OPTICAL PRISM | GLIMPSES
CNIB OPENS SMARTLIFE CENTRES
CNIB , Canada ’ s largest non-profit serving people with sight loss , has celebrated the grand opening of the Nanji Family Foundation CNIB SmartLife Centre in Barrie .
CNIB SmartLife is an interactive retail experience that gives people with disabilities of all ages hands-on access to the latest breakthroughs in assistive technologies , as well as tried-andtrue favourites . The opening of the Barrie CNIB SmartLife Centre , now the second location in the country , was made possible by a generous donation from the Nanji Family Foundation .
" The ultimate goal of SmartLife is to give our customers the skills and confidence they need to make the most out of assistive tools that can help them lead better lives ,” says Gary Nenson , vice-president of philanthropy for CNIB .
Thanks to the transformational gift made by the Nanji Family Foundation , the organization will be opening an additional four SmartLife Centres across Canada over the next several months – including locations in Vancouver , Montreal , Ottawa , and Brampton .
PROFESSOR RECEIVES GRANT TO STUDY DIABETIC RETINOPATHY
Illinois Institute of Technology professor of biomedical engineering Jennifer Kang-Mieler has received a second research project grant from the National Institutes of Health to study diabetic retinopathy , a side effect afflicting 60 per cent of diabetes patients that is a leading cause of blindness .
The award is for $ 2.5 million over five years .
Kang-Mieler focuses on direct clinical applications . She has long-standing experience developing treatment methods to slow the disease once it has been detected , but once the damage is done , it ’ s irreversible .
CONTRERAS NAMED COUNTRY MANAGER
Enrique Contreras has been named country manager for CooperVision Canada .
He was most recently global commercial operations director , gaining perspectives spanning manufacturing , supply chain , distribution , finance , human resources and systems .
Before joining CooperVision , he was general manager for Johnson & Johnson Vision Care in Mexico and had an additional decade in marketing , sales , and management roles outside the eye care field .
Contreras served as a member of the National Committee of Optometry Giving Sight in Mexico . He and his family are moving to the Greater Toronto Area , where CooperVision Canada is headquartered . OP
36 OPTICAL PRISM | September 2021