New York, NY: SUNY College of Optometry Foundation is proud to announce that it will be hosting the first annual Value of Vision Breakfast on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, from 8:30am to 10am. This complimentary, invitation-only event will also serve as a tribute to several remarkable individuals who have transformed and championed health care and vision care through leadership, advocacy, philanthropy and visibility. We are pleased to announce this year’s honorees will include: Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa, Co-Founders and Co-CEOs of Warby Parker; Dr. Robert W. Amler, Dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice at New York Medical College; and Daniel A. Biederman, President of Bryant Park Corporation and the 34th Street Partnership.
The Value of Vision Breakfast aims to connect influential leaders and community members in the greater New York City area, while raising awareness about SUNY College of Optometry and the University Eye Center. This event will highlight the importance of eye care as a public health issue, as it often serves as a gateway to the broader healthcare system, and the need to increase visibility, philanthropic support, and awareness around this critical issue. SUNY Optometry fosters strong partnerships with other healthcare providers, as comprehensive eye exams can detect over 200 systemic diseases, extending beyond traditional eye care.
SUNY Optometry and the University Eye Center are ranked amongst the best in the country. Students from the college go on to work in the public and private sectors around the country and around the world. Patients seek out our clinic as a resource for high quality vision care, ocular disease management, and specialty care such as pediatrics and vision rehabilitation. The Clinical Vision Research Center (CVRC) has conducted cutting edge research and development used worldwide for the advancement of eye care for over a decade.
This is all made possible by the generous donations of time, guidance, and visionary leadership from industry partners and healthcare leaders in addition to our skilled faculty and staff. The recipients of this year’s awards not only demonstrate a level of personal accomplishment and dedication to vision and health care, but they also each embody the unlimited possibilities that exist for the next generations of visionaries and health care providers.
“Dave and I are honored to receive the inaugural Visionary Award from the SUNY College of Optometry Foundation,” said Neil Blumenthal. “Since founding Warby Parker, our mission has
been to provide vision for all–and, over the last 14 years, that mission has guided us as we’ve grown the brand from an online-only optical retailer to a holistic vision care company. Our Optometrists, many of whom graduated from SUNY, are key members of our team and enable us to deliver exceptional, high-quality vision care to patients every single day. Thank you for this honor, and congratulations to our fellow honorees Dr. Robert Amler and Daniel A. Biederman.”
Neil Blumenthal is a co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker, a direct-to-consumer lifestyle brand focused on vision for all.
Neil was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young, and one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company. He serves on the board of directors of Sweetgreen and Allbirds, as well as the nonprofit organizations Tech: NYC, the Partnership Fund for New York City, and the Warby Parker Impact Foundation. He is also a co-founder and general partner of Good Friends LLC, an early stage venture capital firm.
Dave Gilboa is a co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker, a direct-to-consumer lifestyle brand focused on vision for all. Since day one, over fifteen million pairs of glasses have been distributed through the company’s Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program.
Prior to co-founding Warby Parker in 2010, Dave worked at Bain & Company, a strategy consulting firm, and at Allen & Company, a merchant bank. He currently serves on the board of directors of the nonprofit organization Warby Parker Impact Foundation. Dave is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute and is a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. He was named a McNulty Laureate by the McNulty Foundation and Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young. Dave also serves as a General Partner of Good Friends LLC, an early stage venture capital firm.
“This award from the SUNY College of Optometry Foundation is especially meaningful to me because of the noble values and mission our professions share in the health space,” noted Dr. Amler. “Congratulations to my fellow awardees, Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa, co-founders of Warby Parker and Dan Biederman, President of Bryant Park Corporation and the 34th Street Partnership.”
Robert W. Amler, MD, MBA, FAAP, FACPM is Vice President for Government Affairs at New York Medical College (NYMC) and Dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice. Previously, he served as Regional Health Administrator of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Commanding Officer of federal emergency response assets in the Northeast and Caribbean Region.
At NYMC he launched the Institute of Public Health with interdisciplinary centers of excellence in Disability and Health, Long-Term Care, Disaster Medicine, and Children’s Environmental Health. He is a practicing pediatrician at Boston Children’s Health Physicians in Westchester and serves on the Boards of Directors of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation, the Business Council of Westchester, and Westchester County Association.
Daniel A. Biederman is the founder and President of Bryant Park Corporation, 34th Street Partnership, and Biederman Redevelopment Ventures Corporation. He also founded and managed Grand Central Partnership for 14 years, and Chelsea Improvement Company for 7 years.
During his career, through these entities, he has turned around or created 12 privately-funded and managed urban parks and seven troubled neighborhoods, cutting thousands of annual crimes, creating 2,500 direct jobs and over $15 billion in real estate value.
In 1980, he began the restoration of Bryant Park. Starting in 1989, Biederman set up the 34th Street Partnership, a Business Improvement District covering 31 key blocks in midtown Manhattan. Using methods honed at Bryant Park, 34SP was instrumental in the dramatic revival that has made 34th Street one of NYC’s most vibrant neighborhoods and transformed the downtrodden Herald and Greeley Squares.
Mr. Biederman graduated from Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs, magna cum laude, in 1975, and from Harvard Business School with distinction in 1977.
SUNY Optometry and the University Center provide access to eye care for all individuals including those who are marginalized, uninsured, or financially vulnerable. Patients have access to many of the latest discoveries and treatments through the Clinical Vision Research Center in addition to high-quality, comprehensive eye care. The Value of Vision event is the first in what we hope will become an annual event that engages a broader set of partners in our journey to better healthcare through better vision.
This event promises to be an exceptional opportunity to engage with business and healthcare leaders and gain valuable insights into the impact and future of eye care. Seating for the Value of Vision Breakfast is limited, so interested individuals are encouraged to register at www.sunyopt.edu/vision.
Media Contact: Rob Rosiello, communications@sunyopt.edu
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About the SUNY College of Optometry Foundation
Founded in 1956, SUNY College of Optometry Foundation (Formerly the Optometric Center of New York), serves as an example of what partnership among visionary community leaders, education, vision organizations and businesses can accomplish. Since its inception, the Foundation has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to supporting vision care for underserved populations; educating the next generation of optometrists including providing merit and need-based scholarships to students; and advancing research into the complex human visual system.
About SUNY Optometry
Founded in 1971 and located in New York City, the State University of New York College of Optometry is a leader in education, research, and patient care, offering the Doctor of Optometry degree as well as MS and PhD degrees in vision science. The College conducts a robust program of basic, translational and clinical research and has 65 affiliated clinical training sites as well as an on-site clinic, the University Eye Center. SUNY Optometry is regionally accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools; its four-year professional degree program and residency programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education of the American Optometric Association. All classrooms, research facilities and the University Eye Center, which is one of the largest optometric outpatient facilities in the nation, are located on 42nd Street in midtown Manhattan. To learn more about SUNY Optometry, visit www.sunyopt.edu.