Hari Jyot College of Optometry, Navsari, India

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One winner, Professor Guzmán, said, “I am immensely honored to be chosen as the recipient of this award, taking into account the times we are currently going through and the relevance of knowledge in the different areas of health and the potential contribution that we have ahead. It is our duty to continue studying in order to better serve our patients. This award will be fully used for that purpose.”

Contact Lens Educator of the Year awardees will each receive:
• A bursary of up to $3,000 toward the cost of attending a major international conference.
• Permission to use the title “2020 IACLE Contact Lens Educator of the Year” for their region.
• A certificate to mark the award to be presented at the conference attended.
• Publicity relating to the award in IACLE communications and other media.

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Travel Awardees will each receive:
• A bursary of up to $3,000 toward the cost of attending a major international meeting.
• A certificate to mark the award to be presented at the meeting attended.
• Publicity relating to the award in IACLE communications and other media.

These awards are open to any IACLE Educator Member from any country. To be eligible for an educator of the year award, IACLE members must hold a paid-up membership for at least three years. Members can either nominate themselves or be nominated by another member, their IACLE regional/country coordinator, or IACLE staff.

Visit https://iacle.org/awards/iacle-contact-lens-educator-of-the-year-awards/ for more information.

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