Study evaluates prevalence of optometrists at academic medical centers

Of the 192 academic medical centers identified in this study, 63.02% had a residency or fellowship program in ophthalmology and/or optometry, with 65% employing at least one staff optometrist. Only 11.46% had a post-doctoral optometric training program.

Overall, there were 718 optometrists working at these institutions.
-51.39% held an academic appointment at a medical school
-25.63% held the rank of Assistant Professor
-19.22% were Instructors
-4.74% were Associate Professors
-1.81% held the rank of Full Professor

Only 7% of the 296 optometry residency programs and 20% of the 15 optometric fellowship programs in the United States were at an academic medical center.

Reference
Quan SC, Song S, Koepf B, et al. Survey of the Faculty Status of Optometrists at Academic Medical Centers in the United States. Optom Vis Sci. 2023;doi: 10.1097/OPX.0000000000002008. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36880990.