University of Pikeville names dean

Pikeville, KY- The University of Pikeville has appointed of Andrew Buzzelli, OD, MS, as the founding dean of the Kentucky College of Optometry.

Buzzelli, who currently serves as dean and professor of the Rosenberg School of Optometry at University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, TX, will assume the leadership position in July. Specializing in the field of binocular vision and visual perception, he has taught programs in the diagnosis and treatment of acquired brain injury, pediatric optometry, and binocular vision, as well as child abuse and intimate partner violence.

Buzzelli received his doctorate in optometry from the Illinois College of Optometry. He holds a Master of Science degree in child development and visual perception from the State University of New York. He has practiced in the private healthcare sector as a specialist in dysfunctions of binocular vision and visual information processing disorders. Academic appointments include the State University of New York, Salus University, where he was also appointed to the board of trustees, and Georgian Court University.

The University of Pikeville will be the 22nd school in the country to have a college of optometry. Plans to build a new educational facility to house the Kentucky College of Optometry are under way. Sixty students will be admitted per class, for a total of 240. The university expects to welcome the first class in the fall of 2016.