NEWS
• Charlotte, NC: September 17, 2009
ARBO and the ABO
The recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) between the American Optometric Association, the American Academy of Optometry, the
Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry and the American Optometric Student
Association created the American Board of Optometry. The Association of Regulatory Boards of
Optometry (ARBO) was unable to sign the MOU due to exclusivity requirements, a required lack
of transparency, and non-compete provisions that could usurp the regulatory authority of
optometric licensing boards. ARBO’s message in response to the MOU was:
“The ARBO Board of Directors voted unanimously that it is unable to sign the
Memorandum of Understanding distributed by the AOA to the various groups
represented on the new ABO Board. This vote was taken after advice from ARBO legal
counsel that to sign the MOU was in direct conflict with ARBO’s mission as well as the
resolutions passed at the ARBO House of Delegates Meeting in June of 2009. ARBO
remains fully committed to the concept of demonstrating continued competence within
our profession, and is very willing to continue to work with the ABO as appropriate for
our organization’s mission and responsibility to it’s Member Boards.
We look forward to continued dialogue with the entire profession on how best to protect
the public we serve.”
According to Dr. William Rafferty, ARBO President, “ARBO must support its Member Boards in
the development of appropriate programs to demonstrate ongoing clinical competence. These
activities cannot be independent of established licensing and regulatory boards.”
Addressing professional competence has been an ongoing major focus for ARBO as mandated
by its members. The Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (COPE) was formed in 1993
to serve as the accrediting continuing education body for optometric licensing boards. During
its June 2009 meeting, the ARBO House of Delegates passed a resolution that ARBO develop
maintenance of competency programs for adoption and use by its member boards. Dr. Rafferty
noted, “We are working diligently to accomplish this goal. Ultimately, any maintenance of
competency process must be concerned with ensuring patient safety and access to capable
professional care.”
• Charlotte, NC: July 15, 2009
2009-2010 Officers Elected for the Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry (ARBO)
The Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry (ARBO) held its 90th Annual Meeting on June 21-22, 2009 at the Gaylord National Harbor Resort and Conference Center in National Harbor, MD. ARBO is the North American association of licensing boards which regulate the practice of optometry for the public welfare.
William B. Rafferty, O.D. of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was elected President for the 2009-2010 term. Other ARBO officers elected were Jerry A. Richt, O.D. (Cleveland, Tennessee) as Vice President; Michael W. Ohlson, O.D. (West Union, Iowa) as Secretary/Treasurer and Christina M. Sorenson, O.D. (Scottsdale, Arizona) as Immediate Past President. Michael W. Ohlson, O.D. was elected to serve his first full 4-year term, having completed a partial term on the Board of Directors. Additionally, Roger D. Pabst, O.D. (Redwood Falls, Minnesota) was elected to serve a four-year term and Susy Yu, O.D. (Los Angeles, California) was elected to serve a partial two-year term on the Board of Directors.
Other Board members include Janet L. Carter, O.D. (Las Vegas, Nevada), Donovan L. Crouch, O.D. (Storm Lake, Iowa), W. Ernest Schlabach, O.D. (Harrison, Virginia), and Robert W. Smalling, O.D. (Warren, Arkansas).
Dr. Rafferty states that his goals for the coming year “will focus on programs facilitating public protection through maintenance of competence as defined in the resolutions passed during the June 2009 ARBO House of Delegates Meeting. ARBO will also continue to support Member Boards and the optometric profession with existing programs such as COPE including the new Standards for Commercial Support, OET TRACKER, and ARBO publications. ARBO will continue to work with the profession on initiatives for protection of the public consistent with its mission statement.”
• Charlotte, NC: July 13, 2009
Susy Yu, O.D. Elected to Board of Directors of the Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry
Dr. Susy Yu, currently Vice-President of the California Board of Optometry has been elected by the ARBO House of Delegates to serve as an ARBO Board of Director. Dr. Yu is the Director of Business Strategy and Operations Support for Vision Essentials by Kaiser Permanente in Southern California. Previously, she was a Lead Optometrist for the Southern California Permanente Medical Group, Kaiser Permanente South Bay Medical Center.
Dr. Yu is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley, Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Optometry degrees from the University of California, Berkeley School of Optometry, and Masters in Business Administration degree from the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Also elected were officers Dr. William Rafferty (North Carolina), President; Dr. Jerry Richt (Tennessee), Vice President; Michael W. Ohlson (Iowa) Secretary Treasurer; and Dr. Christina M. Sorenson (Arizona), Immediate Past President. Other members of the ARBO Board of Directors are Dr. Janet Carter (Nevada), Dr. Donovan Crouch (Iowa), Dr. Roger D. Pabst (Minnesota), Dr. W. Ernest Schlabach (Virginia) and Dr. Robert Smalling (Arkansas).
• Charlotte, NC: July 13, 2009
Roger D. Pabst, O.D. Elected to Board of Directors of the Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry
Dr. Roger D. Pabst, Redwood Falls, Minnesota, was elected to a four-year
term on the Board of Directors of the Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry (ARBO) at its recent meeting held June 21-23, 2009 in National Harbor, MD.
