UMSL Alumni Focus: Sunshine Eye Clinic
Sunshine Eye Clinic is a four doctor, primary care, private practice located in Springfield, Missouri. Started in 1967, one of the current optometrists, Dr. Bary Brown, joined the practice 10 years later.
Of the three practicing partners, Dr. Ronald Keeling (’87) and Dr. Brenda Carrell (’91) are UMSL alumni, as well as Dr. Chris Boschen (’11) in the position of associate optometrist. They provide primary eye care that ranges from routine ocular examinations to glaucoma management to specialty contact lens fitting. Dr. Boschen also provides low vision services one day a week at the Vision Rehabilitation Center of the Ozarks.
Dr. Ron Keeling, a Springfield native, entered the practice upon graduation from UMSL in 1987. He is a member of the American Optometric Association (AOA), the Missouri Optometric Association (MOA), and the Greater Ozarks Optometric Society. He is a former Boy Scouts of America leader and he and his wife Ruth have two sons, Brad and Andrew.
Dr. Brenda Carrell, like Dr. Keeling, graduated from Missouri State University in Springfield prior to attending the College of Optometry. Her two daughters, Ally and Megan, are both currently attending Missouri State University as well. She joined Sunshine Eye Clinic in 1994 and is a member of the AOA, MOA, and Greater Ozarks Optometric Society. She has spent many years teaching Sunday school and is a leader with the Girl Scouts of Missouri Heartland.
Dr. Chris Boschen, a graduate of the University of Missouri, completed a primary care residency associated with the Veteran’s Administration Medical Center Outpatient Clinic in Mt. Vernon, MO before joining Sunshine Eye Clinic in 2012. He is a member of the American Academy of Optometry, the AOA, MOA, and Greater Ozarks Optometric Society. Dr. Boschen, who is the nephew of the Director of Clinic Operations, Dr. Vinita Henry (’85), and his wife Ashley have two sons, Henry, age 2, and Tucker who is 4 months. He credits UMSL for preparing him well for entering this prestigious and successful private practice. “I feel that UMSL provided a great educational experience from didactic courses to hands on clinical care. To me, the greatest educational benefit came through the varied clinical settings afforded to 4th year students. Each individual student has the freedom to tailor what their 4th year experience will look like. This ultimately allows students to start molding the type of optometry they will practice (i.e. pediatrics, specialty contact lens, ocular disease) before leaving UMSL.”
UMSL Graduate is Awarded Honor from the Armed Forces Optometric Society
Major Jennifer (Gooch) Carver, OD (‘02) was recently honored with the Armed Forces Optometric Society (AFOS) “OD of the Year” award. This honor is in the form of a scholarship, in part, through the National Guard Association of the United States. She is one of three recipients nationwide.
Major Carver is an optometrist for the 165th Air National Guard in Savannah, Georgia. She has been the sole optometrist responsible for over 1200 members of her wing and collocated units since 2009. As a Missouri native, she received her undergraduate degree in Biology at Truman State University via a full tuition academic scholarship, prior to completing her optometry degree at UMSL. Upon entering the Air National Guard, she was recognized for being the Top Female for Physical Fitness and was a part of the Honor Squadron while at Reserve Commission Officer School at Maxwell AFB. She has completed both Squadron Officer School and Air Command and Staff College.
She is currently pursuing a fellowship in Ocular Nutrition and will be one of the first applicants to sit for the examination next year. She is also currently enrolled at the University of Phoenix obtaining an MBA through a full tuition scholarship. She will present a lecture at this AFOS meeting entitled, “Humanitarian Deployment Guide for Optometrists,” as well as a poster that was accepted entitled, “Evaluation of CLEAN Diet on Cholesterol Levels.”