Dr. Charlotte Ablott

Charlotte graduated from Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, MI and completed optometry school at the Illinois College of Optometry. She then finished a residency in Primary Care/Ocular Disease at the Salisbury VA hospital in Salisbury, NC. She is currently working at a private practice near her hometown of Greensboro, NC.

Dr. Rachael Canania

Rachael completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Missouri – Columbia, double majoring in Biology and German. Then, she went on to optometry school in her hometown at the University of Missouri – Saint Louis (UMSL). Go Cardinals. While in school, she was president of the student VOSH chapter and has been on several mission trips to South and Central America to serve underprivileged communities. After school, Rachael completed a residency specializing in Ocular Disease and Low Vision Rehabilitation at the Kansas City VAMC. She continues to work in the VA system precepting students and residents in Cleveland, OH.

Dr. Ryan Fenska

Ryan graduated from Northeastern State University with a B.S. in Chemistry and completed optometry school at Northeastern State University (NSU) Oklahoma College of Optometry. He currently serves as Assistant Professor for NSU Oklahoma College of Optometry working directly with 3rd and 4th year optometry students. Dr. Fenska was honored as Outstanding Clinical Professor by the Oklahoma College of Optometry graduating class of 2014 and 2021. Dr. Fenska and his wife, Kristen, are blessed with 5 children.

Dr. Steve Gildersleeve

Steve graduated from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln with a degree in Biological Sciences and then went on to complete optometry school at the Southern California College of Optometry where he graduated Magna Cum Laude. While at SCCO he was recognized as best in his class in both primary care and ocular disease diagnosis and management. He also scored in the top 1% in the nation on NBEO parts 1 and 2. As a 4th year Steve was one of 5 students nationally to receive the Heart of America Contact Lens Society student grant given to young leaders in the profession. Dr. Gildersleeve completed a hospital-based ocular disease residency at the Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock, NM and currently practices at Eyes On Lincoln, his family practice in Lincoln NE.

Dr. Amanda Williamson

Amanda graduated summa cum laude from Texas A&M University with a degree in biology. She then graduated summa cum laude from the University of Houston College of Optometry, where she served as president of UHCO’s Fellowship of Christian Optometrists. Amanda is passionate about helping optometry students and also serves as the KMK Team Lead. Amanda practices in Fredericksburg, Texas, where she resides with her husband and two children.

Dr. Maria Pribis

FAAO, DIP ABO

Maria graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Pittsburgh with a BS in Psychology. She graduated with high honors from Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University. While in optometry school she was president of SOSH and a member of the Beta Sigma Kappa International Optometric Honor Society. She completed an ocular disease residency at the Baltimore VA hospital. During this time, she rotated through Johns Hopkins cornea and specialty contact lens clinics. Additionally, Maria was named Connecticut’s young optometrist of the year in early 2015. She is the founder of OcularPrime.com, a website focused on patient education and is currently in private practice in Stamford, CT where she specializes in ocular surface disease and contact lenses.

Dr. Erin Keim

Erin graduated Summa Cum Laude from Southern College of Optometry where she earned numerous honors recognizing her academic and clinical excellence. She remains passionate about service since her time in SVOSH, currently active  with the Lamu Center of Preventative Health in Kenya as well as Project Theia. She practices at Everett & Hurite Eyecare Specialists in Pittsburgh in medical Pediatrics. Her areas of specialty are myopia management, concussion, and specialty contact lenses for children.

Dr. Emma Wilhite Scott

Emma graduated magma cum laude from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Science in microbiology before graduating with honors from the University of Alabama School of Optometry. She was very involved while in school & served as an officer in Beta Sigma Kappa, the American Optometric Student Association, SVOSH, The Optometry Cares Foundation and Gold Key International Honor Society. Emma and her husband are raising three children & enjoy boating, snow skiing and judging BBQ (she’s certified!).

Dr. Lauren Watson

Lauren earned a B.S in Biology from the University of Maryland and graduated summa cum laude from the Southern College of Optometry (SCO) in Memphis, TN. She also holds a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Memphis. She held several leadership positions while at SCO and served as a student ambassador. Lauren completed her residency training in Ocular Disease/Community Health at a community health center outside of Boston, MA. She loved every minute of practicing in a community health setting and wishes to return later in her career. After residency, she began working at Kaiser Permanente in Maryland, where she sees patients full-time. In her free time, Lauren loves watching documentaries and Ravens football, spending time with her friends, and singing every line of Hamilton.

Dr. Courtney Beaumont

Courtney graduated Magna Cum Laude from University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida with a degree in biomedical sciences. She then went on to graduate Magna Cum Laude from Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee. While in optometry school she served as an ambassador for the college, and as a teaching assistant in the cadaver labs and optometric skills lab. 

She currently practices in Sebring, Florida in a large private OD/MD clinic. 

Courtney enjoys spending time on the water with her husband and two dogs. They recently welcomed a baby girl to their family.

Dr. Cori Jones

FAAO, DIP ABO

Cori graduated with highest distinction from the University of Kansas with a BS in Chemistry and a Minor in Business. Rock Chalk Jayhawk! She graduated summa cum laude from Southern College of Optometry where she received multiple honors for her academic and clinical performance. Cori served as a travel coordinator for SVOSH at SCO and had the opportunity to join multiple mission trips to Central and South America. After optometry school, Cori completed a primary care/cornea & contact lens residency at Salt Lake City VAMC. She currently practices in an academic hospital setting at University of Arizona-Tucson.

Dr. Sergio Cruz

Sergio Cruz received his Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Nevada, as a Bill Gates Scholar in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and later went on to complete his Optometry Degree at Pacific University.
Sergio was recognized as Pacific’s Class of 2020 – Student of the Year, for his achievements and involvement as an Ambassador, President of the Sports Vision Club, Social Media Representative, and several teaching roles including Optometric Procedures and Spanish. He trained at Sierra Nevada VA Hospital and several private clinics in Nevada, Southern Oregon and Colorado. He also served in a mission trip to Costa Rica. He has always had a strong passion for vision therapy, binocular vision and ocular disease, but most importantly, his true passion lies in teaching and building a strong relationship with his patients. Sergio is currently working near his hometown in Northern Nevada in a medical based practice. Sergio enjoys golfing, snowboarding, and traveling.

Dr. Khanh Ton

Khanh received both her undergraduate and optometry degree at the University of Houston! Throughout optometry school, she has mentored pre-optometry students through various online media sources like YouTube, spotify podcasts, and even a Facebook forum for pre-optometry students! When she isn’t jamming out to country music or rooting for the small town farmer boy in cheesy Hallmark movies, she can be found cheering passionately for the Houston Rockets, making silly videos on instagram, and trying out different restaurants.

Dr. Detlef “Hans” Sleicther

Detlef was born and raised in Iowa (not Germany) where he attended undergraduate school at Loras College. He graduated Optometry School from MCPHS University in Worcester, MA where he was honored to be inducted into the Gold Key Society, Beta Sigma Kappa, and Phi Kappa Phi. Upon graduation he was awarded the President’s Award. While in Worcester he co-created the Walk Fit program that aimed to connect optometry students to area visually impaired persons (VIPs) by coming together to create community, awareness, and promote fitness. He completed his residency in Ocular Disease and Low Vision Rehabilitation at the Kansas City VA Medical Center where he also developed a passion for teaching. Currently, he is enjoying his work as part of the Mercy Eye Specialists Glaucoma Care Team in Springfield, MO where he, his wife, and three children call home.