Body Doctor expands Support Team

Learning and Development Support team expands

The Body Doctor has expanded its Learning and Development Support team with the addition of three new members of staff, Laura O’Hanlon and Jeanna Hilton, both registered dispensing opticians and Vinni Virdee, a business coach and distance learning tutor.

Head of Professional Affairs at The Body Doctor, Ros Mussa, heads up the team that the new starters have joined. “Laura, Jeanna and Vinni each bring a wealth of experience in education, coaching, clinical practice and business development,” said Ros. “Their expertise will strengthen the support we provide to optical professionals and help practices integrate effective eyelid hygiene and dry eye management into everyday patient care.

“As the demand for dry eye and ocular surface disease services continues to grow, investing in a highly skilled Learning and Development team ensures we can continue to support practitioners with the knowledge, confidence and practical tools they need to deliver the best possible outcomes for their patients. We are delighted to welcome them to the team.”

Laura O’Hanlon has over 20 years of experience in practice, professional education and patient care. She has worked across independent and specialist practices, delivering training, coaching and educational programmes that help teams improve patient outcomes and confidently recommend eye health solutions.

Laura also delivers accredited CPD training for the Association of British Dispensing Opticians, facilitating workshops focused on clinical best practice, compliance and professional development. She is known for translating technical information into practical, patient-focused solutions that can be easily implemented in practice.

A graduate of Glasgow Caledonian University, with a BSc in Ophthalmic Dispensing and recipient of the highest examination pass mark, Laura is based in Glasgow and in her new role will support practices across Scotland.

Jeanna Hilton is also a qualified dispensing optician with extensive experience in optical retail, leadership, training and practice management. Throughout her career, she has progressed through a variety of roles, from optical assistant to area manager and practice manager. In her new role, Jeanna will be working closely with practitioners in the North West and Yorkshire regions.

Vinni Virdee brings over 27 years of experience in retail, healthcare and optics to her new role and throughout her career has held senior leadership and consultancy positions within major organisations.

She has successfully designed and delivered training initiatives, customer experience programmes and business development strategies that have achieved significant commercial growth and service improvements across multiple locations and markets.

Vinni is a qualified neuro-linguistic programming practitioner, business coach and distance learning tutor and will be covering the South East of England in her new role.

The Body Doctor’s newly promoted National Sales Manager for Optics, Barrie Bell, welcomed the new starters to the company’s headquarters in Huddersfield earlier this month.

“Our Learning and Development team will support optical practices across the UK through expert training, education and ongoing in-practice support,” Barrie explained. “Working closely with optical teams and practice owners, they will deliver training on The Eye Doctor range of at-home eyecare solutions and in-practice procedures, helping teams build confidence in recommending and delivering effective patient care from the Eye Doctor range and services.

“By identifying opportunities within practices and sharing best practice, they will also help enhance patient outcomes, support practice growth and strengthen our partnerships across the optical sector. We are excited to have Laura, Jeanna and Vinni on board and look forward to the expertise, enthusiasm and support they will bring to our customers and partners,” he concluded.