The American Academy of Optometry (AAO) has announced the recipients of its 2026 awards, recognizing individuals and organizations for contributions to research, education, clinical care, leadership, humanitarian service, and the advancement of optometry.
“The Academy’s award recipients exemplify the highest standards of excellence in research, education, clinical care, leadership, and service,” said Charlotte Joslin, OD, PhD, FAAO, Dipl AAO, chair of the Awards Committee, in a news release. “Nominated by their peers, these individuals have made lasting contributions that strengthen our profession and inspire future generations of optometrists and vision scientists. We look forward to celebrating their achievements together at Academy 2026 Anaheim.”
The Academy's highest honors span achievements in basic and clinical research, international service, education, optics, and leadership.
Among the recipients, Suzanne M. Fleiszig, OD, PhD, FAAO, FARVO, will receive the Charles F. Prentice Medal and Lecture Award. Philip Morgan, PhD, MCOptom, FBCLA, FAAO, has been selected for the Glenn A. Fry Award and Lecture, an American Academy of Optometry Foundation (AAOF) award.
Alexis "Ceecee" Britten-Jones, BOptom, PhD, will receive the Irvin M. and Beatrice Borish Award, while Nkem Okoroafor, BSc, OD, FNCO, FAAO, has been named recipient of the American Academy of Optometry–Essilor Award for Outstanding International Contributions to Optometry.
Additional individual honors include:
- Swati Modi, OD, FAAO — William Feinbloom Award
- VOSH/International — Brien Holden Humanitarian Award
- Louise Sclafani, OD, FAAO — Carel C. Koch Memorial Medal Award
- Kuniyoshi Kanai, OD, FAAO — Vincent Ellerbrock Clinician Educator Award
- Neil Pence, OD, FAAO — Michael G. Harris Family Award for Excellence in Optometric Education (AAOF)
- Maria Walker, OD, PhD, FAAO — AAOF Outstanding Emerging Leader Award
- Kurt A. Zadnik, FAAO — Life Fellowship Award
The Julius F. Neumueller Award in Optics, also sponsored by the AAOF, recognizes the paper "Adding personalized wavefront correction to a scleral lens after lens manufacture," published in the Journal of the Optical Society of America A (Vol. 43, pp. 112-122). The award honors authors Evan S. Elam, Nasim Maddah, Alexander W. Schill, and Jason D. Marsack.
The Garland Clay Award, presented by Optometry and Vision Science, will recognize the 2022 publication "Effect of Combining 0.01% Atropine with Soft Multifocal Contact Lenses on Myopia Progression in Children" by Jones JH, Mutti DO, Jones-Jordan LA, and Walline JJ.
The Academy will present the awards during its Awards Ceremony on Friday, October 2, 2026, at 8 a.m. during Academy 2026 Anaheim. The event will take place in Room 261 AB of the Anaheim Convention Center, with attendees eligible to earn one hour of continuing education credit during the two-hour session.
Section awards
The Academy also announced recipients of several section awards.
Within the Section on Cornea, Contact Lenses & Refractive Technologies, Carol Lakkis, BScOptom, PhD, FAAO, will receive the Max Schapero Lecture Award. The Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE) at the University of Waterloo has been selected for the Founders Award.
These honors will be presented during the Section Awards Ceremony and Max Schapero Lecture on Wednesday, September 30, at 4:00 p.m. in Room 255 AB of the Anaheim Convention Center. Attendees may earn 0.5 hours of continuing education credit during the one-hour session.
In the Public Health & Environmental Vision Section, Edwin Marshall, OD, MS, MPH, FAAO, Dipl AAO, has been named recipient of the Henry B. Peters Lecture Award. The award will be presented during the section's awards ceremony and lecture on Wednesday, September 30, at 6:00 p.m. in Room 254 AB, where attendees can earn one hour of continuing education credit.
