Optometry alum Craig Steinberg, OD 1984, uses the knowledge he gained at UMSL while working as an attorney in the field of optometric and health care law and consulting. (Photos courtesy of Craig Steinberg)
By Kala Dunn, University Advancement
For some people, choosing which college to attend is the culmination of a long process of tours, applications, interviews, financial calculations, career planning and networking. For University of Missouri–St. Louis alum Craig Steinberg, OD 1984, the path was more spontaneous.
“I was finishing my undergrad at the University of Southern California as a biology major,” Steinberg said. “On a whim, I applied to the University of Missouri–St. Louis because I heard an optometry school was opening there. But I had been admitted to medical school in Guadalajara, and that is where I was planning on going. I literally didn’t know where St. Louis was.”
In late May, a phone call from UMSL changed that plan entirely.
“The bill [to open the optometry school] wasn’t signed by the governor until late in May, and school was supposed to start in August,” said Steinberg. “They got on the phone and went down the list calling applicants until they had the inaugural class. I don’t know where I was on the list, but I got called and decided that is what I wanted to do. So that’s how I ended up at UMSL.”
Once he settled in, Steinberg excelled in school. His teachers – the first optometry faculty members at UMSL – included a number of practicing optometrists who worked in the clinic part-time. Steinberg is quick to praise the value of having exposure to working professionals during his training.
“They were the highlight because they had day-to-day experience,” Steinberg said. “It was much less didactic and much more practical. While in school, I had a patient in the chair with red eyes. I did every test I could think of, then when I was at a loss, I asked my instructor. He did this, he did that – then he looked at the patient and asked how late he had been up last night. The patient said, oh, 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning. The instructor turned to me and said, ‘Craig, those are tired eyes.’ Well, that’s not in the book. Only someone who practices all the time would have known that.”
Craig Steinberg (second from left) was a member of the College of Optometry’s inaugural class and graduated in 1984.
After graduation, Steinberg practiced optometry in his home state of California for a few years. But following the dissolution of a practice, he found himself with time to spare. Always one to push himself, he decided to enroll in law school.
“I didn’t go to law school to become a lawyer. I was always just interested in law,” Steinberg said. “I never intended to take the bar exam, but a classmate shamed me into it. He insisted I take it at least once, so I did – and I passed. But I never planned to practice. It just evolved that way.”
While Steinberg’s first case quickly convinced him that he did not want to practice family law, he eventually found a way to combine his optometric training with his legal education. He became one of only a handful of OD-JD optometric attorneys in the United States, and he remains highly sought-after for his legal skill and his subject matter expertise. His cases have helped form and amend laws that shape the practice of optometry today, changing the lives of patients and doctors alike.
In addition to earning two terminal degrees and achieving professional success in both fields, Steinberg also had a lifelong hobby that could have easily been a third career of its own. He has spent more than four decades as a decorated amateur and senior amateur golfer, with numerous championship titles to his name and a top-15 world amateur ranking among players ages 55 and over.
Steinberg’s skill on the golf course would have allowed him to turn pro after college. But comparing his performance to others led him to choose a different path, and he learned that making decisions based on external circumstances must be balanced with confidence in your own skills and a determination to do what you love.
“At the time, I judged my game against the other guys I was playing with,” Steinberg said. “What I didn’t know is that the guys I was playing with would go on to be Ryder Cup players, U.S. Open winners – I was playing with Mark O’Meara, Corey Pavin, Steve Pate … I didn’t realize that at 22, we were all still learning the game and getting better, and who knows what would have happened!”
When asked what advice he would give current UMSL students, Steinberg continued the theme of following your passion, working hard and trusting that everything will work out.
“For optometry students in particular, don’t listen to all the people who say that you’ll never be able to make it or to make any money,” Steinberg said. “It’s really difficult to do it on your own, so you need a group practice. And you need to have an area that you really focus on and do well. But you can do just fine.”
Looking back on his education and career, Steinberg is quick to admit that he didn’t plan the path his life has taken. But by working diligently, ignoring the naysayers, and letting his interests lead the way, he has earned national and international recognition while shaping the future of the optometry profession.
More information about Steinberg can be found at csteinberglaw.com.
