San Diego, October 26, 2008
— In recognition of his extraordinary support and service to APHA during a time of fiscal challenges, Melvin Douglas Shipp, OD, MPH, DrPH, is being honored with the 2008 Executive Director’s Citation at the 136th APHA Annual Meeting in San Diego.
Shipp, who served as APHA Treasurer from 2000–2007 and as a member of the Executive Board from 1999–2007, “steadfastly led the fiscal process and was an absolutely stellar Board member,” said APHA Executive Director Georges C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, FACEP (E). “He helped APHA regain sound financial footing and shaped the Association’s strategic fiscal plan.”
Among his many contributions to APHA, Shipp was founding chair of the Education Committee and served as chair of the Finance and Audit Committee from 2001–2007. He also served as a Section Councilor for the Vision Care Section, a Governing Councilor and has held many other positions within the Association.
Shipp currently serves as dean of the Ohio State University College of Optometry. He has served as an advisor for several federal institutions, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Health Resources and Services Administration and the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health.
He co-chaired a diverse group of nationally recognized vision and eye health experts and leaders for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that produced the document “Improving the Nation’s Vision Health: A Coordinated Public Health Approach.” The paper is designed to assist policy-makers and others in the coordination and development of effective strategies to prevent vision loss and promote eye health.
Shipp is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and a Diplomate of the Academy’s Public Health and Environment Optometry Section, chairing the section from 1999–2001. He is president-elect of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry and is a member of the national board of directors of Prevent Blindness America.
Shipp is the only optometrist to receive a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellowship and serve as a health legislative assistant in the U.S. Senate. He served in the U.S. Navy Reserves from 1972–2001 and was also an active duty member of the U.S. Navy from 1972–1976, serving as chief of optometry service at Port Hueneme, Calif. He has been listed in “Who’s Who Among Black Americans” since 1985, and his many honors and awards include the Founder’s Award from the National Optometric Association.