Dr. Howard Purcell is the President and CEO of the New England College of Optometry. His family is multi-generational in optometry, and his involvement in the profession includes private practice as well as industry representation, prior to becoming involved in academics.
As an academic leader, he has become well-versed in the new needs and expectations of our schools and colleges and speaks eloquently on the power of ODs recruiting young people in to the profession, with an important emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Dr. Purcell had a wide-array of industry roles in optometry. He worked at NOVA Southeastern in specialty contact lenses, and then he helped J&J Vision to lead a special service called The Vision Care Institute, followed by becoming the leading OD within Essilor.
Howard and I met during his time at the Institute, where he opened his facility through J&J’s support of the AOA’s InfantSEE program as it worked to get leaders from each state association to learn about the program’s value to the public. His memories of those times are some of my favorites of this Sandbox Story.
He’s a waterskier, a grandparent, and an incredibly well-spoken fellow Optometrist. You will thoroughly enjoy hearing his thoughts about the profession and life.
The Stories within the Story include:
0:52 The Generational Story
5:32 The Optometry Decision Story
10:15 The Waterskiing Story
11:58 The J&J Story
23:47 The Industry Relations Story
29:07 The InfantSEE Story
31:18 The Essilor Story
36:56 The Family Story
38:48 The Traveler Story
42:50 The Positive Attitude Story
Runtime: 46 min.
Check it out:
YouTube video podcast: https://youtu.be/QK0DDElauN0
Audio Podcast Apps: search for "Sandbox Stories" on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon, Pandora and more!
Downloadable Podcast (mp3): https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/7bwpy3/Sandbox_Interview_-_Purcell_AUDIOav7ez.mp3