University names new Dean of the College of Optometry

COLUMBUS – President Karen A. Holbrook and Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Barbara R. Snyder have recommended the appointment of Melvin D. Shipp as dean of the College of Optometry, effective June 1 through June 30, 2009. President Holbrook will ask the university’s Board of Trustees to approve the appointment at its February 6 meeting. Karla Zadnik, professor of Optometry and Vision Science, will continue as interim dean of the college until May 31.

Shipp is a professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry. While at the University of Alabama, he has served as director of the Optometric Technician Program in the School of Public and Allied Health, and as assistant dean for Clinical Services and director of Clinics in the School of Optometry.

Shipp is a retired captain in the U. S. Naval Reserves and serves as the professional school liaison officer for the University of Alabama. He served on active duty as chief of optometry service in the Naval Hospital at Port Hueneme, California, from 1972-1976.

Shipp’s national appointments include committee membership with the National Eye Institute in Bethesda, and the National Research Council/Transportation Research Board in Washington, D.C. Other professional memberships include the American Academy of Optometry, the American Medical Association, the American Optometric Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Public Health Association, and the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry. He also has served as a reviewer for major optometry journals.

“I am delighted that we found someone with the distinguished background of Dr. Shipp to serve as a leader for the College of Optometry,”said Holbrook. “He has a well-respected scholarly record, and I am certain the college will benefit enormously from his experience and leadership. We look forward to welcoming him to the entire University community.”
Shipp earned his B. S. in zoology and a doctorate in optometry from Indiana University,
his Master of Public Health degree from Harvard University, and his Doctor of Public Health degree from the University of Michigan. He is only the second optometrist to receive the Doctor of Public Health degree and is the first to do so through the highly competitive Pew Health Policy Doctoral Fellowship Program at the University of Michigan.

Shipp has the distinction of being the only optometrist to receive a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellowship, during which he completed a one-year congressional fellowship, as a health legislative assistant in the U.S. Senate. Additionally, Shipp has served as a consultant, panelist, and grant reviewer for several federal institutions, notably the Food and Drug Administration, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the National Institutes of Health. He was also named Pew Doctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan.

Shipp has had numerous articles published in peer-reviewed journals and is a senior scientist on an $8 million multi-center grant looking at relationships between ethnicity and vision problems. The eight-year study, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, is being carried out at both Ohio State and the University of Alabama, among others. Shipp also teaches both applied clinical and public health related courses.

The Office of Academic Affairs conducted a national search to seek applications for the dean position. The search committee was chaired by Betty Lenz, dean of the College of Nursing, and provided a slate of names to Holbrook and Snyder for consideration. “The group did a wonderful job identifying outstanding candidates during its search process,”Snyder said. “Dr. Shipp’s impressive credentials and extensive experience in both the academic and administrative worlds will serve him well as the leader for the college. We are very pleased that he agreed to accept the deanship of our top-ranked College of Optometry.”

“I am deeply honored and very excited about assuming the deanship of the College of Optometry,”said Shipp. I look forward to working with Ohio State faculty, students, staff and administrators to advance the college’s professional, academic, and research programs. Together, we will further the goals of the Academic Plan and make Ohio State's College of Optometry the premier school in the nation.”
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(Editor’s note: photos of Shipp are available upon request)