NSU Optometry Professor Receives National Recognition

Nova Southeastern University is pleased to announce that The National Academies of Practice recently honored Janet Leasher, O.D., M.P.H., F.A.A.O., professor and director of community outreach in NSU’s College of Optometry, with a medallion of honor and induction as a Distinguished Practitioner and Fellow at the group’s conference in Philadelphia.

Dr. Leasher was one of only seven optometrists in the nation recognized as a 2017 inductee. Membership in the National Academies of Practice is an honor extended to those who have excelled in their profession and are dedicated to furthering practice, scholarship and policy in support of interprofessional care. The central purpose of NAP is to advise public policy makers on health care issues using NAP’s unique perspective — that of expert practitioners and scholars joined in interdisciplinary dialogue.
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The 14 academies of practice within the NAP include:  Audiology, Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Osteopathic Medicine, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Podiatric Medicine, Psychology, Social Work, Speech-Language Pathology and Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Leasher joined NSU as a professor in 2003. As Director of Outreach for the College of Optometry, she spearheads community health education and promotion projects in visual health for the College.

Currently, Dr. Leasher is teaching public health didactic courses in community health promotion, health systems, policy, economics and ethics in the College of Optometry. She is a clinical preceptor for third-year students in primary care, pediatric and binocular vision clinics. She also serves as a faculty member in NSU’s Master of Science Clinical Vision Research program and holds a faculty appointment within the College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Public Health program.

Dr. Leasher received her Doctor of Optometry degree from Pacific University College of Optometry in 1986. In 1999, she received her master’s degree in Public Health in International Health and Development from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. She is a 2007 Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry. She has co-authored more than 40 papers in high impact journals, which have been cited internationally over 8200 times.

Dr. Leasher is currently an active member of the Public Health Committee of the World Council of Optometry and in the past has served as the personal advisor on Latin America to the president. In 2007, Dr. Leasher launched the Public Health Tool Kit for VISION 2020: The Right to Sight. For than 30 years, she has been a member of the American Optometric Association as well as an active member in the following organizations: Vision Care Section of the American Public Health Association, the American Academy of Optometry, the Association of Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, World Council of Optometry, Community Campus Partnerships for Health. She also is a past Chancellor of Beta Sigma Kappa International Optometric Honor Society.