Marshall B. Ketchum University is excited to welcome the appointment of Mark A. Bullimore, MCOptom, PhD, as Dean of the Southern California College of Optometry. Dr. Bullimore was hired after a national search and will start his new appointment on Oct. 16, and following a brief transition, will be on campus Nov. 6.
“Mark brings a comprehensive understanding of optometric education and research to his new position as Dean of the Southern California College of Optometry,” said University President Kevin Alexander, OD, PhD. “We are absolutely thrilled to be joined by an optometric scholar of his stature who will advance the vision of one of the country’s leading colleges of optometry, and of the University as a whole.”
Dr. Bullimore received his optometry degree and PhD in Vision Science from Aston University in Birmingham, England. He was a Professor at The Ohio State University College of Optometry for 15 years and taught a number of courses, including geometric optics and ophthalmic optics. Previously, he spent 8 years at the University of California at Berkeley and is currently Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston College of Optometry. His company, Ridgevue Publishing, produces interactive educational materials for the iPad.
His research interests include myopia, low vision, presbyopia and refractive surgery. He received grants from the National Eye Institute to study adult myopia progression and several training grants supporting optometry students in a summer internship program. Dr. Bullimore has over 92 peer-reviewed publications to his credit, as well as over 80 other scholarly publications and presentations. He also holds a patent for an ophthalmic instrument.
Dr. Bullimore was recognized by the American Academy of Optometry with the Garland Clay Award in 1995 and the Eminent Service Award in 2004. In 2012, he was inducted into the National Academies of Practice.
He is former President and Development Director of the American Optometric Foundation, a philanthropic organization devoted to the advancement of optometric education and research. He is Associate Editor of Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics and the former Editor of Optometry and Vision Science. He served a four-year term on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Ophthalmic Devices Panel and is a regulatory consultant for a number of ophthalmic, surgical and pharmaceutical companies.
“I am excited to join my future colleagues at SCCO and MBKU later this year,” said Dr. Bullimore. “With the addition of the School of Physician Assistant Studies and College of Pharmacy, Marshall B. Ketchum University is leading the way in health care education. I am motivated to embody President Alexander’s vision of interprofessional education and look forward to the opportunities that lay before me and this great institution.”