The Optical Foundation’s Global Summit at BCLA 2021.

With the absence of an in person conference, we were left with no platform in which to celebrate the upcoming BCLA Virtual Clinical Conference & Exhibition, and provide public recognition of the achievements of the successful candidates amongst their peers.

It was with this in mind that The Optical Foundation’s Global Summit event came to life. The objective of the summit was not only to give the deserved recognition to the current winners; connect with and engage with Ghana’s current Optometry students through the inspirational stories of previous grant winners; and acknowledge our sponsor (BCLA) – but it was also to provide some practical pointers to assist the future academics on their career path.

Speakers included:

• The President of The Optical Foundation, Dr Carolina Kunnen, opened the summit and conducted the awards presentation
• Byki Huntjes & Luke Stevens-Burt provided an outline of what the BCLA is.
• Simone Stad gave a presentation that focussed on how to become a BCLA Member & Fellow.
• Former students Nutifafa Senanu & Ebenezer Zaabaar who were awarded the travel grant to attend BCLA in 2019 shared their experience.
• Eric Papas provided valuable tips and pointers on what makes a good application not only for TOF but also for any award these students are putting a submission in for.