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Award presented by previous Santa Clara County Optometric Society Optometrist of the Year Recipient, Dr. Rodney Lum. The “OD of the Year Award” is this society’s highest honor, given to a doctor for HER service to our profession, to HER community and to HER fellow man. My committee of past OD of the Year recipients Keith Chow and Chris Kavanagh are happy to have found a woman equal to or even surpassing us in accomplishments.  Certainly, surpassing us guys in the good looks department too. Our OD of the Year was selected for her many achievements, and for her quiet yet decisive leadership.  To quote a colleague: “she does her job with a willing attitude and a steadfast smile to boot. “  Our OD of the Year is mentioned by another young colleague as a "real role model" to her, as both a doctor and as a leader. Our OD of the Year is both a Brainiac and an overachiever:  She has a bachelor’s in Molecular Biology from Cal, and her OD from SUNY with a Beta Sigma Kappa Honor Society on top of it. She did her residency in Low Vision at Palo Alto VA Hospital and still had time to go on Vision trips to Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.  This is not her first award: She was our own Society’s Young OD of the Year in 08 and COA's Young OD of the Year in 09.  Our OD of the Year has stepped up several times when she was put in a difficult position:    She stepped up to become your current society president when others demurred from taking the job.    She also has organized the last few BAOC meetings when others were not up to the task. In her spare time, she recently started up her own practice “cold”, with some help on the office setup from her family. In what little spare time she has remaining, she reads Novels, plays guitar she likes findings New Restaurants, Snowboards and Runs with her Lab Retriever named Indie. And she enjoys life with her family and her significant other Danny. DRS.,  please congratulate your OD of the Year, Dr Elaine Chung  

Dr. Elaine Chung is a Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry and is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry. 

She is a member of the California Optometric Association (COA), American Optometric Association (AOA) and is the past President for the Santa Clara County Optometric Society (SCCOS). 

She was named SCCOS Young Optometrist of the Year in 2008 and awarded COA Young Optometrist of the Year in 2009. She was also recognized as SCCOS Optometrist of the Year in 2014.  Dr. Chung is specifically trained and certified to fit Paragon CRT lenses and is a member of Orthokeratology Academy of America. Dr. Elaine Chung received her Bachelor of Arts degree in 2001 from the University of California, Berkeley majoring in Molecular Cell Biology. 

In 2005, she earned her optometry degree from State University of New York, College of Optometry.  She was a member of Beta Sigma Kappa, an International Optometric Honor Society that promotes academic and scientific excellence as well as high moral standards in the profession of Optometry.  During her optometric training, she went on mission trips to perform vision screenings in Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. Dr. Chung further achieved her optometric training in a residency program emphasis in Primary Care and Low Vision Rehabilitation at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Palo Alto. 

In her residency training, she had the opportunity to share her knowledge with interns and worked with veterans who were visually impaired due to macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and retinal dystrophy. 

She recognizes the difficulty that the visually impaired community is experiencing, and she enjoys helping these individuals adapt to their new lifestyles through use of various low vision devices.  Dr. Chung is glaucoma certified, and she continues to practice to the fullest scope of optometry in California.

In her spare time, Dr. Chung enjoys reading fictional novels, playing the guitar and exploring new restaurants.