Breanne B. McGhee
| Breanne B. McGhee | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| 🏫 Education | Xavier University (BS) Pacific University College of Optometry (OD, MEd/VFL) |
| 💼 Occupation | Optometrist (OD), MEd, FAAO Assistant Professor and Clinical Adjunct at PUCO Recording Artist |
| 🏢 Organization | American Academy of Optometry National Optometric Association American Optometric Association College of Optometrists in Vision Development Optometric Association of Louisiana |
| 🏅 Awards | Pacific University's AOSA Student of the Year Award (2015) Dean's Award (2016) Emerging Leader Award (2020) Theia Award of Excellence - Young OD (2020) |
Breanne McGhee OD, MEd, FAAO[1] is a full-time optometrist currently practicing in New Orleans, LA[1][2] and an assistant professor and clinical adjunct at Pacific University College of Optometry.[3] She is regarded as a leader in her field[2] and is recognized for her deep involvement in humanitarian work and dedication to encouraging diversity into the field of optometry.[1][2][4] McGhee is also the creator and founder of E.Y.E.S - Elite Youth of Excellence and Service, a non-profit that aids disadvantaged members of her community by offering free comprehensive eye exams and eye glasses.[1][2][4]
Education[edit]
McGhee graduated from Xavier University in Louisiana with a Bachelor's Degree in psychology. She then attended Pacific University College of Optometry, where she obtained her Doctor of Optometry (OD) and Master in Education/Vision Function in Learning (MEd/VFL) degrees in 2016.[1] She went on to complete a residency in Family Practice Optometry at Bond-Wroten Eye Clinic in Louisiana,[5] which is affiliated with Southern College of Optometry. In 2017, she obtained a Fellowship with the American Academy of Optometry (FAAO).[1] She is currently continuing her education and is a PhD candidate in Educational Leadership at Pacific University where her research interests include diversity and minority inclusivity in higher education and inequities and inequalities in Black and Latino communities.[3][6][7]
Career[edit]
McGhee is a full-time optometrist specializing in ocular disease, pediatrics, and glaucoma and is currently working at multiple group practices in New Orleans and the surrounding areas.[1][6] She is a member of the American Academy of Optometry, National Optometric Association, American Optometric Association, College of Optometrists in Vision Development, and Optometric Association of Louisiana, where she serves on their various boards and committees including the Evidence Based Optometry Glaucoma section (AOA) and the Anterior Segment section (AAO).[1][6][7] McGhee has given a number of professional talks and lectures and has presented clinical posters at different conventions and optometry schools.[6][7][8] She is also involved with the Comprehensive Medical Mentoring Program (CMMP), an organization that promotes the advancement of minority students and enables them to combat healthcare disparities and inequities in their future careers.[7]
While still attending optometry school, she created and founded the nonprofit E.Y.E.S. - Elite Youth of Excellence and Service, which provides free, comprehensive eye exams and eyeglasses to underserved people in her community that cannot afford them.[1][2] Through E.Y.E.S., she also inspires the next generation of optometrists and promotes scholarly achievement by mentoring and providing volunteer opportunities for high school and undergraduate students in her hometown.[1][4]
McGhee is the first African American educator at Pacific University College of Optometry and is currently working there as an assistant professor and clinical adjunct.[3]
McGhee found time during the COVID-19 pandemic to explore her interest in becoming a singer-songwriter and recorded the song, "Queen," under the name of Dr. Bre, in March 2020 and also performed in its official music video.[9]
Awards[edit]
Outside of winning numerous scholarships and grants, McGhee was awarded the American Optometric Student Association Award (AOSA) Student of the Year award at Pacific University in 2015 and in 2016, she also received the Dean's Award from the same institution for her volunteerism, academic scholarship, and leadership endeavors during her optometry school years.[2][10][11] In 2020, Pacific awarded her the Emerging Leader Award[2] and McGhee was also named Women in Optometry's Young OD of 2020 and was given the Theia Award of Excellence.[3]
Selected publications[edit]
McGhee has contributed to and published various works in her field in journals and online. In an article that she wrote in 2016 titled, "Why should optometry students explore vision therapy and rehabilitation?", she discusses how she learned about the importance of vision therapy and rehabilitation during a 3rd year clinical internship. Here, she acquired first hand knowledge of the wide variety of its applications while treating a 9-year-old who was falling behind in school due to poor visual perceptual skills as well as patients who had suffered traumatic brain injuries.[11]
In 2015, she completed her Masters of Education Thesis at Pacific University College of Optometry, which was published in the Optometry & Visual Performance Journal, and the title of which was, "An exploration of visual refractive statuses, perceptual abilities, and efficiency skills of high school credit recovery students and GED/HiSet participants." In this article, she found that academically at-risk individuals reported the visual skills required for challenging educational courses as "problem areas" and that over 70% of the 21 credit recovery and GED/HiSet students she surveyed had never had a full comprehensive visual examination.[12] McGhee uses this paper to highlight how educators can recognize reduced academic performances as an intervention tool and to encourage these students to seek out optometric eye care and treatment.
