WVU Eye Institute orthoptist named 2021 Scobee Award Winner

A West Virginia University Eye Institute orthoptist has received national recognition for her outstanding scores on the American Association of Certified Orthoptists (AACO) exams.

Morgan Hodge, certified ophthalmic assistant, joined the WVU Eye Institute in 2017 as an ophthalmic testing assistant. While working in the clinics, Hodge said she became drawn to pediatrics where she was introduced to the orthoptic profession.

An orthoptist is an allied health professional who functions as a mid-level provider, primarily in a pediatric ophthalmology and adult strabismus setting, evaluating and treating patients with disorders of the visual system with an emphasis on binocular vision and eye alignment.

“I learned that WVU had not had a certified orthoptist on-staff for about a decade,” Hodge explained. “So, with great support from our faculty and staff, I decided to apply to programs to become certified.”

Hodge, a WVU alumnae of the Animal and Nutritional Sciences program, was accepted to a two-year program at the Kellogg Eye Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Shortly after returning to the Eye Institute, Hodge was recognized as the 2021 Richard G. Scobee Memorial Award winner, a national award given annually to the orthoptist and training program with the highest combined written and oral scores on that year’s AACO board certification exams.

“It is an incredible honor to be recognized and acknowledged in this way by the AACO and orthoptic community for my hard work and the wealth of knowledge instilled upon me by my training program,” Hodge said.

Now, as the WVU Eye Institute’s only on-site orthoptist, Hodge works primarily alongside the team’s pediatric ophthalmologists Geoffrey Bradford, M.D., and Ryan McGuire, M.D.

“I can’t say enough about the high level of care Morgan brings to our patients, as well as to the education and support of our residents, medical students and staff,” Dr. Bradford said. “To have her achieve such an honor as the Scobee Award comes as no surprise to me, but still brings much pride and appreciation for her on this very special accomplishment.”

In addition to working with pediatric ophthalmology patients, Hodge also sees adult strabismus patients and patients throughout the various ophthalmology subspecialties who experience double vision.