Rocky Mountain University to establish new college of optometry
The Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions announced that it will develop a new college of optometry and name Adam Hickenbotham, OD, MPH, PhD, as founding dean.
According to a university press release, the new college is being created to address a shortage of optometry training institutions in the Western United States, as well the increasing demand for optometrists, which the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects to grow by 30% over the next 10 years.
“Due to an aging U.S. population, we must prepare for a potential shortage of optometric physicians during the next few decades,” Hickenbotham, who has more than 17 years of clinical experience and more than 20 years in academia, research and administration, said in the release. “The Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions’ College of Optometry will help alleviate this impending shortage by preparing, teaching and graduating new optometrists to meet the demand for primary eye care in the fastest growing region of the country, which is currently without an optometric training institution.”
In his new role, Hickenbotham will oversee curriculum development and hiring of faculty and staff, as well as accreditation through the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education.
“We are pleased Dr. Hickenbotham, one of the leading experts and groundbreakers in optometry, will lead our efforts in starting our college of optometry,” Richard P. Nielsen, PT, DHSc, ECS, founding President and CEO of the Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, said in the release. “The college of optometry will offer the traditional training that optometrists have received in the past but will also be designed to prepare physician-level providers of optometry.”
The university anticipates the college will open in 2023, according to the release, and projects an initial class size of 64 students. The college will reside on the Provo, Utah, campus and will collaborate with local optometrists to establish a clinical program.
Read more about