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Speaker Biographies

E. Robert Bertolli, OD

Dr. Bertolli, who is in private behavioral optometric practice in Branford, Connecticut, is a Life Fellow of the American College of Forensic Examiners and director of the forensic optometry division. He is an adjunct instructor at the Connecticut Police Training Academy for vision science for DUI enforcement, serves on several boards including the oard of Directors of the Connecticut Association of Optometrists and the American Board for Certification in Homeland ecurity. Dr Bertolli's articles have been in publications such as Review of Optometry, Primary Care Optometry News, orensic Examiner, Journal of Forensic Identification, Journal of Counterterrorism and Homeland Security International, nd Inside Homeland Security. He is the first recipient of the "Distinguished Member" award of the American College of orensic Examiners, and has given countless presentations on homeland security and forensics for law enforcement, mergency hospital staff, firefighters, EMTs, forensic scientists and optometrists.

Charles Brownlow, OD, FAAO

Dr. Brownlow is a Wisconsin licensed optometrist with 20 years experience in private eye care practices, including both optometrists and ophthalmologists. He has served as executive vice president of the Wisconsin Optometric association since 1990 and has been active as a consultant to eye doctors since 1994. He has presented nearly 300 lectures on medical record keeping and other practice management issues in 48 states and has served as a consultant for several major health care manufacturers and insurers. Dr. Brownlow now provides consulting services through PMI, LLC, to eye care clients in the areas of medical record keeping, fee schedules and compliance with third party rules, including medical records compliance programs and HIPAA. He recently was named Medical Records Consultant for the Williams Group, a Lincoln, Nebraska, -based consulting firm specializing in eye care.

Y. Ralph Chu, MD

Dr. Chu is recognized as a leader in refractive and cataract surgery. He is a fellowship-trained corneal specialist whose practice focuses on refractive, cataract, and corneal surgery. Dr. Chu has instructed thousands of physicians on nearly every continent, and has participated in numerous evaluations and FDA studies. He is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons, the International Society of Refractive Surgery, along with 18 other professional memberships.

Elizabeth Davis, MD, FACS

Dr. Davis is an ophthalmologist with subspecialty training in corneal, cataract, and refractive surgery. Dr. Davis is a partner of Minnesota Eye Consultants, P.A. She has authored numerous abstracts, journal articles, and book chapters with more in preparation. Dr. Davis was an investigator for the Verisyse phakic IOL and was the first surgeon in Minnesota to implant the Crystalens accommodative IOL. Dr. Davis is a board certified ophthalmologist by the American Academy of Ophthalmology and a board certified LASIK surgeon by the American Board of Eye Surgeons. She is on the Board of Directors for the American Board of Eye Surgery. She is also a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Davis has been one of the top five LASIK volume surgeons within the TLC system in the United States for each year since 2001.

Michael Dieter, OD

Dr. Dieter graduated from Pacific University School of Optometry in 1975. Upon graduating he served as an optometrist in the Air Force until 1978. After leaving the military he opened offices in St. Peter and Le Center, MN, and engaged in a solo practice for the next eight years. In 1986 he sold the practice and formed a partnership with friend and colleague Dr. Devaughn Erickson in his hometown of Roseau, where he has lived for the past 22 years.

Geoffrey Emerson, MD, PhD

Dr. Emerson grew up in Seattle, WA, and graduated summa cum laude from Yale University with a degree in chemical engineering. He received his MD/PhD also from Yale. His doctoral thesis addressed cell-to-cell communication between endothelial and smooth muscle cells in blood vessels. Dr. Emerson completed his ophthalmology residency at the Wilmer Eye Institute of Johns Hopkins, where he received the Mitchell Prize and Julia Haller Prize for research in optical coherence tomography. He performed his fellowship in vitreoretinal surgery at the Casey Eye Institute in Portland, Oregon, where he received the Heed Ophthalmic Foundation Fellowship and the Rolnald G. Michels Award. He is board certified in ophthalmology, and a member of the American Society of Retina Specialists. Dr. Emerson livesin Minneapolis with his wife, Lynda Kauls, a dermatologist and native of the Twin Cities, and their three young children. He enjoys basketball, tennis, and hiking with his family.

Jafar Hasan, MD

Dr. Hasan received his medical degree from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine graduating with honors. He completed his Ophthalmology residency at the University of Kentucky and then completed fellowship training in PediatricOphthalmology and Strabismus at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital. He has been practicing at Edina Eye Physicians and Surgeons since 2005. He is married to Dr. Afira Hasan, OD.

Valerie Kattouf, OD, FAAO

Dr. Kattouf is a 1995 graduate of Illinois College of Optometry. Upon graduation Dr. Kattouf completed a residency in Pediatrics and Binocular Vision at the State University of New York Optometric Center. Dr. Kattouf is currently on staff at the Illinois College of Optometry and the University of Chicago as an Associate Professor. Her duties as a faculty member include teaching courses in the area of strabismus and amblyopia as well as coordinating the University of Chicago Affiliate Clinics. Dr. Kattouf was named the Illinois Optometric Association’s Young Optometrist of the Year in 2002. Dr. Kattouf has authored articles in optometric literature and lectured at numerous scientific meetings on the topics of pediatric eyecare and strabismus. Dr. Kattouf is also a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and the College of Optometrists in Visual Development, and a volunteer member of the American Optometric Association.

