IACLE opens applications for its 2024 Awards

IACLE opens applications for its 2024 Awards

Four contact lens educators from around the world will travel to Academy 2024 Indianapolis, USA, as winners of the 2024 IACLE Awards.

IACLE Contact Lens Educator of the Year Awards

The International Association of Contact Lens Educators (IACLE) is offering educators worldwide the chance to become an IACLE Contact Lens Educator of the Year and travel to the annual meeting of the American Academy of Optometry in Indianapolis on 6-9 November 2024. The IACLE Contact Lens Educator of the Year title will be awarded to three individuals, one from each of IACLE’s three global regions:

• Americas
• Asia Pacific
• Europe, Africa, Middle East

These awards recognize and award achievements in contact lens education and are sponsored by CooperVision. The winners will each receive a bursary of up to US$3,000 towards the cost of attending Academy 2024 Indianapolis this year and permission to use the title ‘2024 IACLE Contact Lens Educator of the Year’ for their region.

The IACLE Contact Lens Educator Awards are open to all contact lens educators who have been IACLE members for at least three years. Applicants can either nominate themselves or be nominated by another member or IACLE staff. Educators must demonstrate how they impact their institutions and inspire their students to become future contact lens practitioners.

Karen Walsh, MCOptom, PGDip, FAAO, FIACLE, FBCLA, Senior Director of Global Professional Affairs, CooperVision, commented on the importance of the IACLE Educator Awards: ‘Advancing contact lens-related care requires excellence and inventiveness across all aspects of the profession. Recognizing top educators who are preparing the next generation of clinicians, researchers, and more is central to that mission and why CooperVision has been a proud supporter of the IACLE awards for years.’

IACLE Travel Awards

The IACLE Travel Awards are bursaries of up to US$3,000, allowing IACLE members to attend a meeting on a national, regional, or international basis. The IACLE Travel Awards are sponsored by IACLE through the generous support of all IACLE’s sponsors (Alcon, CooperVision, Johnson & Johnson Vision, Bausch + Lomb, Ophtecs, Menicon and Euclid).

IACLE President Professor Philip Morgan said: ‘I am pleased to announce that nominations are now open for our 2024 Awards. This year, three Educators of the Year and one Travel Award winner will attend international conferences and receive certificates to celebrate their success. I encourage all our members to consider nominating themselves or a colleague for this highly prestigious recognition. Thanks to CooperVision for once again sponsoring the IACLE Educator of the Year Award, and to all our sponsors (Alcon, CooperVision, Johnson & Johnson, Bausch + Lomb, Ophtecs, Menicon, and Euclid) for their support with the Travel Award.

The deadline for entries for the 2024 awards is midnight (EST) on Friday 24 May. Entries for the IACLE Contact Lens Educator of the Year Award must be submitted using the application form here. To nominate a fellow educator for this award, entries must be submitted using the form here. Entries for the IACLE Travel Award must be submitted here.