Eye Care Access Scholarship
BOSTON, MA, December 20, 2022 – The New England College of Optometry (NECO) is pleased to announce that Zenni Eyewear will provide three, $25,000 scholarships to NECO students committed to deliver eye care in underserved communities.
Zenni partners with NECO to establish the Zenni Eye Care Access Scholarship to further both organizations’ commitment to improving eye health in vulnerable communities. A scholarship of this nature assists NECO students in their desire to provide eye care for all and supports efforts to make eye care accessible to patients in need.
“Many NECO students are motivated to increase equity in healthcare following their clinical training in Community Health Centers. Easing the financial burden for these students allows them to follow their passion for serving underserved populations,” said NECO President and CEO Howard Purcell, OD. “We are grateful for the contribution Zenni has made to NECO, our students, and communities of all economic backgrounds.”
Dr. Purcell presenting at NECO
“Zenni is incredibly proud to partner with NECO to invest in the future of optometry. Improving vision and eye health disparities is a core pillar of our Zenni Impact program,” said Premilla Banwait, OD, FAAO and Head of Eye Health Programs. “We share with NECO a passion for accessible eye care and are motivated to bring eye health to all families and communities everywhere, regardless of their zip code.”
Etienne Bingham and Mathis Mateus have been named as the first recipients of the Zenni Eye Care Access Scholarship.
Etienne at his White Coat ceremony in 2022
Etienne Bingham joined the Advanced Standing International Program (ASIP) at NECO in May 2021 after he successfully completed his bachelor’s degree in Optometry at University of Johannesburg, South Africa in 2008 and received his optometric licensure to practice in South Africa and Namibia. Mr. Bingham chose to return to Namibia where the nearest treatment is often 450 miles from home and too many individuals go unnecessarily blind or are visually impaired due to their inability to afford and access surgery for treatable conditions, such as cataracts and glaucoma or uncorrected refractive errors. After more than a decade of treating patients, Mr. Bingham determined he would further his education, experience, and qualifications for a wider scope of practice to better serve remote populations in Northern Namibia by completing the ASIP at NECO to receive his Doctor of Optometry. Upon completion of his program, he will have served in clinics in rural Massachusetts, Minnesota, Vermont, and Alaska to prepare him to treat a wide variety of communities and ocular conditions.
Mathis at his White Coat ceremony in 2022
Mathis Mateus joined NECO in 2019 after earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Providence College in Providence, RI. Mr. Mateus is interested in treating the eye care needs of all people, regardless of ability to pay, and is especially passionate about empowering immigrant families when seeking care. When his grandparents immigrated from Portugal they struggled to seek medical care unless one of their sons was there to interpret. Today, Mr. Mateus speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese. These language skills help Mathis better serve communities when diagnosing and treating patients at Tallman Eye Associates in Lawrence, MA, where 42% of the population speaks Spanish. Following his externships at Tallman Eye Associates, DotHouse Health, and the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, Mr. Mateus has committed to join Tallman Eye Associates to address the needs of underserved communities.
The scholarship committee is #necoproud to name Etienne Bingham and Mathis Mateus the first recipients of the Zenni Eye Care Access Scholarship.
ABOUT NECO
New England College of Optometry is a private, nonprofit, and internationally recognized optometry school. We prepare the next generation of eye care providers, educators, and innovators through rigorous curriculum, extensive clinical experiences, state-of-the-art facilities, and a strong support network. As an independent optometry school, we focus solely on optometry. Founded in 1894, NECO is the oldest continuously operating optometry school in the U.S. and has been advancing optometric education ever since.
ABOUT ZENNI
Zenni pioneered the online eyewear industry in 2003 with a mission to make prescription eyewear affordable and accessible to everyone. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Zenni offers adults and children the freedom to express their personal style through high-
quality prescription and protective eyewear. Zenni partners with designers and tastemakers on curations and collections, including Iris Apfel, Rashida Jones, Cynthia Rowley, Coco + Breezy and George and Claire Kittle. Zenni is proud to be the Official Eyewear of the San Francisco 49ers, Boston Red Sox, Call of Duty League, and the Chicago Bulls. For more information, please visit Zenni.com/Press.