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Contributors
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JOSEPHINE IBIRONKE, O.D., M.P.H., FAAO Assistant Dean, Professor of Optometry
Josephine Ibironke, O.D., MPH, FAAO is a Professor of Optometry and the Assistant Dean at the Kentucky College of Optometry. In her role at the optometry school, she serves on the KYCO administrative team, teaches pediatric-related courses, serves pediatric patients, and helps students become career-ready and leaders in their communities.
She developed the KYCO Vision Screening Initiative. In this program, KYCO students and faculty screen all 3rd grade students in Pike County – the program has screened more than 1000 children to date. She also developed the Pre-Optometry Summer Camp that exposes bright pre-health students to optometry during interactive experiences. In her role, she also guides the professional development of students as they grow into competent and independent optometrists and leaders.
Dr. Ibironke is a Presidential Leadership Scholar (PLS) because of her work creating pipeline projects and experiences to engage youth interested in optometry. PLS is a catalyst for a diverse network of established leaders to gain further insights into leadership through the lens of the presidential experiences of George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson. She is the only optometrist in the program.
Before moving to Pikeville, Dr. Ibironke was an assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD for almost 12 years. She has dedicated her career to research and clinical activities that focus on preventable blindness in children. At the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, her clinic specialized in the treatment of refractive errors and amblyopia, and the management of strabismus cases in children and adults.
She served as an investigator on the Baltimore Pediatric Eye Disease Study (BPEDS), an NIH funded study to determine the prevalence of eye disease in preschool children in Baltimore. She was also an investigator on the Baltimore Reading and Eyes Disease Study (BREDS) that was conducted to determine the associations between reading difficulties and uncorrected vision problems in children. She also served as a vision consultant and technical expert for the Baltimore City Health Department Bureau of School Health. She advised them how to improve their vision screening protocols for the Baltimore City school children.
Dr. Ibironke earned her Doctor of Optometry degree and completed a residency training in pediatric optometry at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. She earned a Master of Public Health degree at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry.