Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science Alumni

On Thursday, May 21, we held the 2026 Vision Science Symposium, honoring this year’s graduates from the Vision Science Graduate Program. The program featured dissertation presentations from graduating students followed by a reception for students, faculty, family, friends, and colleagues.

Presentation topics reflected the breadth of vision science research, including color coding, retinal gene therapy, visual motion perception, glaucoma, scleral lens wear, ocular surface disease diagnosis, and retinal processing.

Congratulations to this year’s Vision Science graduates, and thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating their accomplishments!

Learn More: https://vision.berkeley.edu/posts/vision-science-symposium-2

Registration for Resident Form closes on June 10th at 11:59pm!

This year’s Resident Forum will take place on Sunday, June 14th as a live Zoom webinar, bringing together optometry residents from the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science and participating institutions including SFVA, Palo Alto VA, Fresno VA, UCSF, and Reno VA.

Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with speakers and participate in real-time Q&A throughout the program.

Learn More: https://optometry.berkeley.edu/continuing-education/resident-forum/

This month, we held our annual Fourth Year Awards Ceremony at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Berkeley Marina, honoring outstanding members of the graduating class of 2026.

Congratulations to all of this year’s awardees and once again to the entire Class of 2026! A special thank you to optometry student Tyler Lue for providing photography.

Read More: https://optometry.berkeley.edu/fourth-year-awards-2/

On Tuesday, May 26, the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science officially began seeing patients at our new Emeryville Clinic.

The new clinic nearly doubles our clinical capacity, expands opportunities for world-class education and research, and advances an exciting model for integrated pediatric optometric care.

Made possible in part by Dr. Herbert Wertheim’s historic $50 million gift, the generosity of our donor community, and the dedication of our faculty, staff, clinicians, and partners, this milestone reflects a shared commitment to the future of eye care and vision health.

We look forward to carrying Berkeley’s legacy of excellence in optometry and vision science into this exciting next chapter.

Learn More: https://optometry.berkeley.edu/giving/our-vision-our-future/emeryville/

Earlier this month, the optometry class of 2027 gathered for New Home Night, held at the Faculty Club.

This event is held annually to honor the contributions of all third-year students, thank them for their hard work in the clinic over the past year, and announce and recognize the recipients of awards and scholarships.

Congratulations to all of our winners, and best of luck to the class of 2027 as they depart for their rotations!

Learn More: https://optometry.berkeley.edu/new-home-night-2/

It’s graduation day! We are proud to celebrate the Class of 2026 and all they have accomplished throughout their time at Berkeley.

We look forward to seeing the impact they will make as clinicians, researchers, leaders, and advocates for vision health.

Congratulations to the Class of 2026, and welcome to the Berkeley alumni community!

Learn More: https://optometry.berkeley.edu/congrats-graduates/

On May 13th, the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science hosted a Festschrift honoring Professor Dennis Levi’s extraordinary career and retirement.

The event brought together colleagues, collaborators, and friends to celebrate Dr. Levi’s more than 50 years of service as a clinician, educator, scientist, mentor, administrator, and former dean of our school.

We are deeply grateful for Dr. Levi’s lasting contributions to our school, our students, and the fields of optometry and vision science. His impact will continue to be felt for generations to come!

Learn More: https://optometry.berkeley.edu/dr-levis-festschrift/

We’re excited to welcome our incoming residents for the 2026–27 academic year! Please join us in congratulating the following optometrists, who will be continuing their clinical training with us: Drs. Sohaila Baheer, Angela Flores, Michael Dune Huang, Wafa N. Malik, Nour Sarsangi, Erwin Bautista Sunga, and Amanda Zhang.

Thank you and farewell to our current residents, who have been with us since last year: Drs. Allison Couture, Rachel Harmon, Sophia Lam, Karen Nguyen, Isela Orozco, Megan Sajer, and Keith Uyemura.

Learn More: https://optometry.berkeley.edu/welcome-new-residents-4/

The Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science joined UC Berkeley’s 2026 Cal Day to welcome newly admitted students and their families.

Visitors learned about our clinics, including $10 eye exams for students with SHIP insurance, and participated in an eye chart activity that sparked curiosity and conversation about vision care at Berkeley.

Learn More: https://optometry.berkeley.edu/optometry-joins-cal-day/

Last month, Dr. John G. Flanagan (Dean, 2014–2025) was recognized with the President’s Award at the Glaucoma Research Foundation’s Annual Dinner in San Francisco.

The award honors Dr. Flanagan’s outstanding leadership and long-standing commitment to advancing innovative glaucoma research and scientific discovery. Congratulations, Dr. Flanagan!

Read More: https://optometry.berkeley.edu/honoring-dr-john-flanagan/