Dwight Akerman, OD, MBA, FAAO, FIACLE, FBCLA

Dr. Dwight Akerman is the founding Chief Medical Editor of Review of Myopia Management. Dr. Akerman graduated from the Illinois College of Optometry with an O.D. degree and earned an M.B.A. from the University of Texas. He has achieved Diplomate status in the American Academy of Optometry Section on Cornea, Contact Lenses & Refractive Technologies, Fellow of the International Association of Contact Lens Educators, and Fellow of the British Contact Lens Association. He was the Vice President & Global Head of Professional Affairs & Business Development for Alcon before retiring from this role in 2019. Dr. Akerman is the immediate past Chairman of the Illinois College of Optometry Board of Trustees.

Debbie Jones, FCOptom, FAAO, FBCLA

Debbie Jones is a Clinical Professor at the School of Optometry and Vision Science and a Clinical Scientist at the Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE) at the University of Waterloo. Her main clinical focus is in pediatric optometry, and her main research activity is myopia control. Debbie has a keen interest in the eye care needs of indigenous peoples and has provided eye care to a remote community in Northern Ontario on a number of occasions. Trained in the U.K., Debbie has been a faculty member at the School of Optometry and Vision Science for 25 years. She is formally a partner in an award-winning private practice in the U.K., has published articles in optometric journals, and regularly presents at optometric conferences worldwide. She is a Fellow of the British College of Optometrists, the British Contact Lens Association, and the American Academy of Optometry.

Vishakha Thakrar, OD, FAAO, FSLS

Dr. Vishakha Thakrar is the founder of Vaughan Vision Centre, an advanced specialty contact lens clinic and myopia and dry eye clinic in Vaughan, Ontario. The practice focuses primarily on scleral lens fitting, full-scope myopia management, vision therapy, and advanced dry eye treatment. She completed a Cornea and Contact Lens Residency at the New England College of Optometry. She then went on to become the Director of the Contact Lens Service at the Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic. She later helped establish the Contact Lens Clinic at the Kensington Eye Institute in Toronto. Dr. Thakrar has been fitting OrthoK lenses and scleral lenses and treating ocular surface disease for over 20 years. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and the Scleral Lens Society. She has spoken and written extensively for many years on contact lenses, dry eye disease, corneal disease, and myopia management.

Wes McCann, OD, MBA

Dr. McCann attended Western University and Nova Southeastern University, where he earned three Honours Bachelor of Science degrees, an accelerated MBA, and a Doctorate of Optometry. Dr. McCann owns eight practices in London, Ontario, and the surrounding area, and he is a professional consultant for Johnson & Johnson Vision. He has been on the faculty at the Canadian Dry Eye Summit. He has lectured at hundreds of events and across various platforms on contact lenses, ocular disease, dry eye disease, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment. Dr. McCann has taught clinical externs from the Waterloo School of Optometry, has served on the Board of Directors for the Ontario Association of Optometrists from 2016-2018, and is currently on the Board of Directors for Eye Recommend. He has been published in numerous journals, including Review of Optometry and Review of Myopia Management. In 2017, he was a recipient of the Top 20 Under 40 Award for his business achievements and community involvement in London, Ontario.