National Vision’s 25-year honorees from (l to r) Brian Cohen, OD; Donald Schaag, OD; John Bankowski, OD; Jona Pradhan, OD; Robert Elliott, OD; and Mark Schneider, OD (not pictured).
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CHICAGO—National Vision Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: EYE), one of the largest optical retailers in the U.S., hosted nearly 900 optometrists from its affiliated practices during the company’s annual continuing education symposium, which was held here last month. At the symposium, National Vision also recognized many ECPs for their notable tenure and accomplishments with the company. More than 100 optometrists at the symposium had spent at least five years practicing in the National Vision network, together amassing 900 years of dedication to their practices, the company noted in an announcement. Special honors were awarded to six doctors who have each completed 25 years with the company. They are: Brian Cohen, OD, of Baltimore, Md.; Donald Schaag, OD, of Kansas City, Mo.; John Bankowski, OD, of Washington, D.C.; Jona Pradhan, OD, of Glendale, Ariz.; Mark Schneider, OD, of Colonie, N.Y., and Robert Elliott, OD, of Seattle.



Additionally, nine doctors were honored with the Optometrist of the Year Award for providing quality patient care and outstanding contributions to their practices. They are: Carla Anderson, OD, of Atlanta; Christina Isaman, OD, of Kent, Ohio; Diana Tran, OD, of Hybla Valley, Va.; Lan Le, OD, of Indianapolis; Michele Roberts, OD, of Morrow, Ga.; Natalie Nguyen, OD, of Santa Ana, Calif.; Sandra Barthram, OD, of Aurora, Colo.; Shane Tseng, OD, of Houston; Sheldon Hallstrom, OD, of Ithaca, N.Y., and Stacy Bragg, OD, of Sacramento, Calif.

“Talented optometrists are at the heart of our business, so it was both incredible and fitting to see our growth so evident by the sheer number of doctors in attendance,” Reade Fahs, chief executive officer, said in the announcement. “We were joined by recent grads, award-winners and veterans who have spent more than 25 years with us. Each one of them is helping us to carry out our mission of making quality eyecare and eyewear more affordable and accessible.”