The 2025 recipients of the Global Specialty Lens Symposium’s Award of Excellence and Rising Star Award were honored on Jan. 16 at the annual meeting in Las Vegas. Loretta Szczotka-Flynn, OD, PhD, received the Award of Excellence, and Kate Gifford, PhD, BAppSc(Optom)Hons, received the Rising Star Award.

Dr. Szczotka-Flynn is the Philip F. and Elizabeth G Searle - Suber Huang Professor in the department of ophthalmology & visual sciences at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) with a secondary appointment in the Department of Population & Quantitative Health Sciences. She is also the director of the Vision Research Coordinating Center and the Contact Lens Service at the University Hospitals Eye Institute at University Hospitals of Cleveland and CWRU. She has been the primary instructor for the semester-long graduate-level course “Clinical Trials” at CWRU since 2019.

She is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and a diplomate in the Academy’s section on cornea, contact lenses, and refractive technologies, and formerly chair of the section. She is a vice president of the International Society for Contact Lens Research, secretary-treasurer of the American Academy of Optometry Foundation, a board member for the International Keratoconus Academy and the Eye and Contact Lens Association, and an associate editor for Eye & Contact Lens.

Of receiving the award, Dr. Szczotka-Flynn said, “This award is especially meaningful to me because I believe it celebrates the clinician scientist. It is challenging enough to immerse one’s practice to custom contact lenses as well as to dedicate your career to research. But to me, the opportunity to do both has been my most rewarding experience and I am grateful that this has been recognized; I salute all my other clinician scientist colleagues in the cornea and contact lens field with this award.”

The Award of Excellence was introduced by GSLS in 2013 to recognize clinicians, scholars, and/or scientists in their lifelong achievements in the field of contact lenses, especially as they relate to specialty contact lenses. Dr. Szczotka-Flynn was chosen because of the vast work and research she has done in theareas of specialty lenses, keratoconus, irregular cornea, and corneal disease. See past winners here.

Dr. Gifford was chosen as the recipient of the Rising Star Award because of her far-reaching involvement in the myopia research and education community. Dr. Gifford is an internationally recognized clinician-scientist optometrist and peer educator, and a visiting research fellow at Queensland University of Technology, Australia. She holds a PhD in contact lens optics in myopia and four professional fellowships. Additionally, she has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed and professional publications and has presented more than 200 conference lectures.

Dr. Gifford is the chair of the clinical management guidelines committee of the International Myopia Institute. In 2016, Dr. Gifford and her optometrist husband, Paul Gifford, OD, cofounded Myopia Profile, an educational platform on childhood myopia management. After running her pediatric, contact lens, and myopia specialty practice in the Brisbane CBD for 13 years, she moved full time into peer education through Myopia Profile in 2020.

Dr. Gifford said of receiving the award, “The GSLS Rising Star award is an incredible honor which reflects my passion for embracing childhood contact lens wear for the benefit of our patients, our practices, and our profession. Today’s myopia management had its origins in orthokeratology, as did my career-long dedication and enthusiasm for contact lens practice. This award provides me with an invaluable motivation to continue leading and supporting my colleagues worldwide and increasing public awareness of the importance of pediatric contact lens wear and myopia management.”

The Rising Star Award, first offered by GSLS in 2023, recognizes an emerging leader in cornea and contact lenses. The awardee must demonstrate substantial contributions to the field, outside of what might normally be expected in this early phase of one’s career. See past winners here.