BOSTON—New England College of Optometry (NECO) has announced that Morris Berman, OD, MS has joined the school faculty as adjunct professor. Dr. Berman received his optometric education in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1967. Then, he earned his Doctor of Optometry and Master of Science in Physiological Optics degrees at the University of Houston, College of Optometry and completed a residency at the Optometric Center of New York in 1968. Before joining NECO, Dr. Berman served as the dean of the School of Optometry at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Worcester, Massachusetts.

In addition, Dr. Berman has worked as provost at Marshall B. Ketchum University in Fullerton, California and was senior vice president for administration at the University. There, his responsibilities included institutional research and outcomes assessment, accreditation, and planning facilities expansion for new programs. Earlier, Dr. Berman spent 28 years in the vice president and dean of academic affairs role at the Southern California College of Optometry (SCCO).

Dr. Berman has also published over 30 papers and co-authored the Dictionary of Visual Sciences and Related Clinical Terms. He has experience teaching in the areas of strabismus/amblyopia, electro-diagnosis, and ocular physiology and professional ethics. Throughout his years teaching, Dr. Berman has served as the chair for the Academic Affairs Committee of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO), and as editor of ASCO’s newsletter Eye on Education. Since 2005, Dr. Berman has been a member and chair of the American Optometric Association Ethics and Values Committee. In July 2016, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from ASCO.

Dr. Erik Weissberg, vice president and dean of academic affairs said, “Dr. Berman’s career has been marked by a fierce commitment to advancing the optometric profession through scholarship, service and education and we are delighted to bring his long-range view of optometry to NECO.”

Dr. Howard Purcell, NECO president said, “Our success in preparing today’s optometrists for tomorrow’s optometry relies on the quality of our faculty, and our ability to deliver world-class teaching and clinical training programs. We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Berman to our team.”