2020 Doctor of Optometry Student Conference (ODSC)
The 2020 Doctor of Optometry Student Conference (ODSC) was held on 17th and 18th September and this year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, was held online for the first time.
A preview of the ODSC virtual event.
Under these unique circumstances, the student convenors and their committee put together a fantastic program of educational presentations and social activities under the theme “Connecting Care”.
Presentations included topics such as: collaborative care, indigenous health, mental health, ageing, business and marketing, as well as panel discussions on research and patient cases, and ending with the much-anticipated annual staff debate on the topic of “Optometry is an essential service”! The limitations of the conference being online led the organisers to think of new ways of ensuring all students and staff were engaged. Attendees could choose to be involved in dance classes, cooking classes, competitions, and an engagement leaderboard, where points were given for being active, social media interaction, and asking questions of speakers and sponsors.
A huge thank you to this year’s convenors, Elenna Niteros, Jeremy Oppedisano and Kaavya Nair, and their organising committee, for putting together such an inspiring and educational conference, which brought together students from all years of the OD course and staff and at a time where connection across the student cohort is more important than ever. Additional thanks also to all the sponsors and guest speakers for their support of the event.