The Visionary Fall 2009

The Visionary – Fall 2009 • Page 13 Rochester, who came in to address his class, radically altered Dr. Loshin’s vision for the future. “When Dr. Robert Kintz, who was a researcher and a recent graduate from the Ph.D. program at the University of Rochester’s Center for Vision Research, spoke to our class, I was immediately intrigued about the science related to different aspects of vision,” he explained. With his curiosity piqued, Dr. Loshin decided to visit Dr. Kintz at his University of Rochester lab. “He soon became a pivotal mentor to me as well as my adviser for my senior project at RIT titled “Time Duration and Spectral Color Naming,” said Dr. Loshin. “In fact, Dr. Kintz encouraged me to apply to optometry programs. Even though he was a Ph.D., he thought the field of optometry was key, especially if you wanted to pursue applied research opportunities.” After mulling his options, Dr. Loshin decided to attend The Ohio State University (TOSU) College of Optometry, eventually earning an M.S. degree in physiological optics in 1974 and his O.D. degree in 1975. “TOSU had a dual M.S./O.D. program that also offered opportunities to get involved in research,” said Dr. Loshin, who somehow found the time to study optometry, teach math, and take extracurricular courses just for the fun of it. “To make some extra money, I applied across campus to teach math before I started optometry school. A few days before classes began in my first year; I got a call from the math department and was offered a teaching assistant position.” “The perks were great since I received a full tuition waiver, plus $400 a month,” added Dr. Loshin, who taught math between his optometry classes two or three days a week. “Because I didn’t teach every quarter, I also worked part-time from 1972 through 1974 as a student research assistant at TOSU for Dr. Glenn Fry, who took me under his wing and became my adviser for my master’s degree and doctorate.” Incredibly, although his life was already packed to the hilt with various activities, Dr. Loshin availed himself of every opportunity possible to enhance both the personal and professional sides of his life. “I took other courses that were not required such as flight school, so I learned how to fly by spending many hours using the university’s flight simulator,” he said. “I also took 30 hours of graduate-level computer science courses that counted toward my Ph.D. degree and became a computer programming buff as well.” In his fourth year at TOSU, Dr. Loshin submitted a proposal for a postdoctoral fellowship from the National Institutes of Health’s National Eye Institute, which was awarded and funded his post-O.D. graduate studies. “My Ph.D. dissertation explored underlying aspects of amblyopia using visual evoked potentials, which was cutting edge at the time,” he explained. “The computer I used filled an entire room and was very slow by today’s standards.” Once he earned his Ph.D. degree from TOSU in 1977, Dr. Loshin accepted a faculty position as assistant professor of optometry and physiological optics at the University of Houston College of Optometry. “When I completed my education, my goal was to teach and conduct low-vision and optics research,” said Dr. Loshin, who would remain at the University of Houston until 1995. The move to Texas would prove to be a propitious one for Dr. Loshin, for it was there where he would meet his future wife, Mary, who was a student at the University of Houston’s College of Optometry when he arrived on campus. Dr. Loshin and Mary, who went on to work as an optometrist and administrator in a staff model HMO in Houston, wed in 1979 and had their first son, Aaron, in 1982. Aaron, who graduated as a chemical engineer from FSU, is working in Tampa, while their second son, Ryan, who was born in 1984, is a business graduate from the University of Central Florida and is currently teaching media to sixth, seventh, and eighth graders at NSU’s University School while working on his M.B.A. During his 18-year tenure at the University of Houston, Dr. Loshin rose through the academic ranks, taught geometric and physical optics and graduate courses, precepted in the clinics, and served on over 15 thesis and dissertation committees. He also received research funding from several companies, including the NASA Johnson Space Center, the state of Texas, and the National Institutes of Health’s National Eye Institute. Much of his research involved clinical application of contrast sensitivity, low vision, and optical design of contact and intraocular lenses. Dr. Loshin’s administrative experience included serving as chair of the optometry school’s residency programs in 1988 and being named assistant dean for finance and administration in 1990. When Dr. Loshin was recruited to become dean of the University of Missouri School of Optometry in January 1996, he realized it was a golden opportunity he couldn’t pass up—even if it meant being away for much of the time from his wife and kids, who decided to remain in Texas. “It was a difficult time because for one year I commuted back and forth from Missouri to Houston to spend time with my family every weekend,” he stated. Inevitably, the strain of being away from his family served as the incentive for him to leave Missouri. “I really enjoyed working at the University of Missouri, but my sons, who were seven and nine at the The Loshin family back in the day. Dr. Loshin enjoys a bear hug with his sons Aaron and Ryan. Mary and Dr. Loshin out on the town.