(L to R)  Dr. Jill Saxon, Todd Love and Benjamin Chudner, OD.

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Bausch + Lomb, has announced the newly created positions and appointments of Jill Saxon, OD, and Todd Love, as directors of professional strategy. The two will coordinate the company’s eyecare professional outreach efforts across the vision care business through a wide range of initiatives, including strengthening its focus and support of academic optometry colleges and universities across the nation, according to the company’s statement.

“We are extremely pleased that Dr. Jill Saxon and Todd Love have joined our U.S. Bausch + Lomb Professional Strategy team,” said Mark McKenna, vice president and general manager, vision care, Bausch + Lomb. “Their combined knowledge, insights and expertise will help us further reinforce our professional outreach program, creating deep connections with and educational benefits to our optometry customers and their patients. With the additions of Jill and Todd, I believe we have built a team that will further enhance our ability to partner with the eye health community.”

In her new role at Bausch + Lomb, Dr. Saxon will be responsible for developing and delivering the company’s sales training curriculum, maximizing product launches through professional educational events and other programs and continuing to forge relationships while expanding the team’s professional outreach program with key optometric industry members.

Immediately prior to joining Bausch + Lomb, Dr. Saxon served as an optometrist for more than five years at the Randolph Eyecare Center in Randolph, N.J., where she specialized in adult and pediatric eyecare. Earlier in her career, she worked at the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) in Bethesda, Maryland as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy. She examined a number of national leaders, elected officials, Supreme Court Justices, members of the armed forces, and was also responsible for serving the needs of returning injured war veterans, B+L said.

At the NNMC, as director of the Low Vision Clinic, she changed the way in which military retirees are served. She was also the coordinator of the Optometry School Externship program and earned the title of adjunct assistant clinical professor from SUNY College of Optometry, Pennsylvania College of Optometry, Southern California College of Optometry, and Southern College of Optometry. A member of the Armed Forces Optometric Society and the American Optometric Association, Dr. Saxon is a graduate from the State University of New York, College of Optometry, where she received her Doctor of Optometry degree. She received a Bachelor of Science degree, magna cum laude, from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa.

In his new role at Bausch + Lomb as director, professional strategy, Love will focus on the development of current and future key opinion leaders, optometric institutions and professional programs. Love brings more than 15 years of experience in a variety of sales, marketing and professional development leadership roles.

Prior to joining B+L, Love served as the director, market development at Alcon Laboratories, where he focused on driving Alcon’s U.S. vision strategy and outreach for the company’s key opinion leaders program. During his tenure at Alcon, he held several positions including global marketing director, contact lens care, where he led the company’s global contact lens care franchise, and senior brand manager, U.S. contact lens care. Love holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Houston.

Saxon and Love will join Benjamin Chudner, OD, director, professional strategy, on this newly created team. Chudner is responsible for leading Bausch + Lomb’s speaker bureau program, strengthening the key advocate dinner meetings held nationwide and supporting the brand marketing teams on strategic initiatives. Saxon and Love will be based at the company’s headquarters here.

Bausch + Lomb is a Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. company (NYSE:VRX).