Rate My Professor Catherine Heyman

Dr. Catherine Heyman currently serves as the Founding Dean and Associate Professor of the School of Optometry at High Point University. In this role, she is guiding the program through the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) process to establish North Carolina's only private School of Optometry, featuring an innovative curriculum with block-style modules, experiential learning, interprofessional education, and a strong emphasis on student well-being and life skills. Dr. Heyman earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from San Diego State University, her Doctor of Optometry in 1993 from the Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B. Ketchum University (MBKU), and completed her residency in Pediatric Optometry and Vision Therapy at MBKU in 1994. Before joining High Point University in 2023, she held prominent positions at MBKU, including Associate Professor, Associate Dean of Student Affairs, Chief of the Low Vision Service, President of the Faculty Council, and Instructor of Record for Clinical Methods I and II. She also coordinated the Disability and Accessibility and Pediatric Low Vision Clinics at Ketchum Health's University Eye Center and led the vision program at Beyond Blindness, an organization supporting individuals with disabilities.

Dr. Heyman is one of the nation's leading optometrists specializing in pediatric low vision and optometric treatments for patients with special needs and disabilities. Her professional honors include being a Fellow and Diplomate in the Binocular Vision and Vision Perception Section of the American Academy of Optometry and a Fellow of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development. She has lectured nationally on pediatric low vision and optometric interventions for patients with disabilities and has served on various national committees. In research, Dr. Heyman is an investigator and committee member for the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group (PEDIG), contributing to studies examining the accommodative response in children with and without visual impairments. Her distinguished career reflects a deep commitment to advancing optometric education and clinical practice for underserved pediatric populations.