G.K. Mangelson, CFP

Mr. Mangelson is an expert in the area of asset protection. He has authored several publications and training manuals on the subject including the “Advanced Tax and Asset Protection Training Manual”. As one of the nation’s top asset protection advisors he has spent over 25 years helping professionals properly structure themselves for lawsuit protection, tax reduction and estate planning. Mr. Mangelson is a nationally recognized speaker. For more than two decades his seminars have trained both professionals and the general public in every state. He has lectured at scores ofconventions, conferences and seminars across the country with rave reviews. His career has been credited with helping his students save millions of dollars.

Bruce Onofrey, RPh, OD, FAAO

Dr. Onofrey, a graduate of the Illinois College of Optometry, is the Chief of Optometry services and Vice-chairman of eye services at Lovelace Medical Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Current faculty appointments include adjunct status at the University of California-Berkeley-College of Optometry, Pacific University and the University of Houston. Dr. Onofrey is a frequent contributor to ophthalmic literature. He is the current editor of “Clinical Optometric Pharmacology and Therapeutics” and the author of “The Ocular Therapeutics Handbook—A Clinical Manual”. He also serves as a contributing editor to “Primary Care Optometry News” and is a founding member of the Optometric Glaucoma Society.

D. Robert Pannone, OD

Dr. Pannone is a behavioral optometrist who has been practicing in Norwich, Connecticut, since 1960. He received his Doctor of Optometry degree from Mass. College of Optometry. He is a member of American Optometric Association and the Optometric Extension Program. He established the vision care and health section for the Haitian Health Foundation, Jeremie, Haiti in 1989 and still serves as its’ consultant. In 1990 he became a Connecticut State Police Surgeon and today is an adjunct lecturer at the Connecticut Police Academy on Vision, Drugs and Alcohol and their effects on driving. He is a member of the American College of Forensic Examiners International, and is a Certified Medical Investigator level 5. He is a Police Surgeon for the Amtrak Police Department, a member of the Citizens Police academy Troop E, Montville Ct. and has guest lectured on Drugs Alcohol and Driving. He has been a co- author on many peer reviewed articles. Dr. Pannone is a member of the DRE section of the IACP.

Diane Drake, LDO, ABOM, FCLSA

Ms. Diane Drake is a licensed optician in Georgia, advanced certified by ABO and NCLE, has received her Masters in Ophthalmic Optics from the American Board of Opticianry and is a fellow member of the Contact Lens Society of America. She lectures extensively locally, and nationally, and has been published on many occasions. Ms. Drake has served as a director for the National Academy of Opticianry, a commissioner on the Commission on Opticianry Accreditation, and director and past president of the Opticians Association of Georgia and the SouthEastern Opticians Conference, having been involved in various levels of education, she has received many awards and recognitions. Ms. Drake is a noted speaker throughout the country on a number of topics including all areas of practice management, contact lenses, dispensing eyewear, staff development, basic and advanced topics. She is an ABO Master Optician as well as advanced certified by NCLE and a fellow of CLSA.

Shane Kannarr, OD

Dr. Shane Kannarr graduated from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, College of Optometry in 2000 where he currently serves on the College of Optometry Advisory Board . He is a member of Grene Vision Group, one of the largest optometry/ophthalmology groups in the country. Dr. Kannarr has lectured regionally and nationally on a variety of topics and holds license in Kansas, Arkansas and Missouri. He has special interests in ocular disease, contact lenses, and the business aspect of eyecare. He has also been the principal investigator in multiple contact lens studies, with recent focus on contact lenses for patients suffering from dry eye. Dr. Kannarr holds membership in the American Optometric Association, Kansas Optometric Association and the Heart of America Contact Lens Society as well as serving on a number of community organizations.

Valerie Kattouf, OD, FAAO

Dr. Valerie Kattouf is a 1995 graduate of Illinois College of Optometry. Upon graduation Dr. Kattouf completed a residency in Pediatrics and Binocular Vision at the State University of New York Optometric Center. Dr. Kattouf is currently on staff at the Illinois College of Optometry and the University of Chicago as an Associate Professor. Her duties as a faculty member include teaching courses in the area of strabismus and amblyopia as well as coordinating the University of Chicago Affiliate Clinics. Dr. Kattouf was named the Illinois Optometric Association’s Young Optometrist of the Year in 2002. Dr. Kattouf has authored articles in optometric literature and lectured at numerous scientific meetings on the topics of pediatric eyecare and strabismus. Dr. Kattouf is also a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and the College of Optometrists in Visual Development, and a volunteer member of the American Optometric Association.

Jill Luebbert, CPOT, ABOC

Ms. Jill Luebbert has been involved in paraoptometry for over 20 years. She is currently on the team at the office of Drs. Bahner and Jacobsen in Fremont, Nebraska. Jill is an AOA certified paraoptometric technician and ABO certified optician. She has served in the Nebraska Paraoptometric Section (currently as President), the AOA Paraoptometric Section, serving through the Council positions including as chair. She is a Section Editor of Optometry – Journal of the American Optometric Association and a regular contributor to Vision Care Products News. She speaks at state, regional and national meetings and is a committee member on the Vision Awareness Network, serving as liaison on the InfantSEE committee. Ms. Luebbert is also an independent ophthalmic consultant and trainer.