Minutes of the
North Carolina State Board of Optometry
March 19 - 20, 2005
Raleigh, North Carolina
The North Carolina State Board of Examiners in Optometry met in Wallace, North Carolina on Saturday and Sunday , March 19 - 20, 2005, to determine the results of the Winter 2005 Clinical/Practicum Examinations and for other purposes. Present were Drs. Joel Banks, President, David Anderson, David Baxter, Scott Edwards, and William Rafferty, Members of the Board. Also present were Dr. John Robinson, the Board’s Executive Director, Janice Peterson, RN, the Administrative Secretary, and Mrs. Sara Roberts, the Administrative Assistant. Mr. Johnny Loper, the Board’s attorney, joined the meeting while in closed session by conference telephone to update the Board on current litigation. Absent due to illness was Ms. Trudy Mitchell, Secretary-Treasurer of the Board
The President called the meeting to order at 5:40 P.M. and called upon Dr. Baxter for the opening prayer.
Approval of Minutes
On a motion by Dr. Anderson, seconded by Dr. Baxter the minutes of the February 11 - 13 , 2005 meeting were unanimously approved.
The Report of the President. The President reported briefly on the testimony given on behalf of the Board before the North Carolina Board of Medical Examiners on Friday March 18, 2005 on a Request for a Declaratory Ruling by the North Carolina Medical Society and the Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons concerning the use of injections by optometrists, an issue currently before the Superior Court in Wake County. On a motion by Dr. Anderson and seconded by Dr. Edwards the report of the President was unanimously accepted.
The Report of the Secretary-Treasurer. In the absence of the Secretary-Treasurer the Executive Director Presented the Budget Report for the period covering July 1, 2004 through March 11, 2005. A summary of major expenses was attached. There was a brief discussion of the Board’s current investment policy. In accordance with said policy $ 20,000.00 will be transferred later this month when one of the Board’s certificates of deposit matures to the Board’s mutual fund accounts managed by Mr. Charles Bridgers at Legg Mason. On a motion by Dr. Baxter and seconded by Dr. Anderson the financial report as presented by the Executive Director in the absence of the Secretary-Treasurer was unanimously accepted.
Report of the Executive Director. The Executive Director followed the President and expanded somewhat on the hearings before the Medical Board. He and Mr. Loper had attended the first hearing in February as well as the one held on March 18th at which he, Dr. Banks, Dr. Dennis Mathews, a practitioner from Tennessee who is also a faculty member at Southern College and a former Member of the Tennessee Board of Optometry and Dr. Joan Miller, a practitioner from Oregon and a former Member of the Oregon Board of Optometry testified. At both hearings Mr. Loper took the opportunity to restate the Optometry Board’s position as it relates both to the hearings and to the current litigation involving the two Boards..
On a motion by Dr. Anderson, seconded by Dr. Baxter the report of the Executive Director was accepted unanimously.
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Closed Session At 10:25 A.M. on Sunday on a motion by Dr. Edwards, seconded by Dr. Baxter and carried unanimously the Board went into closed session in accordance with the provisions of GS 143-318.11(a)(3) in order to receive counsel and advice from its attorney with regard to current litigation. In such closed session, the Board received a report from Mr. Loper on the status of litigation with the North Carolina Medical Board, and an update on the recent attempts by the Medical Board to prevent the Optometry Board from obtaining a Temporary Restraining Order to prevent the Medical Board going forward in response to the Request by the North Carolina Medical Society and the Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons for a Declaratory Ruling regarding the use of injections by optometrists. Mr. Loper responded to various questions from the Board members regarding the litigation and related issues. No vote was taken in the closed session.
At 11:15 A.M. on a motion by Dr. Rafferty, seconded by Dr. Anderson and carried unanimously the Board went back into open session.
Review Of The Scoring Of The Winter 2005 Clinical/Practicum Examinations*
Following a review of the scoring of each applicant on the Winter 2005 Examinations it was moved by Dr. Edwards, seconded by Dr. Baxter and carried unanimously that the following individuals were successful in passing the Examinations, that they be so notified and that their names be entered into the Board Registry with their license numbers as follows:
Allan R. Adkins, O.D. #1975
Neil Barentine, O.D. #1976
Eugene Everette Benfield, III, O.D. #1977
Geeta Chowdhary, O.D. #1978
Diana Marie Douglas, O.D. #1979
Andrew R. Gregory, O.D. #1980
Michael Addison Johnson, O.D. #1981
Mandy Lynnette Lanier, O.D. #1982
Joyce Anderson McDonald, O.D. #1983
Lee Doyle McPherson, O.D. #1984
Cosmin Negrut, O.D. #1985
W. Bruce Pope, O.D. #1986
Michelle L. Reames, O.D. #1987
Frederick C. Schamu, O.D. #1988
Eva Shiau Singletary, O.D. #1989
Samantha Koto Ward, O.D. #1990
and that the following individuals were not successful in passing and that they be so notified:
Chinwendu Anukwuem, O.D.
Lisa Bell, O.D.
David Brown, O.D.
Brandi Chavis, O.D.
Mala Gundecha, O.D.
Susan Holt, O.D.
Jee Me Kim, O.D.
Jenifer Ramsower, O.D.
James Reynolds, O.D.
Arun Subramanian, O.D.
Tuyen Tran, O.D.
Aaron Westerlund, O.D.
Examination Review Committee. The President appointed Dr. Anderson as a Member of the Examination Review Committee to serve with the Executive Director to review the results of any candidate failing the Winter 2005 Examinations requesting such review.
Association of Regulatory Boards in Optometry. The Annual Meeting of the Association of Regulatory Boards in Optometry (ARBO) will be held in Dallas Texas on June 19 – 21, 2005. Except for the Executive Director who regularly attends this meeting, only Dr. Rafferty expressed interest in attending. On a motion by Dr. Edwards seconded by Dr. Anderson and carried unanimously registration fees, travel, 5 days per diem and meal expenses and 4 hotel nights expenses were approved for Dr. Rafferty to attend and travel, meal and hotel expense for the Executive Director who will also attend the Annual Congress of the American Optometric Association immediately following the ARBO meeting. Should other Members of the Board find later that they can attend the ARBO meeting they are to notify the Board office immediately so that they can be properly registered.
The next regularly scheduled meeting will be at the Kingston Plantation and Resort in Myrtle Beach, S.C. starting at 9 A.M. on Thursday, June 2, 2005 and ending no later than 2:00 P.M. on Sunday, June 5, 2005.
There being no further business at 11:55 A.M. Dr. Baxter moved and Dr. Anderson seconded a motion that the meeting be adjourned. The motion carried unanimously.
*In the absence of any member of the public being present during the meeting it was not necessary for the Board to go into closed session to review the examination scoring.
Approved 06/03/05