I grew up in Lancaster, New York, a small suburb outside Buffalo, New York. In 1991, I received by undergraduate degree in Biology from Binghamton University. After graduating, I worked in biology research for a year and then decided research wasn’t for me. I wanted to have more patient contact and a hands-on relationship with the people I could help.
In 1992, I applied to Optometry School and received my degree from The State University of New York (SUNY) in 1996. The school is located right in the heart of NYC, so it was quite a change of life but I loved it!
I received my licenses in both New York and Florida in 1996 and decided to start practicing in Florida. I started working in Tampa, Florida with a company called Vision 21, which employed the doctors working in the Vision Works throughout the Tampa area.
In the year 1999, I met my soon-to-be-husband and we moved to Jacksonville for an exciting job opportunity for him. I began by working for Dr. Muneer Hanna both at Visionworks and NAS Jacksonville. I then had a wonderful opportunity to work with Dr. Schnipper for awhile and learned many aspects of refractive surgery.
In 2001, I met with Dr. Rauchwarger and began to work for him at his Mandarin office. Kids had come along at this point and the opportunity allowed me to work part time so I could spend more time with my children. Ten years later, I am still working at Valuvision and am looking forward to buying the practice in the upcoming years.
Education:
1992-96 Doctor of Optometry, State University of New York, College of Optometry, New York, NY
1988-91 Bachelor of Arts, Biology, Doctor State University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton, NY
Degrees and Licenses:
Florida – #002993
New York – #005748
Experience:
2000-Present Val-U Vision, Jacksonville, FL, Primary Care optometry with emphasis on Contact lenses and managing ocular disease.
2000-02 Jacksonville Eye Center, Jacksonville, FL, Practiced optometry under Ophthalmologist who specialized in Lasik surgery.
2000-01 Dr. M. Hanna and assoc., Jacksonville, FL, Primary Care Optometrist in retail setting of Vision Works.
1997-00 Vision 21, Tampa, FL, Primary Care Optometrist with emphasis on Contact lens exams.
1996 Optometric Physicians Group, Tampa, FL, Primary Care Optometry with emphasis on contact lenses and management of Ocular diseases.
Professional Activities and Organizations:
American Optometric Association
Northeast Florida Optometric Association