Pennsylvania College of Optometry

Message from the Dean

From all of us at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Drexel University, congratulations to the Class of 2026!

You are entering our profession at a pivotal time. The world is changing quickly, and health care will continue to evolve in ways that demand not only clinical excellence but also compassion, courage and adaptability.

Throughout your time at PCO, you have been prepared for this moment — not just to practice optometry, but to lead with integrity and to serve with purpose.

You have completed a rigorous and demanding journey. Along the way, you demonstrated resilience, empathy and an unwavering commitment to your patients and to one another. You did this during a time of uncertainty, and that experience will shape the kind of professionals — and people — you become.

As you move forward, carry with you the PCO DNA: a dedication to excellence, a responsibility to advocate for those you serve and a belief that you can change lives as optometrists. We are incredibly proud of you and confident that you will make a meaningful and lasting impact in your profession, your communities and beyond.

Congratulations, Class of 2026! Your future — and the future of our profession — is bright.

Josephine O. Ibironke, OD '03, MPH, FAAO
Dean, Pennsylvania College of Optometry

About the Keynote Speaker

Joseph P. Shovlin, OD ’80, is the senior optometrist at Northeastern Eye Institute in Scranton, Pennsylvania and an adjunct faculty member at his alma mater, the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Drexel University. Dr. Shovlin is a distinguished practitioner of the National Academies of Practice; a diplomate and past chair of the Section on Cornea, Contact Lenses and Refractive Technologies of the American Academy of Optometry (AAO); and past chair of the Contact Lens and Cornea Section of the American Optometric Association. He is also board certified and a diplomate of the American Board of Optometry.

He is a past president of the AAO and has served on several committees within the association, including the Continuing Education Committee, Section Leadership Committee and the Board of Directors of the AAO Foundation. 

Dr. Shovlin received the Presidential Medal of Honor from PCO in 2019 to commemorate its centennial celebration and the Frank Fontana Lifetime Achievement Award by WebMD (2020). Recently, he received the Tony Adams Eminent Service Award and was inducted into the Academy Hall of Fame at the 100th Anniversary of the AAO (2022). He has been listed as one of the top 150 America’s Best Eye Doctors 2022 by Newsweek and was recently inducted into the National Optometric Hall of Fame at Optometry’s Meeting (2023).