Sharon Bentley Named Dean of UC Berkeley Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science
After a successful international search, Sharon A. Bentley has been selected to serve as the new dean of the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry &...
After a successful international search, Sharon A. Bentley has been selected to serve as the new dean of the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science at the University of California, Berkeley. Bentley was professor of optometry, deputy dean of the Faculty of Health and director of the Centre for Vision and Eye Research at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. As the incoming dean, she will oversee the school’s academic programs, research initiatives, and community outreach.
Bentley has a proven track record of national leadership. She established the Leaders in Indigenous Optometry Education Network, involving heads of optometry schools from Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand, professional organizations, regulatory authorities, and Indigenous health groups. Her leadership in integrating Indigenous health into the optometry curriculum at QUT has set a benchmark for culturally safe education practices. Furthermore, Professor Bentley is a Diplomate of the Low Vision Section of the American Academy of Optometry.
Bentley has a bachelor’s degree in optometry, a graduate diploma in special education, a master’s degree in optometry and a doctorate of philosophy in optometry & vision sciences, all from the University of Melbourne, Australia. She also has a master’s in public health from Johns Hopkins University, and is an associate fellow in Indigenous Knowledges with the Higher Education Academy.
WittKieffer’s Joyce De Leo, PhD, Suzanne Teer, Kerry Quealy, and Tiffany Johnson led this search.
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