TWA SELECTED AS COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY'S NEW DEAN

Dr. Michael Twa, who served as a faculty member from 2007 to 2014, has been appointed dean of the College of Optometry. He assumed the position this summer.

From 2014 to 2019, Dr. Twa served as the associate dean for research and graduate studies at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry. His undergraduate training in biology was completed at UC San Diego, and his clinical doctoral training in optometry was completed at UC Berkeley. He practiced for more than 10 years in the department of ophthalmology at UC San Diego before pursuing a Ph.D. in machine learning, data sciences and biomedical image analysis at the Ohio State University.

Twa serves as a grant reviewer for the NIH/NEI, he is a member of the AOA Council on Research, the AAO Research Committee, and is the editor in chief of Optometry and Vision Science.

“I have a longstanding interest in biomedical imaging, image analysis and using machine learning methods to improve clinical decision-making,” he said of his ongoing research interests.

Twa, who grew up in a family of engineers and health care providers, expressed excitement about the ambitious future of the college, but stressed that serving patients will remain a core value.

“I am passionate about new programs and infrastructure and tackling technical challenges,” Twa said. “However, my overarching commitment to serving others is what drove me to become a health care provider, and that will remain a priority with our college.”

— Eric Gerber