NSUCO - The Visionary Fall 2017

16 • NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY Faculty Focus Like so many children, Julie A. Tyler, O.D., FAAO, wanted to emulate her parents from a professional perspective and become a teacher when she grew up. When she was about 10 years old, however, a defining moment occurred. She attended a summer camp called College for Kids, and participated in a science class. “We got to dissect a cow eyeball and learn a little about vision. I absolutely loved it,” said Tyler, who serves as associate professor and chief of one of NSU’s College of Optometry’s (NSUCO) primary care modules. “From that time, my fascination with the eye and vision continued to grow. Around the same time, I also received my first pair of contact lenses, so I turned my focus toward becoming an optometrist.” After receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology and Psychology from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, Tyler set her sights on earning a Doctor of Opt- ometry degree from Indiana University School of Opt- ometry, which she accomplished in 1996. Interestingly, Tyler’s decision to do her primary care residency train- ing at NSUCO would allow her to pursue her love of optometry—and lead her to emulate her parents after all. “I really fell in love with teaching during my residency training, and I’ve been at NSUCO ever since,” she said. “I was an ophthalmic optics assistant instructor/teacher’s assistant when I attended optometry school at Indiana University, and while I enjoyed the job, I didn’t imagine a career in academic optometry. However, when I was a resident who was not simply seeing patients but also working in the challenging NSU clinics and teaching the students, I really found a new passion for a career I already loved.” Intrinsically, Tyler knew she had found her professional home. After completing her residency, she accepted a position as an NSUCO instructor in 1998 and has spent the past two decades making significant contributions to the college on a range of levels. “I was provided great opportunities early on in my NSU academic career to learn and grow not only as an optometrist, but also a teacher,” she said. “I’ve had amazing mentors and have developed an optometric family that consists of some of the best people.” During her NSUCO career, Tyler has held diverse roles but has worked primarily as a module director and as primary care chief in the third-year optometry clinics at the Fort Lauderdale/Davie Campus. She also started teaching the Ocular Disease I: Anterior Segment course, which she said has been a “new, fun challenge.” Additionally, Tyler takes great pride in the research projects she has participated in at the college, such as her first research role—serving as a member of the college’s CLEK (Collaborative Longitudinal Evaluation of Keratoconus) study team. “It was such a wonderful opportunity to work as a co-coordinator early in my career and be involved in a multicenter research project with amazing colleagues who served not only as mentors, but also became friends,” she said. In the ensuing years, Tyler has been involved with various research activities, such as studying diabetes in the eye, vitreomacular traction, central corneal thickness in children, adult strabismus, and convergence insuffi- ciency treatment effects on reading and attention. Fulfilled Faculty Member Lives an All-Encompassing Life BY SCOTT COLTON, B.A., APR, HPD DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS Julie A. Tyler