Lori Short receives 2010 Regents Staff Excellence Award

UI Ophthalmology's Lori Short has been honored by the Iowa Board of Regents as one of only six University of Iowa staff members receiving a 2010 Staff Excellence Award.

The Regents Staff Excellence Awards are given to UI staff members for outstanding accomplishments and contributions to their institutions as well as to the State of Iowa. Established in 1993, the award was created to provide a statewide forum to recognize staff members in conjunction with colleagues from the other Board of Regents institutions. Their accomplishments have significantly benefited the University, brought honor or recognition to the University, and had a significant positive impact on the State of Iowa.

Short has been the program coordinator for the Iowa KidSight Vision Screening Program, which has screened nearly 200,000 Iowa children under the age of 5 and referred more than 7,000 children to the care of vision professionals. Since Short took the helm in 2002, the screening program has seen a great increase in child participation. The number of Iowa Lions Clubs that participate in the program also has increased dramatically. Her initiative has led to screenings at the Iowa State Fair—nearly 2,000 children were screened and tens of thousands of fairgoers learned about the program. Short was largely responsible for the KidSight’s nearly $100,000 annual allocation from the Iowa Department of Public Health.