Dr. Pabst received his BA in Biology/Chemistry Education from Southwest Minnesota State Universityin 1971. He received his Doctorate of Optometry from Pacific University in 1975 and received his license to practice optometry in Minnesota, Oregon and Washington. He has been a member of the American Optometric Association and the Minnesota Optometric Association since 1975. He served as chairman of the Minnesota Optometric Association in 1984. He served as the AOA-PAC Chair from 1996 - 1997. He served as Chair of the Vision USA Committee from 2002 - 2005. He was named Vision USA Doctor of the Year in 2003-2004
and Distinguished Minnesota Optometrist of the Year 2003-2004. He was first appointed to the Minnesota Board of Optometry in 2005 and is currently serving his second 4-year term. He is active in his local Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club and church. His spare time is spent cruising in his 1929 Ford Street Rod, 1969 Mustang Convertible, 1923 Ford T-Bucket or one of two early model Pontiac Fieros. When he gets tired of four wheels, he puts on his leathers and rides his 2003 Anniversary Special Harley-Davidson V-Rod.
Also elected were officers Dr. William Rafferty (North Carolina), President; Dr. Jerry Richt (Tennessee), Vice President; Michael W. Ohlson (Iowa) Secretary Treasurer; and Dr. Christina M. Sorenson (Arizona), Immediate Past President. Other members of the ARBO Board of Directors are Dr. Janet Carter (Nevada), Dr. Donovan Crouch (Iowa), Dr. Robert Smalling (Arkansas), Dr. W. Ernest Schlabach (Virginia) and Dr. Susy Yu (California).
• May 12, 2009
ICE Press Release and Guidelines
• February 4, 2009
The National Steering Committee on Optometric Guidelines for Educational Support
Consists of representatives from the AAO, AOA, ARBO, ASCO SECO, Allergan, Essilor of America, USA and Johnson & Johnson Vision Care. The purpose of the Steering Committee is to develop guidelines for optometric continuing education, including issues related to industry support, disclosure and advertising.
• January 23, 2009
JOINT BOARD CERTIFICATION PROJECT TEAM PROPOSES DRAFT BOARD CERTIFICATION PROCESS FOR OPTOMETRY
The Joint Board Certification Project Team (JBCPT), formed by six optometric organizations in 2007, released a model framework for a board certification process for optometry and began presenting it to leaders within the profession. At the core of the initial board certification program will be a Patient Assessment and Management-like examination that tests knowledge in core categories.
* Audio Presented by David Cockrell, O.D. - AOA representative to the Joint Board Certification Project Team
• February 29, 2008
ARBO Announces Plan for 'New Standards for Commercial Support of COPE Approved Continuing Education'
The Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry (ARBO) has developed new standards for commercial support of COPE approved continuing education. These standards, currently in draft form, will supplement the existing guidelines for COPE approved administrators and speakers plus add requirements to manage corporate support of COPE approved CE with the highest integrity and free of commercial bias. The announcement was made during a press conference at SECO 2008 in Atlanta.
• October 29, 2007
ARBO Announces New COPE Fees for 2008
The ARBO Board of Directors, at their meeting on Saturday, October 27, voted to approve the COPE Committee's recommendation to increase course review fees as follows:
- $50 First Hour of Credit
- $40 Each Additional Hour
- $100 Urgent Processing Fee
(Example: The fee for one 2-hour lecture will be $90; one 3-hour lecture will be $130; two 1-hour lectures will be $100.)
The new fee structure will be implemented January 1, 2008.
• July 06, 2007
ARBO Welcomes New Member: Board of Examiners in Optometry, Province of British Columbia
Voting delegates at ARBO's 2007 Annual Meeting, held June 24-26, 2007, in Boston, Massachusetts, unanimously voted to approve the membership of the Board of Examiners in Optometry, Province of British Columbia. "We are very pleased to have the British Columbia Board join ARBO and we look forward to their participation," stated Dr. Christina Sorenson, ARBO President. She continued, "We look forward to seeing them at next year's Annual Meeting in Seattle, WA."
For more information on the Board of Examiners in Optometry, Province of British Columbia, please click here.
• January 17, 2007
COPE Course Qualification & CE Event Reporting Forms
In an effort to encourage online submission of COPE course applications while offsetting increased costs associated with postage and supplies, paper submissions of Applications for Course Qualification & CE Event Reporting will no longer be accepted; all submissions must now be made online.
Please use the following links to complete these forms online: Course Qualification | CE Event Reporting.
• January 16, 2007
OE Tracker and NODB Overview Meeting
This highly informative meeting was provided on January 12, 2007 as a free service to state boards and staff to acquaint them with the various web-based services that ARBO provides to include the various facets of OE Tracker. In addition, this meeting provided ample opportunity to explain how OE Tracker will save time in the boards’ CE compliance efforts.
In the event that you missed the meeting or would simply like to review the content that was presented, please click here to replay presentation. |
