Lewis Reich Bio

October 14, 2020

Lewis Reich, OD, PhD

A 1988 graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, Dr. Lewis Reich completed his residency in low vision rehabilitation at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, where he later joined as a faculty member and researcher. In 1991, Dr. Reich entered the graduate program in physiological optics at the University of Houston and soon after was hired there as a Research Assistant Professor.

After receiving his PhD, Dr. Reich joined the faculty of Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry as Associate Professor. He was Assistant Dean for Student Affairs from 2003 to 2008. In July 2008, Dr. Reich joined Southern College of Optometry as Professor and Vice President for Academic Affairs. After serving as Interim President for nine months, Dr. Reich was named President by the Board of Trustees in January 2016.

Dr. Reich’s research has been funded by the National Eye Institute as well as the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. He has published peer-reviewed publications and has presented his research at dozens of national and international meetings. Dr. Reich is an active manuscript reviewer for major optometric and vision science journals and has served as a vision expert in legal cases.

He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and served on the Maintenance of Fellowship Committee and the Optometric Education Section’s Diplomate Program Committee. He has served ASCO as the Chair of the Optometry Admissions Test Committee, Chair of the Chief Academic Officers, and was the inaugural Chair of the OptomCAS Committee, leading the profession in the implementation of a centralized application service. He now chairs the Applicant Development Task Force. Dr. Reich serves on the Executive Committee as Vice President of the Board of Directors for the National Board of Examiners in Optometry. Locally, he was elected Chair of the Memphis Medical District Collaborative.