A new partnership between the College of Optometry and and the Biomedical Sciences Program at Kansas City University will help prepare more optometrists for the workforce. (Photo by Derik Holtmann)

A new partnership between the College of Optometry at the University of Missouri–St. Louis and the Biomedical Sciences Program at Kansas City University is designed to help prepare more optometrists for the workforce.

On March 1, the two universities signed a collaboration agreement to help students in KCU’s BIOS program advance into UMSL’s College of Optometry. The agreement is designed to promote appropriate educational opportunities to students who have expressed an interest in optometry and encourage them to apply to the College of Optometry.

Dr. Keshia Elder, the dean of UMSL’s College of Optometry, said the idea was sparked around two years ago when she and Dr. Robert White, the dean of KCU’s College of Biosciences, were discussing ways to get more students into the field of optometry. The BIOS program has two tracks – a one-year program that prepares students to pursue doctoral programs in health care and a two-year research program geared toward research scientists. The new agreement between the two universities will help funnel students in the one-year BIOS program into UMSL’s College of Optometry.

“At KCU, we’re always looking for ways to expand our students’ horizons and support their growth,” White said. “Collaborations like this help students make informed decisions about their future and discover new ways to make an impact in health care.”

As part of the agreement, the College of Optometry will set aside five seats in each entering class for students who have successfully completed the BIOS program. Elder said the BIOS program takes students through many of the science classes they’ll take during their first two years of optometry school, so students who matriculate through that program will be extremely well-prepared for the rigors of optometry school. As part of the partnership, Elder also travels to Kansas City once a year to speak directly with BIOS students – many of whom have not previously considered optometry as a career path.

“They start to consider optometry because they hear about it when I go and speak with them about our wonderful profession, and I think that the more qualified students that we can encourage to enter the field of optometry, the better,” she said. “Preparing more optometrists for the workforce will have a tangible impact by improving the ocular health of our patients across the state of Missouri.”

Lydia Holland, a current first-year optometry student at UMSL, is a 2023 alum of KCU’s BIOS program and the first direct beneficiary of the partnership. A native of Oxford, Mississippi, and a 2019 CUPS Scholar of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, she was recruited and accepted into the BIOS program after completing her bachelor’s at Mississippi University for Women. Toward the end of the BIOS program, Holland met Elder when she visited campus to share insights on career opportunities within optometry.

“Her poised nature and confidence captivated my attention, and as she shared her story, I found many similarities within our journeys: Black, female trailblazers who were passionate about service and an increase in the access to health care,” Holland said. “As she expounded on the opportunities at UMSL College of Optometry, I thought for the first time, ‘I’m going to be an optometrist.’”

After connecting with Dr. Elder one on one, Holland said she thought about just how much optometrists had influenced her own life. Last summer, her interest in optometry was further affirmed when she completed an internship at Visionworks under Dr. Charles Rudolph, an alum of UMSL’s College of Optometry. Her decision to enroll at UMSL was bolstered by the College of Optometry’s small student-faculty ratio, affordable tuition, residency locations, and legacy of patient-centered service within the community. Since starting optometry school last fall, she said she has fully adapted into Triton culture, participating in various clubs and initiatives at the College of Optometry, and she feels thoroughly supported by her professors and peers.

“The partnership between UMSL and KCU is valuable because it offers a sense of assurance to pre-medical and pre-optometry students that are interested in attending optometry school, and it increases the visibility of the field of optometry as students consider which career would best align with their post-master’s degree health care career goals,” Holland said. “This program changed the trajectory of my life, and I would humbly encourage every student with adverse academic backgrounds to pursue the program.”