McGhee also wrote the article, "Acting on an Epidemic: Approaching the clinical diagnosis and management of Epidemic Keratoconjunctivitis." with Richard Mangan in 2018 that was published in the Review of Optometry. This article describes the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of a patient with epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC), a highly contagious ocular adenovirus.[13] They discuss how EKC is challenging to diagnose and is often misidentified, thus "EKC should be a diagnosis of exclusion."[13] In addition, the authors also address promising treatments and therapies for this viral infection.
Personal life[edit]
McGhee is dedicated to giving back to her community. In 2020, she spent her time volunteering at a food bank in New Orleans while on temporary furlough due to COVID-19 mandated business closures and volunteered at testing sites to help screen people waiting in line at the beginning of the pandemic when tests for the novel coronavirus were extremely limited.[4]
She is a survivor of Hurricane Katrina, which brought destruction to her hometown and the Gulf Coast when she was only 15 years old.[14] She was forced to relocate to Baton Rouge, LA and to finish school at McKinley Senior High School. It was a harrowing time as there was a period where she did not know whether her family survived the wreckage. It was not until a month later that she was finally able to contact and reunite with her mother and grandmother. She cites her dedication to humanitarian work not only to the kindness and support that she and many others in her situation received after being temporarily displaced due to the hurricane, but also to the way she was raised, since her parents have always encouraged her to find joy in helping others.[4]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 "Breanne McGhee OD, MEd, FAAO – Interprofessional Education & Leadership Community". web5.lib.pacificu.edu. 2018-08-27. Retrieved 2021-04-21. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 "Emerging Leader Award". Pacific University. 2014-06-03. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "2020 Theia Awards of Excellence Honor Six Women ODs". Women In Optometry. 2020-10-15. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Francis, Mike (2020-06-08). "Emerging Leader Breanne McGhee OD '16, MEd '16, PhDEL '21 Driven to Honor Her Ancestors". Pacific University. Retrieved 2021-04-26. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Creative Event Generates Eye Exam Awareness". Women In Optometry. 2016-12-13. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "About". CHIASSON EYECARE CENTER. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 "Board of Directors – Comprehensive Medical Mentoring Program". Retrieved 2021-04-26.
- ↑ 41696952. "Academy Newsletter Fall 2020". Issuu. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
- ↑ "Celebrating International Women's Day with Original Music Video from 2020 Theia Awards of Excellence Young OD". Women In Optometry. 2021-03-08. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
- ↑ "Spring Commencement Brings Graduates and Families Together". Pacific University. 2016-05-24. Retrieved 2021-05-15.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 McGhee, Breanne (2016-06-22). "Why Should Optometry Students Explore Vision Therapy And Rehabilitation?". OptometryStudents.com. Retrieved 2021-05-02. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Breanne, McGhee (September 2015). "An Exploration of the Visual Refractive Status, Perceptual Abilities, and Efficiency Skills of High School Credit Recovery Students and GED/HiSet Participants" (PDF). Optometry & Visual Performance Journal. 3 (Special).
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 McGhee, Breanne; Mangan, Richard (2018-03-15). "Acting on an Epidemic". www.reviewofoptometry.com. Retrieved 2021-05-02. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Luckett, Jenni (2015-09-02). "Looking Back on Katrina". Pacific University. Retrieved 2021-04-29. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
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